A long section about "the end of the world" or, more precisely, "the culmination of an era."
Matthew 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
Matthew 24:20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.
Pray, however, that it shouldn't happen, this exile of yours, during a storm nor on the Sabbath.
We want good weather for a crisis and it shouldn't interrupt our day of rest.
This is the first time Jesus speaks as if his followers, those he is speaking to, will see the escape he has been describing. Until this verse, those events have been described in the third person, including third-person commands. The humor here is in saying that we want good weather for a crisis and that a crisis shouldn't interrupt our day of rest. The word translated as "winter" is one that Jesus uses to mean "storm." See Matthew 16:2.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "flight" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "should" needed from the form of the verb is not shown in the English translation.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "be" should be something more like "happen."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "the" doesn't exist in the source.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "winter" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "day" doesn't exist in the source.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "however" appears here and it not translated.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "flight" is not shown in the English translation.
- WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "will" indicates the future tense, but that is not the tense here.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "will" should be something more like "should."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "the" doesn't exist in the source.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "winter" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
But -- The Greek word translated as "but" joins phrases in an adversarial way. However, it also can act as the word "so" explaining a cause, which is what it seems to do here. When used in writing, it creates complex sentences, but when spoken, it makes a good pausing point so that an important or humorous word can follow.
pray - "Pray" is a compound Greek word meaning "to pray to God towards" or "pray to God by reason of." It has the sense of praying for something specific rather than praying as a conversation or worship. Christ has been using the third person command until this point. This is a second person command, as we would see in English.
ye -- This is from the third-person, plural form of the following verb.
that - The word translated as "that" is an adverb or a conjunction that starts a subordinate clause "there," "where," and "in order that."
your -- The word translated as "your" is plural addressing a group of Jesus's listeners. This pronoun follows the noun so "of yours."
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word 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.
flight -- "Flight" is a Greek noun that means "flight," "escape," "banishment," and "exile." It is only used by Jesus in this verse in the Greek we use today.
missing "should" or "might"-- (MW) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a verb of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur. The helping verb is not needed in a clause beginning with an "if" or a "when."
be - (WW ) -- The word translated as "be" means "to become," that is, to enter into a new state. In Greek, especially as used by Jesus, it is the opposite of "being," which is existence in the current state. When applied to events, this word means "to happen," "to occur," or "take place." For things, it can be "to be produced." The form is subjunctive.
not - The negative used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion, commands, and requests. The sense is that "you don't want" to do something, not that it isn't done or don't think something that might be true. If it wasn't done or wasn't true, the objective negative of fact would be used.
in -- This word comes from the genitive case of the following word(s) that required the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession, but it can also mean "belonging to," "part of," "which is," "than" (in comparisons), or "for," "concerning" or "about" with transitive verbs. In references to time, it could instead be translated "during," "at," or "within."
the -- (IW) There are no Greek words that can be translated as "the" in the source we use today nor was there one in the source that the KJV translators used. When a word doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article ("a," "an" can be added in English translation.
winter, -- (CW) "Winter" is a noun that means primarily "winter" but also "wintry, stormy weather." It is a metaphor for a calamity sent by the gods. We know Jesus uses it to mean "stormy weather" because it is the word he uses in the "red sky in the morning" verse. However, the fact that it also means a calamity "sent by the gods" is humorous because Jesus is describing just such a calamity. Because this word describes what the flight becomes "calamity" would certainly be implied.
neither -- The word for "neither" is the Greek subjective negative plus the Greek word for "but." It can be translated as "and not."
on -- This word comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English: an "on" a time, and an "in" for area of effect.
the -- (IW) There are no Greek words that can be translated as "the" in the source we use today nor was there one in the source that the KJV translators used. When a word doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article ("a," "an" can be added in English translation.
sabbath - "Sabbath " is from the Greek word for the "Sabbath." Of course, Jesus and his followers were frequently criticized by his opponents for doing more on the Sabbath than the religious elites thought proper.
day: -- (IW)There are no Greek words that can be translated as "day" in the source we use today nor was there one in the source that the KJV translators used.
Pray - "Pray" is a compound Greek word meaning "to pray to God towards" or "pray to God by reason of." It has the sense of praying for something specific rather than praying as a conversation or worship. Christ has been using the third person command until this point. This is a second-person command, as we would see in English.
missing "however" -- (MW) The untranslated word "but" joins phrases in an adversarial way. However, it also can act as the word "so" explaining a cause, which is what it seems to do here. When used in writing, it creates complex sentences, but when spoken, it makes a good pausing point so that an important or humorous word can follow.
that - The word translated as "that" is an adverb or conjunction that starts a subordinate clause "there," "where," and "in order that."
your -- The word translated as "your" is plural addressing a group of Jesus's listeners. This pronoun follows the noun so "of yours."
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word 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.
flight -- "Flight" is a Greek noun that means "flight," "escape," "banishment," and "exile." It is only used by Jesus in this verse in the Greek we use today.
will -- (WT, WW) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a verb of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur. The helping verb is not needed in a clause beginning with an "if" or a "when." The following verb is not the future tense.
not - The negative used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion, commands, and requests. The sense is that "you don't want" to do something, not that it isn't done or don't think something that might be true. If it wasn't done or wasn't true, the objective negative of fact would be used.
take place- The word translated as "take place" means "to become," that is, to enter into a new state. In Greek, especially as used by Jesus, it is the opposite of "being," which is existence in the current state. When applied to events, this word means "to happen," "to occur," or "take place." For things, it can be "to be produced." The form is subjunctive.
in -- This word comes from the genitive case of the following word(s) that required the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession, but it can also mean "belonging to," "part of," "which is," "than" (in comparisons), or "for," "concerning" or "about" with transitive verbs. In references to time, it could instead be translated "during," "at," or "within."
the -- (IW) There are no Greek words that can be translated as "the" in the source we use today nor was there one in the source that the KJV translators used. When a word doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article ("a," "an" can be added in English translation.
winter, -- (CW) "Winter" is a noun that means primarily "winter" but also "wintry, stormy weather." It is a metaphor for a calamity sent by the gods. We know Jesus uses it to mean "stormy weather" because it is the word he uses in the "red sky in the morning" verse. However, the fact that it also means a calamity "sent by the gods" is humorous because Jesus is describing just such a calamity. Because this word describes what the flight becomes "calamity" would certainly be implied.
neither -- The word for "neither" is the Greek subjective negative plus the Greek word for "but." It can be translated as "and not."
on -- This word comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English: an "on" a time, and an "in" for area of effect.
the -- (IW) There are no Greek words that can be translated as "the" in the source we use today nor was there one in the source that the KJV translators used. When a word doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article ("a," "an" can be added in English translation.
Sabbath - "Sabbath " is from the Greek word for the "Sabbath." Of course, Jesus and his followers were frequently criticized by his opponents for doing more on the Sabbath than the religious elites thought proper.
προσεύχεσθε [26 verses](verb 2nd pl pres impera) "Pray" is proseuchomai, which means "to offer prayers or vows," "to worship," and "to pray for a thing. It is the combination of two Greek word, pros, meaning "towards" or "by reason of," and euchomai, meaning "to pray to God."
δὲ [446 verses](conj) "But" is from de which means "but" and "on the other hand." It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be an explanation of cause ("so").
ἵνα [134 verses](adv/conj)"That" is hina, which means "in that place," "there," "where," "when," "that," "in order that," "when," and "because."
μὴ [447 verses](conj) "Not" is from me , which is the negative used in prohibitions and expressions of doubt meaning "not" and "no." As οὐ (ou h) negates fact and statement; μή rejects, οὐ denies; μή is relative, οὐ absolute; μή subjective, οὐ objective.
γένηται [117 verses](verb 3rd sg aor subj) "Be" is from ginomai, which means "to become," "to come into being," "to happen," and "to be produced." It means changing into a new state of being. It is the complementary opposite of the verb "to be" (eimi)which indicates existence in the same state.
ἡ [821 verses](article sg fem 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." -- 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.
φυγὴ [1 verse](noun sg fem nom) "Flight" is phyge, which means "flight," "escape," "banishment," and "exile."
ὑμῶν [168 verses](pron 2nd pl gen) "Your" is humon, the plural possessive form of su the pronoun of the second person, "you."
χειμῶνος [3 verses]( noun sg masc gen ) "Winter" is cheimon, which means "winter," "wintery," "storm," "stormy" and it is a metaphor for a calamity sent by the gods.
μηδὲ [24 verses](conj) "Neither" is from mede, which means "and not," "but not," "nor," and "not."
σαββάτῳ: [17 verses](noun sg neut dat) "A Sabbath day" is from sabbaton, which means "Sabbath," "seven days of week," and "first day of week."
The word "winter" means "a calamity sent by the gods."
"Pray to God" he said, addressing his followers. "So your escape won't become...."
Here, he smiled.
"A storm of divine calamity," he said, throwing up his hands .
The idea seemed funny since he was describing exactly that.
"Or..." he said, pausing as if he was envisioning something even worse.
"The Sabbath," he whispered in horror.
His followers laughed despite themselves. His opponents were on them all constantly about not keeping the Sabbath.