What the Bible says about Behaving Violently
(From Forerunner Commentary)
Another word plays an important part here—the word "into" in Luke 16:16. The Greek word behind it, eis (Strong's #1519), a common preposition, is indeed frequently translated as "into." However, depending on the context, it can also be translated as "against" or "toward."
So, the Greek allows for the subdued translation of "everyone is pressing into [the kingdom]," but it could just as accurately be translated as "everyone is behaving violently against it." The Douay-Rheims Bible, which predates the King James, renders the last part of Luke 16:16 as "everyone use[s] violence towards it." In this way, it matches perfectly with Matthew 11:12: "the kingdom suffers violence, and the violent take it by force."
David C. Grabbe
Taking the Kingdom by ForceRelated Topics: Eis | Kingdom Suffers Violence | Mistranslations | Taking the Kingdom by Force | Translation Difficulties