21:26a
Men will faint from fear and anxiety: The clause Men will faint from fear and anxiety means, “People will be so frightened that they will faint.” Many people will be so overcome with fear that they will become unconscious. Some may even die. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
Many people will be so afraid that they will faint
-or-
Because of intense fear/dread, many people will fall down unconscious
Men: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Men refers to people in general, not just to males.
21:26b
over what is coming upon the earth: The phrase what is coming upon the earth refers to what will happen in the immediate future. People will be very afraid because they will wonder what terrible things will happen next. Some other ways to translate 21:26b are:
as they fearfully wait for what will happen to the world (God’s Word)
-or-
wondering what is happening to the world (New Century Version)
earth: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as earth refers to the inhabited world or earth.
21:26c
for: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for introduces a reason or explanation. Jesus explained that people will be apprehensive because the heavenly bodies will be shaken. Another way to introduce 21:26c is:
⌊This will be⌋ because
the powers of the heavens will be shaken: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as the powers of the heavens probably refers to the sun, moon, and stars. Here is another way to translate this:
the powers in space will be driven from their courses (Good News Translation)
Some scholars believe that in this context the term powers of the heavens refers to spiritual powers. Since the context of 21:25 refers to things in nature, it is more likely that 21:26 refers to the physical sun, moon, stars, and planets. However, it is possible that these physical powers of the heavens may symbolize spiritual powers or be linked to them in some other way. See heaven, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.
will be shaken: In this context the verb will be shaken means “will be moved from their proper places/courses.” This is a passive verb. In some languages it may be more natural to use an active verb and supply a subject. For example:
⌊God⌋ will shake
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