1 Machabæorum 24:22

Jerome's Latin Vulgate

Et nisi breviati fuissent dies illi, non fieret salva omnis caro: sed propter electos breviabuntur dies illi.

Parallel Translations

Nova Vulgata (1979)
Et nisi breviati fuissent dies illi, non fieret salva omnis caro; sed propter electos breviabuntur dies illi.

Clementine Latin Vulgate (1592)
Et nisi breviati fuissent dies illi, non fieret salva omnis caro : sed propter electos breviabuntur dies illi.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

except: Mark 13:20

for: Isaiah 6:13, Isaiah 65:8, Isaiah 65:9, Zechariah 13:8, Zechariah 14:2, Romans 9:11, Romans 11:25-31, 2 Timothy 2:10

Reciprocal: Genesis 18:26 - General 2 Kings 21:12 - whosoever Esther 4:14 - then shall Psalms 57:1 - until Psalms 76:10 - remainder Psalms 112:3 - and his Isaiah 4:2 - them that are escaped Isaiah 24:13 - there Isaiah 30:17 - till ye Isaiah 45:4 - Jacob Jeremiah 12:12 - no Jeremiah 30:7 - so Jeremiah 31:17 - General Jeremiah 42:2 - left Ezekiel 12:16 - I will Daniel 2:30 - but Matthew 19:25 - Who Matthew 21:41 - He will Mark 13:27 - his elect 1 Corinthians 9:10 - For Ephesians 1:4 - as Colossians 3:12 - as 1 Thessalonians 2:16 - for 1 Peter 1:2 - Elect 1 Peter 4:18 - if Revelation 7:3 - Hurt not

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And except those days should be shortened,.... That is, those days of tribulation which commenced at the siege of Jerusalem; and therefore cannot refer to the times before it, and the shortening of them by it, which were very dreadful and deplorable through the murders and robberies of the cut-throats and zealots; but to those after the siege began, which were very distressing to those that were within; and which, if they had not been shortened, or if the siege had been lengthened out further,

there should no flesh be saved; not one Jew in the city of Jerusalem would have been saved; they must everyone have perished by famine, or pestilence, or sword, or by the intestine wars and murders among themselves: nor indeed, if the siege had continued, would it have fared better with the inhabitants of the other parts of the country, among whom also many of the same calamities prevailed and spread themselves; so that, in all likelihood, if these days had been continued a little longer, there had not been a Jew left in all the land.

But for the elect's sake; those who were chosen in Christ, before the foundation of the world, to believe in him, and to be saved by him with an everlasting salvation; both those that were in the city, or, at least, who were to spring from some that were there, as their immediate offspring, or in future ages, and therefore they, and their posterity, must not be cut off; and also those chosen ones, and real believers, who were at Pella, and in the mountains, and other places, for the sake of these, and that they might be delivered from these pressing calamities,

those days shall be shortened: for otherwise, if God had not preserved a seed, a remnant, according to the election of grace, that should be saved, they had been as Sodom and as Gomorrha, not one would have escaped. The shortening of those days is not to be understood literally, as if the natural days, in which this tribulation was, were to be shorter than usual. The Jews indeed often speak of the shortening of days in this sense, as miraculously done by God: so they say n, that

"five miracles were wrought for our father Jacob, when he went from Beersheba to go to Haran. The first miracle was, that אתקצרו ליה שעוי דיומא, "the hours of the day were shortened for him", and the sun set before its time, because his word desired to speak with him.''

They also say o,

"that the day in which Ahaz died, was shortened ten hours, that they might not mourn for him; and which afterwards rose up, and in the day that Hezekiah was healed, ten hours were added to it.''

But the meaning here is, that the siege of Jerusalem, and the calamities attending it, should be sooner ended: not than God had determined, but than the sin of the Jews deserved, and the justice of God might have required in strict severity, and might be reasonably expected, considering the aggravated circumstances of their iniquities. A like manner of speech is used by the Karaite Jews p, who say,

"if we walk in our law, why is our captivity prolonged, and there is not found balm for our wounds? and why are not

נתמעטו ימיהם, "the days" of the golden and silver kingdom "lessened", for the righteousness of the righteous, which were in their days?''

n Targum Jonathan ben Uzziel, & Targum Hieros. in Gem xxviii. 10. o R. Sol. Jarchi in Isa. xxxviii. 8. p Chilluk M. S. apud Trigland. de sect. Karaeorum, c. 9. p. 147.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Except those days should be shortened - If the calamities of the siege should be lengthened out. If famine and war should be suffered to rage.

No flesh be saved - None of the nation would be preserved alive. All the inhabitants of Judea would perish. The war, famine, and pestilence would entirely destroy them.

But for the elect’s sake - The “elect” here doubtless means “Christians.” See 1 Peter 1:2; Romans 1:7; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:4. The word “elect” means “to choose.” It is given to Christians because they are “chosen to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth,” 1 Peter 1:2. It is probable that in Jerusalem and the adjacent parts of Judea there were many who were true followers of Christ. On their account - to preserve them alive, and to make them the instruments of spreading the gospel Jesus said that those days should not be lengthened out so as to produce their destruction. It is related by Josephus (Jewish Wars, b. 1 chapter 12, section 1) that Titus at first resolved to reduce the city by famine. He therefore built a wall around it to keep any provisions from being carried in, and any of the people from going out. The Jews, however, drew up their army near the walls, engaged in battle, and the Romans pursued them, provoked by their attempts, and broke into the city. The affairs of Rome, also, at that time demanded the presence of Titus there; and, contrary to his original intention he pressed the siege and took the city by storm, thus “shortening” the time that would have been occupied in reducing it by famine. This was for the benefit of the “elect.” So the designs of wicked people, intended by them for the destruction of the people of God, are intended by God for the good of his chosen people. See the notes at Isaiah 10:7.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 24:22. Except those days should be shortened — Josephus computes the number of those who perished in the siege at eleven hundred thousand, besides those who were slain in other places, WAR, b. vi. c. 9; and if the Romans had gone on destroying in this manner, the whole nation of the Jews would, in a short time, have been entirely extirpated; but, for the sake of the elect, the Jews, that they might not be utterly destroyed, and for the Christians particularly, the days were shortened. These, partly through the fury of the zealots on one hand, and the hatred of the Romans on the other; and partly through the difficulty of subsisting in the mountains without houses or provisions, would in all probability have been all destroyed, either by the sword or famine, if the days had not been shortened. The besieged themselves helped to shorten those days by their divisions and mutual slaughters; and by fatally deserting their strong holds, where they never could have been subdued, but by famine alone. So well fortified was Jerusalem, and so well provided to stand a siege, that the enemy without could not have prevailed, had it not been for the factions and seditions within. When Titus was viewing the fortifications after the taking of the city, he could not help ascribing his success to God. "We have fought," said he, "with God on our side; and it is God who pulled the Jews out of these strong holds: for what could machines or the hands of men avail against such towers as these?" WAR, b. vi. c. 9.