Jesus describes the destruction of the temple as an analogy for the end of Israel.
Mark 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
Mark 13:33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.
Mark 13:33 And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert
Watch! You were sleepless because you haven't seen when the season is.
We have to wake up before we see anything real.
While the English translation comes across as serious, there is a real playfulness to the original Greek. The verb translated as "watch," "be alert," and "stay alert" means "to awaken" and in this form, "stay awake." This is funny because when it comes to Jesus's final days, they fall asleep. The tense of the verb is the past, saying that these apostles are in the process of waking up.
The first "watch" is a common word that means "to see" in a physical sense. It is contrasted against another common word that means "see" to mean both physical seeing and seeing in the sense of having understood. The past, perfect form of this verb means "to know" in the present tense. The sense is that we know what we "have seen" in the past. The wordplay is that they must "watch" because they haven't seen.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "take heed" means "look."
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "ye" makes the verb seem as though it is not a command.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "watch" means "stay awake."
- WT --Wrong Tense - The English verb "watch" is the present tense, but Greek is in the simple (imperfect) past. "stay awake."
- OS -- Outdated Source -- The Greek words translated as "and pray" existed in the KJV Greek source but not the one we used today.
- CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "time."
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "Be on guard" means "watch."
- WT --Wrong Tense - The English verb "be alert" is the present tense, but Greek is in the simple (imperfect) past. "stay awake."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "for" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "time."
- WT - Wrong Tense - The "will" indicates that the following verb is in the future tense but it isn't.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "come" means "exist"
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "and" doesn't exist in the source.
- CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "time."
- WT - Wrong Tense - The "will" indicates that the following verb is in the future tense but it isn't.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "come" means "exist"
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "Be on guard" means "watch."
Take -- (WW) -- The verb translated as "take heed" means "to see", "to look to", "to look like", "to beware", and "to look for." It is the more tangible sense of seeing, such as seeing what is right in front of you rather than understanding "look" in English. The sense is English is "look out!" or "watch out!"
ye -- (CW) -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the following verb. However, using it makes the verb sound less like an imperative command.
heed, -- There is no noun here. This comes from the previous verb, which just means "see."
watch -- (WW, WT) "Watch" is a verb that Jesus only uses twice that means "to lie awake", "to pass sleepless night," and "to suffer from insomnia."
and pray: -- (OS) There are no Greek words that can be translated as "and pray" in the source we use today but it does exist in the source that the KJV translators used.
for --The word translated as "for" introduces a reason or explanation so "because" and, in questions, "why." However, since this word always appears in the second position, it is more like an aside remark like, "consequently" or "as a cause".
ye -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the following verb.
know --- The word translated as "know" means primarily "to see" and is used to mean "know' as we use the word "see" to mean "know" in English. It is the past perfect tense so "have seen" but it is translated as the present tense of "know." What someone "has seen" is what they "know" in the present. Since the past perfect of "see" forms the present tense of "know" the pluperfect tense used here, which indicates an action completed before some other action in the past, is used as the simple past tense, "knew."
not -- The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea. When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words.
when -- The Greek word for "then" means "at this time" or "then".
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
time -- (CW) "The time" is a noun that means "due measure", "season", "opportunity", "time," and "profit." This is not the word usually translated as "time."
is. -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. -- When the verb "to be" appears early in the clause before the subject, the sense is more like "it is" or, in the plural, "there are."
Be on guard-- (WW) -- The verb translated as "be on guard" means "to see", "to look to", "to look like", "to beware", and "to look for." It is the more tangible sense of seeing, such as seeing what is right in front of you rather than understanding "look" in English. The sense is English is "look out!" or "watch out!"
Be alert -- (WT) "Be alert" is a verb that Jesus only uses twice that means "to lie awake", "to pass sleepless night," and "to suffer from insomnia."
missing "for"-- (MW) The untranslated word "for" introduces a reason or explanation so "because" and, in questions, "why." However, since this word always appears in the second position, it is more like an aside remark like, "consequently" or "as a cause".
you -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the following verb.
do -- This English helping verb is used to create questions, commands, negative statements, and smooth word flow in translation from Greek
not -- The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea. When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words.
know --- The word translated as "know" means primarily "to see" and is used to mean "know' as we use the word "see" to mean "know" in English. It is the past perfect tense so "have seen" but it is translated as the present tense of "know." What someone "has seen" is what they "know" in the present. Since the past perfect of "see" forms the present tense of "know" the pluperfect tense used here, which indicates an action completed before some other action in the past, is used as the simple past tense, "knew."
when -- The Greek word for "then" means "at this time" or "then".
that -- The word translated as "that" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
time -- (CW) "The time" is a noun that means "due measure", "season", "opportunity", "time," and "profit." This is not the word usually translated as "time."
will -- (WT) This helping verb "will" indicates that the following verb is the future tense, but it isn't. It is the present tense.
come. -- (WW) The verb "come" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. -- When the verb "to be" appears early in the clause before the subject, the sense is more like "it is" or, in the plural, "there are."
And -- (IW) There is no Greek word that can be translated as "and" in the Greek source.
since --The word translated as "for" introduces a reason or explanation so "because" and, in questions, "why." However, since this word always appears in the second position, it is more like an aside remark like, "consequently" or "as a cause".
you -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the following verb.
do -- This English helping verb is used to create questions, commands, negative statements, and smooth word flow in translation from Greek
n't -- The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea. When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words.
know ---- The word translated as "know" means primarily "to see" and is used to mean "know' as we use the word "see" to mean "know" in English. It is the past perfect tense so "have seen" but it is translated as the present tense of "know." What someone "has seen" is what they "know" in the present. Since the past perfect of "see" forms the present tense of "know" the pluperfect tense used here, which indicates an action completed before some other action in the past, is used as the simple past tense, "knew."
when -- The Greek word for "then" means "at this time" or "then".
that -- The word translated as "that" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
time -- (CW) "The time" is a noun that means "due measure", "season", "opportunity", "time," and "profit." This is not the word usually translated as "time."
will -- (WT) This helping verb "will" indicates that the following verb is the future tense, but it isn't. It is the present tense.
come. -- (WW) The verb "come" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. -- When the verb "to be" appears early in the clause before the subject, the sense is more like "it is" or, in the plural, "there are."
be on guard-- (WW) -- The verb translated as "be on guard" means "to see", "to look to", "to look like", "to beware", and "to look for." It is the more tangible sense of seeing, such as seeing what is right in front of you rather than understanding "look" in English. The sense is English is "look out!" or "watch out!"
Stay alert -- "Stay alert" is a verb that Jesus only uses twice that means "to lie awake", "to pass sleepless night," and "to suffer from insomnia."
βλέπετε [46 verses](2nd pl pres imperat act) "Take ye heed" is blepo, which means "to look" and "to see." It is the more tangible sense of seeing, such as seeing what is right in front of you rather than understanding.
ἀγρυπνεῖτε (2 verses) ( verb 2nd pl imperf ind act ) "Watch" is agrypneo, which means "to lie awake", "to pass sleepless night," and "to suffer from insomnia." It is described as a metaphor for being watchful.
οὐκ [269 verses]((partic) "Not" is οὐ, which is the negative adverb for facts and statements, negating both single words and sentences.
οἴδατε [38 verses]((verb 2nd pl perf ind act) "Ye Know" is oida which has the sense of "to know." This listing is not a root word, but the past perfect tense of eido, which means "to see," "to examine," "to perceive," "to behold," "to know how to do," "to see with the mind's eye," and "to know." That which "has been seen" is that which is "known." This is a somewhat legalistic idea because the truth can only be established by eyewitnesses.
γὰρ [205 verses](partic) "For" comes from gar which is the introduction of a clause explaining a reason or explanation: "for," "since," and "as." In an abrupt question, it means "why" and "what." -
πότε [26 verses](adv/conj) "At any time" comes from pote, which means "when," "at what time," "at some time or other," "at some unknown time, and "at some time in the future." With the subjective negative me (μή) before it, the sense is "not when."
ὁ [821 verses](article sg masc nom ) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
καιρός [21 verses]( noun sg masc nom ) "Time" is from kairos, which means "due measure", "proportion", "fitness", "exact time," "season", "opportunity", "time", "critical times", "advantage," and "profit." It is the concept of time as a moment as opposed to a measurement. The ideas of good times or bad times as a part from seconds, minutes, and hours.
ἐστιν [614 verses]( verb 3rd sg pres ind act ) "Is" " is eimi, which means "to be," "to exist," "to be the case," of circumstance and events "to happen," and "is possible." With the genitive object, the sense is "belongs to." With the dative object, the object acts like a possessive and "it is to him" becomes "it is his." With the preposition, eis, , the sense is "consist of.
Both the word used here as "take heed"means "see with the eyes" and the word translated as "know" both mean "to see." The first tends to be used more for physically seeing something, and the second more to mean "seeing" in the sense of understanding what you are seeing. Those two types of seeing are contrasted with the two words used from time, the "unknown time" of "when" and the known "time."