The Use of ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη [ this generation] in the Literature of the Koine Period

(With Notes on the Use of הַדּוֹר הַזֶּה [this generation] in the Tanakh)

This document summarizes a linguistic and hermeneutical study of the Greek word γενεά [genea] during the Koine period (roughly 300 BC–4th century AD) with a focus of thee specific phrase ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη (this generation). It focuses on its 1st-century AD meaning and implications for interpreting key New Testament passages, especially Matthew 24:34 (“this generation will not pass away…”).

My study concludes that in 1st-century Koine Greek, γενεά [genea] + near demonstrative (οὗτος [houtos]) most naturally and consistently means the contemporary generation alive at the time of speaking. The total absence of ἐκεῖνος [ekeinos] modifying γενεά [genea] strengthens the case that non-present (future, distant, abstract) interpretations are linguistically unsupported. Therefore, the most straightforward reading of Matthew 24:34 — and similar passages — is that Jesus was speaking about his own generation, aligning with a literal interpretation of the text. 

It is interesting that this understanding of the meaning of ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη is almost universally accepted outside of theological circles and has only been challenged by theologians who find this definition does not comport with other closely held theological presuppositions.

This document concludes that a temporal, contemporary understanding of “this generation” is the position most faithful to Koine usage, grammatical conventions, and the historical-grammatical method.

1. Core Meaning of γενεά [Genea] in Koine Greek

Major Lexicons’ Treatment of γενεά (Genea)

Summary: γενεά (genea) in Koine Greek, particularly when paired with the near demonstrative αὕτη (haute) as in ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη (“this generation”), consistently refers to a contemporary, temporal group (e.g., people alive at the time of speaking), rejecting interpretations like “race,” “timeless kind,” or “future generation” as linguistically unsupported in NT and broader Koine contexts. Major Greek lexicons align with this view overall, prioritizing the temporal sense of “generation” (a group of contemporaries, often ~25–40 years) in biblical usage, while noting secondary nuances like “family/stock” or “race/kind” from classical or broader Hellenistic Greek. However, they stress that NT occurrences, especially with demonstratives, favor the immediate, present-group meaning. Below, I summarize entries from key lexicons (focusing on NT/Koine relevance), citing definitions, glosses, and examples.

A.     BDAG (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., 2000)

• Primary Definition: A generation; by implication, an age (the period or the persons).
  

• Senses:

  • Birth, nativity (rare in NT).

  • That which has been begotten; men of the same stock, a family (e.g., ranks in natural descent or genealogy, as in Matt 1:17).

  • The whole multitude of people living at the same time (most common NT sense; e.g., Matt 11:16; 23:36; 24:34 — “this generation” as contemporaries).

  • An age or period of time (e.g., a space of 30–33 years; by extension, “course of life” in terms of events/character, as in Luke 16:8; Acts 13:36).
    

• Relation to Discussion: BDAG explicitly notes that in NT moral critiques (e.g., “evil generation”), it refers to the present group, often with qualitative overtones (wicked, faithless), but the demonstrative anchors it temporally. It rejects “race” as primary for NT; when “race/nation” is intended, other words like γένος (genos) are used. This supports the rejection of “Jewish race” or “timeless kind” for ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη.

  
  

B.     LSJ (Liddell-Scott-Jones Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., 1940; classical focus, but influential for Koine)

• Primary Definition: Race, stock, family; generation, offspring.
  

• Senses:

  • Birth, origin; race, descent, kindred (classical emphasis on lineage or breed)

  • Offspring, posterity; a generation (as a step in descent).

  • Age or period (a time span; e.g., Homer’s usage for a human lifespan).

• Relation to Discussion: LSJ highlights classical senses like “race” or “kind” (e.g., ethnic stock), but in Septuagint (LXX) and NT citations, it notes temporal usage (e.g., contemporaries in moral/judgmental contexts). The lexicon acknowledges qualitative extensions (e.g., “perverse race”), but with demonstratives like αὕτη, it points to specific, present groups. This supports the point that non-temporal interpretations stretch semantics beyond NT patterns.

  
  

C.      Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (1889; revised 1977)

• Primary Definition: Fathered, birth, nativity; that which has been begotten, men of the same stock, a family.

• Senses:

  • The several ranks of natural descent, successive members of a genealogy (e.g., Matt 1:17).

  • Metaphorically, a group of men very like each other in endowments, pursuits, character (esp. in a bad sense, a perverse nation; e.g., “evil and adulterous generation”).

  • The whole multitude of men living at the same time (primary NT sense; e.g., Matt 11:16; 24:34).

  • An age (time occupied by each successive generation, ~30–33 years; course of life in events/character).

    
    

• Relation to Discussion: Thayer notes “race” or “nation” as possible (esp. in bad sense), but emphasizes NT usage as contemporaries, with qualitative nuances secondary. For ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη, it aligns with deictic force pointing to Jesus’ immediate audience, rejecting abstract or future referents as unnatural.

  
  

D.      Louw-Nida Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (1988)

• Primary Definition (Semantic Domains): Generation (domain 10: Kinship Terms; also 11: Groups and Classes of Persons).

• Senses:

  • 10.14: One’s own kind or race, descendant (kinship/lineage focus).

  • 1.55: Generation (a group of contemporaries; e.g., people living at the same time).

  • Figurative: Age, period of time (e.g., “to all generations” as indefinite time span).
    

• Relation to Discussion: Louw-Nida organizes by domains, stressing semantic context. In NT, it treats γενεά as primarily temporal (contemporaries sharing time/characteristics), with “race/kind” in kinship domains but not dominant for phrases like ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη. Supports the view that qualitative senses (e.g., “evil kind”) enhance but don’t override the contemporary anchor.

  
  

E.      NIDNTTE (New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis, 2014; successor)

• Primary Definition: Generation, age, nation, time. 20 21 22
  

• Senses (Theological/Exegetical Focus):

  • Generation as offspring or family descent.

  • Contemporaries in a time period (dominant NT; e.g., Matt 24:34 as Jesus’ generation).

  • Age/era (broader temporal span).
    

• Relation to Discussion: NIDNTTE emphasizes the importance of exegetical context, observing that in the New Testament — particularly in the Gospels — γενεά consistently refers to the present, contemporary generation (the people alive at the time of the speaker). Even when accompanied by moral qualifiers such as “crooked,” “evil,” “faithless,” or “adulterous,” the term still describes the immediate group being addressed or criticized, not a timeless or abstract category. The lexicon explicitly critiques interpretations that render γενεά as “race” (e.g., the Jewish people as an enduring ethnic entity) or as a “timeless type/kind” of person, viewing these as overextensions that do not fit the natural usage in the text. This position aligns with the historical-grammatical method and directly supports the document’s conclusion that non-contemporary readings (such as “the Jewish race,” “the future end-time generation,” or “this kind of people in a timeless sense”) distort the plain grammatical force of the near demonstrative αὕτη (“this”), which anchors the phrase to Jesus’ own generation.

  
  

Overall Consensus from Major Lexicons Relative to the Discussion

All major lexicons (BDAG, LSJ, Thayer, Louw-Nida, NIDNTTE) prioritize the temporal/contemporary sense of γενεά in New Testament and Koine usage, especially when it is paired with near demonstratives such as αὕτη (“this”). This strongly supports the argument that distant, future, or abstract referents are not natural. Qualitative nuances (e.g., “evil,” “faithless,” “crooked”) are frequent but remain tied to the present group being addressed or described.

Broader Senses in Lexicons

Senses such as “race,” “stock,” or “kind” appear in classical Greek (LSJ) and occasionally in secondary definitions (Thayer, Louw-Nida), but lexicons consistently note that these meanings are rare or unattested in the New Testament for the phrase ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη. When an ethnic or enduring “race” is intended, other terms such as γένος (genos) are typically preferred.

Support for the Document’s Critique

Furthermore, the complete absence of the far demonstrative ἐκεῖνος (“that”) modifying γενεά across the corpora (as noted in BDAG and NIDNTTE) reinforces the unnaturalness of future or distant interpretations. This grammatical pattern aligns directly with the document’s conclusion that non-contemporary readings distort the plain Koine usage.

2. Role of Demonstrative Pronouns

The near demonstrative οὗτος [houtos] / αὕτη [haute] / τοῦτο [touto] (“this”) strongly points to the contemporary, immediate group or audience.

The demonstrative αὕτη [haute] (“this”) has deictic/anaphoric force:

• Deictic (from Gk. δεῖξις [deixis], “pointing” or “showing”) refers to words—especially demonstratives like οὗτος, αὕτη, τοῦτο [houtos, hautē, touto] (“this/these”)—that derive meaning by pointing to something in the real-world context of the speaker/hearer (e.g., physical proximity, visible objects, or the immediate situation).
  

• Anaphoric in Greek linguistics refers to a type of reference where a word or phrase “points back” to something already mentioned earlier in the discourse or text. The term comes from Greek ἀναφορά (anaphorá), meaning “carrying back” or “referring back.”  Anaphoric elements are text-internal or discourse-internal — they refer to an entity, idea, or group that has already been introduced in the preceding context.

  
  

Thus, αὕτη [haute] anchors “generation” to the specific contemporary group—not a distant future, abstract “kind,” or enduring Jewish race.

• When paired with γενεά [genea] (e.g., ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη [he genea haute] / τὴν γενεὰν ταύτην [ten genean tauten]), it consistently refers to the present generation in Koine texts.

  
  

• Crucially, no example exists in Koine literature (NT, LXX, Josephus, etc.) where γενεά [genea] is modified by the far demonstrative ἐκεῖνος [ekeinos] (“that”). This argues against distant/future/abstract referents, as phrases like ἡ γενεὰ ἐκείνη [that generation] are unattested and linguistically unnatural given γενεά’s core meaning.

3. Evidence from Four Main Corpora

• Extra-biblical Koine (esp. Josephus)

  • Without οὗτος [houtos]: usually means successive generations or historical lineage (e.g., “ten generations from Adam to Noah”).

  • With οὗτος [houtos]: refers to the critic’s own contemporary group.

  • Josephus and Philo use γενεά [genea] for “race/stock,” “family/lineage,” “nation,” or “kind/class,” but demonstratives + γενεά [genea] do not replicate NT/LXX formula.

• Septuagint (LXX)

  • Without οὗτος [houtos]: often chronological (“from generation to generation”) or general historical period.

  • With οὗτος [houtos]: highlights the present group (e.g., Noah as righteous “in this generation”; pleas to be kept from “this generation” of the wicked).

  • Occurs a handful of times with temporal-deictic sense (“this current generation / these people alive now”), usually negative/judgmental. Translates Hebrew הַדּוֹר הַזֶּה [ha-dor ha-zeh], meaning contemporaries.

  • Genesis 7:1 — ἐν τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ [en te genea taute] (“in this generation”): Noah righteous among corrupt contemporaries (purely temporal).

  • Deuteronomy 1:35 — οὐκ ἰδοὺ ἡ γενεὰ ἡ πονηρὰ αὕτη [ouk idou he genea he ponera haute] (“Behold, this evil generation…”): Faithless Israelites Moses addresses (temporal + qualitative).

  • Deuteronomy 32:5 (Song of Moses) — γενεὰ σκολιὰ καὶ διεστραμμένη [genea skolia kai diestrammene] (“a crooked and perverse generation”): Rebellious people at that time; αὕτη [haute] in similar constructions points to present group.

  • Psalm 24:6 (LXX 23:6) — αὕτη ἡ γενεὰ ζητούντων αὐτόν [haute he genea zetounton auton] (“This is the generation of those who seek him”): Positive contemporary faithful worshippers, anchored to psalmist’s audience.

  • In all LXX instances: Refers to people alive right now in the narrative/speech; often negative (evil, perverse, faithless); αὕτη [haute] provides deictic force (“these people here / this crowd right now”).

  • No clear LXX examples shift to timeless “kind/sort,” ethnic “race” across centuries, or distant future generation.

• Tanakh (Hebrew Bible)

Since the authors of most of the New Testament books were Jewish, it also makes sense to see how the word generation was used in the Hebrew Scriptures. Clear evidence exists of a Hebraic influence on the wording of several New Testament books (maintaining Hebrew idioms while writing in Greek). It is plausible that the Hebraic influence would extend to the meaning of phrases like “this generation.”

The word דּוֹר [dor] means “generation” (referring to a group of people living at the same time, a lifespan/period of roughly 30–40 years, or sometimes a broader cycle of people sharing characteristics). The demonstrative הַזֶּה [ha-zeh] means “this,” strongly pointing to the immediate, contemporary context — the people alive and active in the narrative or speech situation.

Key Characteristics of the Translation

• Uniform rendering: Almost every major English translation (e.g., JPS 1917/1985, NIV, ESV, NASB, KJV, NKJV, Chabad.org Tanakh, Mechon Mamre, Sefaria) translates הַדּוֹר הַזֶּה [ha-dor ha-zeh] as “this generation.”

• No major variation: It does not shift to “this race,” “this people,” “this age,” or “this kind” in the Hebrew Bible. The demonstrative “this” anchors it firmly to the present group being addressed or described, often with a negative or judgmental tone (e.g., “this evil generation”).

• Contextual nuance: While דּוֹר [dor] can carry qualitative overtones (e.g., a “wicked generation” or “faithless generation”), the addition of הַזֶּה [ha-zeh] makes it specifically deictic — “these people right here / this current generation.”

  
  

Main Occurrences and Translations

Here are the primary verses where הַדּוֹר הַזֶּה [ha-dor ha-zeh] appears, with typical English translations:

• Genesis 7:1 כִּי אֹתְךָ רָאִיתִי צַדִּיק לְפָנַי בַּדּוֹר הַזֶּה

  English: “for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.”

• Deuteronomy 1:35 אִם־יִרְאֶה אִישׁ בָּאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה הַדּוֹר הָרָע הַזֶּה

  English: “Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land…”

• Deuteronomy 32:5 (related, implied contemporary):  דּוֹר עִקֵּשׁ וּפְתַלְת

  English: “a crooked and twisted generation.”

• Psalm 24:6: זֶה דּוֹר דֹּרְשָׁו English: “this is the generation of those who seek him.”

New Testament Examples of ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη [He Genea Haute]

• 43 total occurrences; Matthew has 15.

• Without οὗτος [houtos]: usually genealogical steps (Matt 1:17) or broad future generations (Luke 1:48, “all generations”).

• With οὗτος [houtos]: always refers to Jesus’ contemporary audience (e.g., Matt 11:16; 12:41–42,45; 23:36; 24:34).

• In moral critiques (“evil and adulterous generation,” “faithless generation”), οὗτος [houtos] is often implied even if not explicit, pointing to the immediate crowd.

  
  

No clear examples exist where ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη [he genea haute] (“this generation”) refers to anything other than Jesus’ contemporaries (people alive during his ministry, especially those rejecting him).

The phrase (or equivalents like ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη πονηρά [he genea haute ponera] / σκολιὰ [skolia] / πονηρὰ καὶ μοιχαλίς [ponera kai moichalis]) appears consistently across the Gospels:

• Matthew 11:16 — “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces…”

• Matthew 12:39 (also 12:41–42, 45) — “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign…”

• Matthew 16:4 — “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign…”

• Matthew 23:36 — “Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.”

• Matthew 24:34 (parallels Mark 13:30, Luke 21:32) — “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”

• Luke 7:31 — “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation…?”

• Luke 11:29 — “This generation is an evil generation…”

• Luke 11:50–51 — “…may be required of this generation.”

• Luke 17:25 — “…and be rejected by this generation.”

• Acts 2:40 — “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”

In every case, the phrase points to:

• People Jesus was directly addressing or describing.

• Jewish contemporaries who heard him (especially scribes, Pharisees, and rejecting crowds).

• Those characterized as “evil,” “adulterous,” “faithless,” or “crooked.”

The demonstrative αὕτη [haute] (“this”) has deictic/anaphoric force:

• Deictic: Points to people right in front of him (“you people here right now who are listening to me / rejecting me”).

• Anaphoric: Refers back to a group just described (e.g., after criticizing Pharisees, “an evil and adulterous generation” points to them).

Thus, αὕτη [haute] anchors “generation” to the specific contemporary group—not a distant future, abstract “kind,” or enduring Jewish race.

4. Critique of Non-Immediate Interpretations of ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη [He Genea Haute]

Evaluation of four main alternative readings of Matthew 24:34:

• “Race” / “Jewish people” → stretched semantics; near-demonstrative is inappropriate for a multi-century entity.

• Future generation (the one that sees the end) → contradicts the present force of οὗτος [houtos]; ἐκεῖνος [ekeinos] would be expected.

• Qualitative type/kind (“people like this”) → weakens the temporal marker and timeframe language (“will not pass away until”).

• Extended era/age → confuses γενεά [genea] with αἰών [aion]; again mismatches the near-demonstrative.

All of these views:

• distort plain Koine grammar,

• ignore the consistent NT pattern,

• abandon literal/historical-grammatical hermeneutics,

• often serve theological agendas (especially avoiding the implication of an unfulfilled prediction).

5. Conclusion

In 1st-century Koine Greek, γενεά [genea] + near demonstrative (οὗτος [houtos]) most naturally and consistently means the contemporary generation alive at the time of speaking. The total absence of ἐκεῖνος [ekeinos] modifying γενεά [genea] strengthens the case that non-present (future, distant, abstract) interpretations are linguistically unsupported. Therefore, the most straightforward reading of Matthew 24:34 — and similar passages — is that Jesus was speaking about his own generation, aligning with a literal interpretation of the text. 

It is interesting that this understanding of the meaning of ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη is almost universally accepted outside of theological discussions and has only been challenged by theologians who find this definition does not comport with other closely held theological presuppositions.

This document concludes that a temporal, contemporary understanding of “this generation” is the position most faithful to Koine usage, grammatical conventions, and the historical-grammatical method.