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Luke 21 General Notes
Structure and formatting
Luke 21:5-36 is an extended teaching about the return of Christ.
Special concepts in this chapter
"For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,'"
Jesus teaches that before he returns many people will falsely claim to be him returning. It will also be a time of great persecution.
"Until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled"
The Jews referred to the time between the Babylonian exile and the coming of the Messiah as a period of Gentile domination. This is because the Jews were not sovereign over their own affairs.
Important figures of speech in this chapter
Metaphors
The prophecy in this chapter contains metaphorical language. It is best to translate the events it speaks of as literal unless doing so either is impossible or would communicate wrong meaning. For example, the phrases "torn down," "will rise against," and "not a hair on your head will perish" are metaphors. "Signs in the sky," "earthquakes," and "wars" should also be translated literally. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)
Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
Son of Man
Jesus refers to himself as the "Son of Man." Not every language allows a person to refer to himself in the third person.