Matthew 24:34 Translation

Question

ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη ἕως ἂν πάντα ταῦτα γένηται.

Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

Can "γένηται" be translated as "become" in the sense of beginning "until these things develop/begin" making the sentence more open to events that take time?

(sorry for any spelling mistakes, my first language isn't English)

Answer 1

The operative verb in Matt 24L34 is γίνομαι (ginomai). In this verse the for is γένηται which is aorist subjunctive middle voice. Thus, it must be literally translated, "shall have happened" or similar. (English does not have an exact form of this part of the Greek verb.)

The verb γίνομαι (ginomai), meaning "I come into being, am born, become, come about, happen." (Strongs) is used in several ways such as (Thayer):

1. to become, ie. to come into existence, begin to exit, receive being
2. to become equivalent to to come to pass, happen, of events
3. to arise, appear in history, come upon the stage: of men appearing in public
4. to be made, done, finished
5. to become, be made, "in passages where it is specified who or what a person or thing is or has been rendered, as respects quality, condition, place, rank, character" (Wahl, Clavis Apocr. V. T., p. 101)

Note that this verb does not ever mean anything like, "begin", "start", "initiate", etc. Thus, the answer to the OP's question is, "No". The verb cannot be translated, "to begin".

Answer 2

Now therefore I have commanded to hinder those men from building the city, and heed to be taken that there be no more done in it; and that those wicked workers proceed no further to the annoyance of kings, 1 Es. 2:28-29 KJA

καὶ προνοηθῆναι ὅπως μηθὲν παρὰ ταῦτα γένηται καὶ μὴ προβῇ ἐπὶ πλεῖον τὰ τῆς κακίας εἰς τὸ βασιλεῖς ἐνοχλῆσαι (1 Es. 2:24 LXX)

The phrase ταῦτα γένηται translated in the sense of "despite that it is done and does not bother the king with more things"