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( úּåֹìְãֶä , ãÝíåóéò , the act; ãÝííçìá , the result: ãּåֹø , ãåíåá , a period). Considerable obscurity attends the use of this word in the English version, which arises from the translators having merged the various meanings of the same original word, and even of several different words, in one common term, "generation." The remark, too, is just, that in the literal translations of the Scriptures, the word "generation" generally occurs wherever the Latin has generatio, and the Greek ãåíåÜ or ãÝíåóéò (Rees's Encyclopedia, article Generation). The following instances seem to require the original words to be understood in some one of their derivative senses: Gen_2:4," These are the generations" ( úּåֹìְãåֹú ; Sept. ἡ âßâëïò ãåíÝóåùò ; Vulg: generationes), rather "origin," "history," etc. The same Greek words, Mat_1:1, are rendered "a genealogy," etc., by recent translators: Campbell has "lineage." Gen_5:1, "The book of the generations" ( ñֵôֶø úּåֹìְãøֹ ; Sept. as before; Vulg. liber generationis) is properly a family register, a history of Adam. The same words, Gen_37:2, mean a history of Jacob and his descendants; so also Gen_6:9; Gen_10:1, and elsewhere. Gen_7:1, "In this generation" ( áִּøּåø äַæֶּä ; Sept. ἐí ôῇ ãåíåᾶ '/ ôÜõôῃ , Vulg. in generatione hac) is evidently "in this age." Gen_15:6, "In the fourth generation" ( øּåֹø ; Sept. ãåíåÜ , Vulg. generatio) is an instance of the word in the sense of a certain assigned period. Psa_49:19, "The generation of his fathers" ( òִøàּøּåֹø àֲáåֹúָéå , Sept. ãåíéᾶò ðáôÝñùí áýôïῦ ) Gesenius renders "the dwelling of his fathers," i.e. the grave, and adduces Isa_38:12.: Psa_73:15, "The generation of thy children" ( øּåֹø áָּðֶéêָ , Sept. ãåíåὰ ôῶí õἱῶí óïῦ ) is "class," "order," "description;" as in Pro_30:11-14. Isa_53:8, "Who shall declare his generation?" ( øּåֹøåֹ ; Sept. ôὴí ãåíåὰí áὐôïῦ ôßò äéçãήóåôáé , Vulug. generatio)
Lowth renders "manner of life," in translation and note, but adduces no precedent. Some consider it equivalent to æֶøִò , Isa_53:10 : ãåíåÜ (Sept.) answers to æֶøִò , Est_9:28. Josephus uses ðïëëήí ãåíåÜí , Ant. 1:10, 3 (Hengstenberg, Christology of the Old Testament, volume 1, Washington, 1836-9; Pauli, Analect. Hebraic. page 162, Oxford, 1839). Michaelis renders it, "Where was the providence that cared for his life?" Gesenius and Rosenmuller, "Who of his contemporaries reflected?" Seiler, "Who can describe his length of life?" In the New Testament (Mat_1:17), ãåíåáß is a series of persons, a succession from the same stock; so used by Josephus (Ant. 1:7, 2); Philo (Vit. Mos. 1:603); Mat_3:7, ãåííήìáôá ἐ÷éäíῶí , is well rendered by Doddridge and others "brood of vipers." Mat_24:34, ἡ ãåíåὰ áὕôç means the generation or persons then living contemporary with Christ (see Macknight's Harmony for an illustration of this sense). Luk_16:8, åἰò ôὴí ãåíåὰí ôἡí ἑáõôῶí , "in their generation," etc., wiser in regard to their dealings with the men of their generation; Rosenmuller gives, inter se. 1Pe_2:8, ãÝíïò ἐêëåêôüí , is a "chosen people," quoted from Sept. Vers. of Isa_43:20. The ancient Greeks, and, if we may credit Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus, the Egyptians also, assigned a certain period to a generation. The Greeks reckoned three generations for every hundred years, i.e., 331 years to each; Herod. 2:142, ãåíåáὶ ôñåῖò ἀíäñῶí ἑêáôὸí ἔôåÜ ἐóôé , "Three generations of men make one hundred years." This is nearly the present computation. To the same effect Clem. Alexandrinus speaks (Strom. 1:2); so also Phavorinus, who, citing the age of Nestor from Homer (Il. 1:250), ôῷ ä ἤäç äýï ìὲí ãåíåáß , "two generations," says it means that ὑðåñἑâç ôὰ ἑîήêïíôá ἔôç , "he was above sixty years old." The Greeks, however, assigned different periods to a ãåíåÜ at different times (Perizonius, Orig. Egypt. page 175 sq.; Jensius, Fercul. Literar. page 6). The ancient Hebrews also reckoned by the generation, and assigned different spaces of time to it at different periods of their history. In the time of Abraham it was one hundred years (comp. Gen_15:16, "In the fourth generation they shall come hither"). This is explained in Gen_15:13, and in Exo_12:40, to be four hundred years. Caleb was fourth in descent from Judah, and Moses and Aaron were fourth from Levi. In Deu_1:35; Deu_2:14, Moses uses the term for thirty- eight years. In later times (Baruch 6, in the Epistle of Jeremiah, ver. 2) ãåíåÜ clearly means ten years. In Mat_1:17, ãåíåÜ means a single descent from father to son. Homer uses the word in the same sense (II. 1:250); also Herodotus (1:3). (See Gesenius's and Robinson's Lexicons, under the above Heb. and Gr. words.) — Kitto, s.v. SEE GENEALOGY.