Lexical Summary genea: Generation Original Word: γενεά Strong's Exhaustive Concordance age, generationFrom (a presumed derivative of) genos; a generation; by implication, an age (the period or the persons) -- age, generation, nation, time. see GREEK genos NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom ginomai Definition race, family, generation NASB Translation generation (32), generations (10), kind (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1074: γενεάγενεά, γενεάς, ἡ (ΓΑΝΩ, γίνομαι (crf. Curtius, p. 610)); the Sept. often for דּור; in Greek writings from Homer down; 1. a begetting, birth, nativity: Herodotus 3, 33; Xenophon, Cyril 1, 2, 8, etc.; (others make the collective sense the primary significance, see Curtius as above). 2. passively, that which has been begotten, men of the same stock, a family; a. properly, as early as Homer; equivalent to מִשְׁפָּחַה, Genesis 31:3, etc. σῴζειν Ρ᾽αχαβην καί τήν γενεάν αὐτῆς, Josephus, Antiquities 5, 1, 5. the several ranks in a natural descent, the successive members of a genealogy: Matthew 1:17 (ἑβδόμῃ γενεά οὗτος ἐστιν ἀπό τοῦ πρώτου, Philo, vit. Moys. i. § 2). b. metaphorically, a race of men very like each other in endowments, pursuits, character; and especially in a bad sense a perverse race: Matthew 17:17; Mark 9:19; Luke 9:41; Luke 16:8; (Acts 2:40). 3. the whole multitude of men living at the same time: Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 1:48 (πᾶσαι αἱ γενεαί); 4. an age (i. e. the time ordinarily occupied by each successive generation), the space of from 30 to 33 years (Herodotus 2, 142, et al.; Heraclitus in Plutarch, def. orac. c. 11), or ὁ χρόνος, ἐν ᾧ γεννωντα παρέχει τόν ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεγεννημένον ὁ γεννησας (Plutarch, the passage cited); in the N. T. common in plural: Ephesians 3:5 (Winers Grammar, § 31, 9 a.; Buttmann, 186 (161)); παρῳχημέναις γενεαῖς in ages gone by, Acts 14:16; ἀπό τῶν γενεῶν for ages, since the generations began, Colossians 1:26; ἐκ γενεῶν ἀρχαίων from the generations of old, from ancient times down, Acts 15:21; εἰς γενεάς γενεῶν unto generations of generations, through all ages, forever (a phrase which assumes that the longer ages are made up of shorter; see αἰών, 1 a.): Luke 1:50 R L (דּורִים לְדור, Isaiah 51:8); εἰς γενεάς καί γενεάς unto generations and generations, ibid. T Tr WH equivalent to וָדור לְדור, Psalm 89:2; Isaiah 34:17; very often in the Sept.; (add, εἰς πάσας τάς γενεάς τοῦ αἰῶνος τῶν αἰώνων, Ephesians 3:21, cf. Ellicott at the passage) (γενεά is used of a century in Genesis 15:16, cf. Knobel at the passage, and on the senses of the word see the full remarks of Keim, iii. 206 (v. 245 English translation)). The term refers to a lineage or cohort linked by birth, but Scripture broadens it to any identifiable group bound by time, heritage, or shared moral traits. Context decides whether the emphasis is chronological (successive descendants), contemporaneous (people now living), or qualitative (those marked by particular spiritual disposition). Genealogical and Historical Generations Matthew 1:17 strings the line from Abraham to Christ into three sets of fourteen “generations,” underscoring God’s orderly governance of history. Luke 1:48-50 celebrates that Mary will be called blessed “from generation to generation,” echoing Old-Testament assurances that covenant mercy ripples through succeeding eras (compare Exodus 20:6). Acts 13:36 notes that David “served the purpose of God in his own generation,” reminding readers that each era receives particular responsibilities in redemptive history. Moral and Spiritual Characterizations Jesus frequently labels His contemporaries an “evil and adulterous generation” (Matthew 12:39; 16:4) and a “faithless and perverse generation” (Matthew 17:17; Philippians 2:15), highlighting collective culpability rather than merely individual sin. Such usage draws from Deuteronomy 32:5, where Israel is called a “perverse generation,” linking first-century unbelief to a long pattern of covenant infidelity. “This Generation” in the Synoptic Gospels “This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened” (Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32). The phrase anchors Christ’s prophecy to His contemporaries while simultaneously looking ahead to the consummation. The destruction of Jerusalem (A.D. 70) demonstrated the immediacy of Jesus’ warning, yet the continued call to watchfulness shows that the definitive fulfillment culminates in His return. Generations in Salvation History Paul testifies that the mystery of the gospel “was not made known to previous generations as it has now been revealed” (Ephesians 3:5), indicating progressive revelation climaxing in Christ. Colossians 1:26 likewise speaks of the mystery “hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints,” highlighting both continuity (God’s long-range plan) and discontinuity (the newness of incarnation and indwelling). Apostolic Preaching and the Invitation to Escape a Corrupt Generation Peter pleads, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation” (Acts 2:40). The early church understood baptism and Spirit-empowered life as an exodus from a doomed society, echoing Jesus’ warnings and Moses’ call to leave Egypt. Acts 14:16 adds that God “allowed all nations to walk in their own ways” in past generations, implying both patience and impending accountability now that the gospel light has come. Eschatological Promise and Warning The recurring contrast between “this generation” and “the generation of the righteous” frames eschatology ethically. Believers are to “shine as lights in the world, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation” (Philippians 2:15). Conversely, accumulated guilt can climax in generational judgment, as Jesus foretells regarding shed prophetic blood coming upon “this generation” (Matthew 23:36; Luke 11:50-51). Pastoral and Missional Implications 1. Every congregation must discern its own generation’s sins and opportunities, proclaiming repentance like Jesus and the apostles. Doctrinal and Theological Reflections • Divine sovereignty threads history; no generation arises outside His plan. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 1:17 N-NFPGRK: οὖν αἱ γενεαὶ ἀπὸ Ἀβραὰμ NAS: all the generations from Abraham KJV: So all the generations from Abraham INT: Therefore the generations from Abraham Matthew 1:17 N-NFP Matthew 1:17 N-NFP Matthew 1:17 N-NFP Matthew 11:16 N-AFS Matthew 12:39 N-NFS Matthew 12:41 N-GFS Matthew 12:42 N-GFS Matthew 12:45 N-DFS Matthew 16:4 N-NFS Matthew 17:17 N-VFS Matthew 23:36 N-AFS Matthew 24:34 N-NFS Mark 8:12 N-NFS Mark 8:12 N-DFS Mark 8:38 N-DFS Mark 9:19 N-VFS Mark 13:30 N-NFS Luke 1:48 N-NFP Luke 1:50 N-AFP Luke 1:50 N-AFP Luke 7:31 N-GFS Luke 9:41 N-VFS Luke 11:29 N-NFS Luke 11:29 N-NFS Strong's Greek 1074 |
    |