Luke 21:24
What does Luke 21:24 mean?
A plain-English look at Luke 21:24 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Luke 21:24 means
Jesus declares that many inhabitants of Jerusalem "shall fall by the edge of the sword" and "shall be led captive into all the nations." Furthermore, Jerusalem "shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." This prophecy outlines the complete subjugation and dispersion of the Jewish people after the city's fall, and the long period during which Jerusalem would remain under Gentile dominion. It points to a time when God's focus would shift to the Gentiles, awaiting a future culmination of His redemptive plan for all nations.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all the nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
KJV
King James Version · 1611And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all the nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And they will be put to death with the sword, and will be taken as prisoners into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be crushed under the feet of the Gentiles, till the times of the Gentiles are complete.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862and they shall fall by the mouth of the sword, and shall be led captive to all the nations, and Jerusalem shall be trodden down by nations, till the times of nations be fulfilled.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And they shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captives into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles till the times of the nations be fulfilled.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of [the] nations until [the] times of [the] nations be fulfilled.
Context
This verse concludes the specific prophecies about Jerusalem's destruction and its aftermath, building upon the themes of vengeance and distress from verses 22-23. It details the ultimate fate of the Jewish people and the city, providing a historical marker of the "times of the Gentiles." This extensive prophecy regarding Jerusalem then serves as a distinct transition point, leading into the broader signs of the final end times and Christ's glorious return, which begin in verse 25.
v.23Woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! for there shall be great distress upon the land, and wrath unto this people.
v.24This passage
v.25And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows;
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Lamentations 1:15
The Lord hath set at nought all my mighty men in the midst of me; He hath called a solemn assembly against me to crush my young men: The Lord hath trodden as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah.
- Revelation 11:2
And the court which is without the temple leave without, and measure it not; for it hath been given unto the nations: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
- Isaiah 5:5
And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; I will break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:
- Deuteronomy 28:64
And Jehovah will scatter thee among all peoples, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou nor thy fathers, even wood and stone.
- Daniel 9:27
And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate.
- Daniel 12:7
And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
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