Luke 21:24

24 And they shall fall by the sharpness of sword, and they shall be led prisoners into all folks [and they shall be led captive, or prisoners, into all folks]; and Jerusalem shall be defouled of heathen men [and Jerusalem shall be defouled, or trodden down, of heathen men], till the times of nations be fulfilled.

Luke 21:24 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 21:24

And they shall fall by the edge of the sword
Or "mouth of the sword", an Hebraism; see the Septuagint in ( Judges 1:8 Judges 1:25 ) . The number of those that perished by the famine and sword, were eleven hundred thousand F6:

and shall be led away captive unto all nations;
when the city was taken, the most beautiful of the young men were kept for the triumph; and those that were above seventeen years of age, were sent bound into Egypt, to labour in the mines; many were distributed through the provinces, to be destroyed in the theatres, by the sword or beasts; and those that were under seventeen years of age, were led captive to be sold; and the number of these only, were ninety-seven thousand F7:

and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles;
the Romans, who ploughed up the city and temple, and laid them level with the ground; and which spot has been ever since inhabited by such as were not Jews, as Turks and Papists: and so it will be,

until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled;
that is, till the fulness of the Gentiles is brought in; until the Gospel is preached all over the world, and all God's elect are gathered in out of all nations; and then the Jews will be converted, and return to their own land, and rebuild and inhabit Jerusalem; but till that time, it will be as it has been, and still is possessed by Gentiles. The word "Gentiles", is left out in one of Beza's exemplars, and so it is likewise in the Persic version.


FOOTNOTES:

F6 Joseph. de Belio Jud. l. 7. c. 49. & Euseb. Hist. Eccl. l. 3. c. 7.
F7 Ib.

Luke 21:24 In-Context

22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things that be written, be fulfilled.
23 And woe to them, that be with child, and nourishing in those days [and nursing in those days]; for a great dis-ease shall be on the earth, and wrath to this people.
24 And they shall fall by the sharpness of sword, and they shall be led prisoners into all folks [and they shall be led captive, or prisoners, into all folks]; and Jerusalem shall be defouled of heathen men [and Jerusalem shall be defouled, or trodden down, of heathen men], till the times of nations be fulfilled.
25 And tokens shall be in the sun, and the moon, and in the stars; and in the earth overlaying of folks, for confusion of the sound of the sea and of floods [for confusion of sound of the sea and waves];
26 for men shall wax dry for dread and abiding that shall come into all the world [men waxing dry for dread and abiding that shall come on all the world]; for virtues of heaven shall be moved.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.