182 – What Is a "Generation''?

182. What Is a "Generation''?

"Generation" is used in a variety of senses in the Scriptures. In some cases, it means a period of limitless duration; in others it means the past (Isa_51:8), and still others the future (Psa_100:5) > again, it means both the past and future (Psa_102:24). In Gen_6:-9 it means all men living at any given time. In Pro_30:11, Pro_30:14 it refers to a class of men with some special characteristics, and in Psa_49:19 it may be interpreted to mean the "dwelling-place." A generation, in modern phraseology, means thirty to thirty-five years, but there is no instance of the word being used in this particular sense in the Bible. Thus, "the book of the generation of Jesus Christ" is a genealogical record extending back to Abraham. In 1Pe_2:9 it means an elect race.

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