Mark 13:8 (WEB)
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines and troubles. These things are the beginning of birth pains.
As quoted in the map (KJV)
Mark 13:8 (KJV)
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
Key words
- ἀρχὴ ὠδίνωνarchē ōdinōn · Greek
- 'the beginnings of sorrows' — literally 'the beginning of birth pangs.' Ōdin is the word for labour pains (Isaiah 26:17 LXX; Revelation 12:2).
Why it matters
Jesus calls the coming wars and disasters 'the beginning of birth pangs.' Pitre shows that he is using an established Jewish idea, the 'birth pangs of the Messiah': the tribulations that precede the age of salvation. Once that concept is in view, Mary's travail at the cross fits the pattern — labour that brings a redeemed people to birth.