10:29a

Truly I tell you: Jesus used the phrase Truly I tell you to introduce a statement that he wanted to emphasize. It indicates that the statement was important and totally reliable, and that people should listen carefully to it. Jesus used this phrase eight times in Mark. Sometimes it introduces a serious warning or prediction. Here it introduces Jesus’ promise that his disciples would receive a great reward for leaving things to follow him.

In some languages you may need to translate the phrase differently in different contexts. Do not translate in a way that implies that Jesus had not been telling the truth at other times.

Here are some ways that English versions have translated the phrase in this context:

I tell you the truth (New International Version)
-or-
I can guarantee this truth (God’s Word)
-or-
I assure you (New Living Translation)

See how you translated this phrase in 3:28a or 10:15a.

Jesus replied: The Berean Standard Bible places the words Jesus replied after the words “Truly I tell you.” In Greek, these words occur at the beginning of 10:29. Place the words Jesus replied where it is natural in your language.

10:29b–30a

no one who has left home or brothers or sisters…will fail to receive a hundredfold: These verse parts have two negatives:

(a) no one

(b) will fail to receive

These two negatives are an emphatic way to say, “anyone…will certainly receive.” For example:

anyone who has left home or brothers or sisters…will certainly receive a hundredfold…

Several English versions have translated it in this way (Good News Bible, New Living Translation, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version).

10:29b

no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields:

There is a textual issue here. It concerns the word “wife.” (1) Some Greek manuscripts do not include this word. For example, the New Century Version says: “houses brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or farms” (Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Good News Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, New Living Translation, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, Revised English Bible, New Century Version). (2) Other Greek manuscripts include the words “and wife” after “father.” For example, the King James Version says: “house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother,
or wife, or children, or lands” (King James Version) It is strongly recommended that you follow option (1) and not include the word “wife” in your translation here.) The verb left means “left behind” or “abandoned.” This is the same word as in 10:28. Jesus included family, as well as possessions, in the list of things that someone might leave behind to serve God. In this context, leaving family members probably implies being away from them for a long period of time.

brothers or sisters: The words brothers and sisters refers generally to all siblings: older and younger, male and female. Use the words which include all these siblings.

fields: The word fields usually refers to land where people grow food. But this word can also refer to land in general. Here this word probably refers to any land which someone owns.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

lands (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
family/clan-land

10:29c

for My sake and for the gospel: The phrase for My sake and for the gospel means “in order to serve me and the cause of my gospel.” This person leaves home and family in order to serve Jesus and tell more people about his gospel.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

for my sake and the gospel’s (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
because of me and the Good News (God’s Word)
-or-
for me and for the good news (Contemporary English Version)

gospel: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gospel means “good news” (as in the Good News Bible). In Mark, this word refers to the good news about Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

good/sweet news
-or-
good news about Jesus Christ
-or-
good news from God
-or-
message/report that causes joy

Be sure that the term you choose does not refer only to a news report or to a story that is not true.

See how you translated this word in Mark 1:1.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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