Luke 21:33

21:33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. ¹ 

Luke 4:25

4:25 But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days, ²  when the sky ³  was shut up three and a half years, and ⁴  there was a great famine over all the land.

[21:33]  ¹ sn The words that Jesus predicts here will never pass away. They are more stable and lasting than creation itself. For this kind of image, see Isa 40:8; 55:10-11.

[4:25]  ² sn Elijah’s days. Jesus, by discussing Elijah and Elisha, pictures one of the lowest periods in Israel’s history. These examples, along with v. 24, also show that Jesus is making prophetic claims as well as messianic ones. See 1 Kgs 17-18.

[4:25]  ³ tn Or “the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. Since the context here refers to a drought (which produced the famine), “sky” is preferable.

[4:25]  ⁴ tn Grk “as.” The particle ὡς can also function temporally (see BDAG 1105-6 s.v. 8).