Translation
You are going to hear wars
Go to footnote numberand reports of wars,
Go to footnote numberbehold, do not be alarmed; it is necessary for [these] to take place,
but the purpose
Go to footnote numberis not yet [fulfilled].
Paraphrase
You are going to hear the sounds that accompany war, or hear reports that war is getting close to you, but be careful to not become alarmed; it is necessary for these things to take place, but just because you hear these things does not mean the intended purpose has been fulfilled.
Footnotes
1
The text says “hear wars” which is different than hearing of wars. The word “of” is not used in the original, and the word “wars” is not in the correct case to be able to assume the word “of.” To hear war means that it is here, happening all around you and you can hear the sounds firsthand.
2: “reports of wars”
“reports, instructions, hearsay or rumors.” “Reports” fits this context best. The idea of “rumors” is an outlier, it does not communicate the main idea behind this word. Rumors are things that may not be true; they create doubt about what is really going on. Jesus was not talking about something doubtful, but something very real that was going on. The only question was how close it was. He was saying, “you will hear the sounds of battle that has arrived at your doorstep, or at least reports that war is coming and getting closer.”
Wars and reports of wars, from a Jewish perspective would have pertained to their own struggle against Rome and infighting in their own ranks. The closer things got to AD 70 the hotter things got politically in Jerusalem. The war fever grew more intense in Judea at that time. I highly recommend that you read a historical novel by G.H. Henty call The Temple. In it he describes the political climate of the day as well as the infighting that was going on among the Jews at that time. Apparently we know from other historical records that there were at least three key Jewish leaders who were striving to get the entire Jewish population to rally behind them, each with numerous followers and they began to fight among themselves. In the end they each took control of a part of Jerusalem. There was much Jewish blood spilt by Jews during those days. The increased desire to fight against Rome and the infighting among the Jews could easily qualify as “wars and reports of wars.”
3
What I have rendered as “the purpose”: Many translations render this as “end” just like they do for verse 3. The words are similar but not the same. When the disciples asked the question in verse 3 they used a form of this word that has a prefix attached to make it stronger. Here it is the simple form without the prefix. It appears that the focus of the longer word is complete fulfillment, absolute completion, whereas the use of the simple word is more about a purpose or an aim. However, notice that Jesus said, “the purpose is not yet.” The only logical way to understand this is to say, “The purpose is not yet fulfilled.”