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By and by


By and by

An English term that in 1611 meant “immediately.” However, in common usage today it has come to mean nearly the opposite. It occurs in Matt. 13:21, in the parable of the sower; in Mark 6:25, in the account of the beheading of John the Baptist; and in Luke 21:9, in Jesus’ explanation of events connected with the destruction of Jerusalem. In each case a proper recognition of the term is necessary in order to correctly understand the narrative. See also Luke 17:7.