Study Sanhedrin folio 99A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
והיינו דאמר ליה ההוא מינא לרבי אבהו: אימתי אתי משיח? אמר ליה: לכי חפי להו חשוכא להנהו אינשי. אמר ליה: מילט קא לייטת לי? אמר ליה: קרא כתיב, ״כי הנה החשך יכסה ארץ וערפל לאמים ועליך יזרח ה׳ וכבודו עליך יראה״.
And that is the background for the following exchange, as a certain heretic said to R' Abbahu: When will the Messiah come? R' Abbahu said to him: He will come when the darkness will enshroud these people, i.e., you. The heretic said to him: Are you cursing me for no reason? R' Abbahu said to him, I am merely relating to you a verse that is written: “For behold, the darkness should cover the earth, and fog the peoples; but YHWH should shine upon you, and His glory should be seen upon you” (Isaiah 60:2).
תניא: רבי אליעזר אומר, ימות המשיח ארבעים שנה, שנאמר ״ארבעים שנה אקוט בדור״. רבי אלעזר בן עזריה אומר, שבעים שנה, שנאמר ״והיה ביום ההוא ונשכחת צר שבעים שנה כימי מלך אחד״. איזהו מלך מיוחד? הוי אומר: זה משיח.
§ It is taught in a baraita: R' Eliezer says: The messianic era will be 40 years long, as it is stated: “40 years will I strive with the generation” (Psalms 95:10). The 40 years of strife with the non-Jews will be followed by the glory days of the Messiah. R' Elazar ben Azarya says: The messianic era will last 70 years, as it is stated: “And it should come to pass on that day, that Tyre should be forgotten 70 years, according to the days of one king” (Isaiah 23:15). In this context, one [eḥad], means unique [meyuḥad]. Which is the unique king? You must say that this is a reference to the Messiah.
רבי אומר: שלשה דורות, שנאמר: ״ייראוך עם שמש ולפני ירח דור דורים״. רבי הילל אומר: אין להם משיח לישראל, שכבר אכלוהו בימי חזקיה.
R' Yehuda HaNasi says: The messianic era will last 3 generations, as it is stated: “May they fear You as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout the generations [dor dorim]” (Psalms 72:5). Dor is singular and dorim is plural, for a total of 3 generations. R' Hillel says: There is no Messiah coming for the Jewish people, as they already ate from him, as all the prophecies relating to the Messiah were already fulfilled, during the days of Hezekiah.