In place of the men Mark has the pronoun “they”; Mark also has the verb construction “were terribly afraid,” for which Matthew has substituted marveled (Good News Translation “Everyone was amazed”). The men is best taken as a reference to the men in the boat with Jesus, that is, his disciples. The rendering of Anchor Bible (“Men wondered…”) broadens the reference too much. It is possible to translate impersonally, as Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition has done: “The astonishment was great.” However, most translations will have the men or “the men with him.”

Marveled, as in verse 10, can be translated as “were surprised” or “were amazed,” or even “spoke to each other in awe (or, amazement).”

The question of the disciples, What sort of man is this…? is an expression of amazement. In Greek the last clause of this verse is a part of their question, as in Revised Standard Version, What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him? However, most modern English translations find it more effective to divide the response of the disciples into a question followed by a statement. Barclay, on the other hand, handles the text in a slightly different but effective manner: “ ‘What kind of man is this,’ they said, ‘for even the winds and the waters obey him?’ ” In some languages it may even be more natural to invert the order of the clauses; for example, “Even the winds and the waves obey this man! What kind of man must he be?”

By the omission of the definite article before winds and waves, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch includes all winds and waves within the scope of Jesus’ power: “So that even winds and waves obey him.”

The disciples do not ask who Jesus is, but ask what sort of man he is, thus indicating that they think he is somehow quite special. The translation should reflect that. Further, the use of a question here probably shows the extent of their wonder more than a statement or exclamation would, so it should be retained. Besides, the disciples do not yet know what type of man Jesus is.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .