From kolobos ('stunted/maimed'). Koloboo means to cut off or shorten something. Used exclusively in the Synoptic Gospels' Olivet Discourse, where Jesus declares that the days of tribulation will be 'shortened' for the elect's sake.
Matthew 24:22 and Mark 13:20 both use koloboo: 'And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.' This is a remarkable statement of divine mercy wrapped in apocalyptic language: even in the most severe end-time tribulation, God intervenes to limit its duration โ specifically for His people's sake. The elect are not merely preserved through tribulation; they are the reason the tribulation is cut short. This reveals the extraordinary value God places on His covenant people, and the sovereign control He exercises even over periods of great suffering.