For those who want to know what Jesus really said, how he said it, why crowds came to hear him, and shades of meaning lost or hidden in translation.

Home

Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 17:17 O faithless and perverse generation,

After meeting a crowd and having a man brought to him who his students couldn't cure.

Spoken to
Apostles

Matthew 17:17 Ὦ γενεὰ ἄπιστος καὶ διεστραμμένη, ἕως πότε μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν ἔσομαι; ἕως πότε ἀνέξομαι ὑμῶν; φέρετέ μοι αὐτὸν ὧδε.

KJV Verse

Matthew 17:17 .O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 17:17 You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me

 

What His Listeners Heard:

Oh, you distrusting and having been diverted type! Until when will I be with you? Until when will I attach  myself to you? Fetch him to me here!

Lost In Translation:

Jesus addresses his students here as he usually addresses his opponents, the Phrarisees. This comes across, in Greek, as teasing. It isn't as negative and critical as the English translation.  Jesus isn't saying that he "suffers" his generation but that he must "content himself with them." There are a number of uncommon Greek words here, used only in this verse and its parallels in Luke and Mark. The word translated as "how long" is not a measure of time, but the adverb that means "until."

KJV w/Translation Issues :

O faithless and perverse(WF,WT,WV) generation, how long(CW) (MW) shall I  be with you? how long(CW) (MW) shall I suffer(CW,WV you? bring him hither to me.

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

About this Site

See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

Free Subscriptions

Regular emails from Substack, subscribe to Rediscovering Jesus's Words.

 

Do Your Own Research

Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.