SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 13:14

Section 13:14–23

Jesus told what will happen when the horrible thing defiles God’s temple

In this section Jesus told about a horrible thing that would defile God’s temple. Then God and his people would no longer meet there, and it would be left desolate (13:14). Jesus told his disciples that when they saw that defiling horror, they must flee. It would be a time of great misery for them. Some people would falsely claim to be a prophet or Christ himself. Jesus warned that his disciples must be careful not to believe people who made those claims.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Jesus warned his disciples about the future distress
-or-
The coming time of great trouble
-or-
The detestable thing that causes people to abandon the temple

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 24:15–28 and Luke 21:20–24.

Paragraph 13:14–20

The speech that Jesus began in 13:5 continues in this paragraph. In some languages it may be helpful to remind the listeners or readers from time to time who is speaking. For example:

Jesus continued to say to his disciples

13:14a–b

In Greek 13:14a–b is a clause that introduces the rest of the sentence. However, it contains a lot of new information. In some languages it may be clearer and more natural to translate this as one or more separate sentences. Consider how to introduce the information in a natural way in your language. For example:

14aSome day you will see the abomination 14bthat causes desolation standing where it does not belong.
-or-
14aOne day there will appear/come the abomination 14bthat causes desolation. It will be standing where it should not be.

See the General Comment on 13:14a–d at the end of 13:14d for more translation suggestions.

13:14a

This verse quotes words from a prophecy in the book of Daniel. The prophecy occurs in Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11. You could put a footnote with these references in your translation.

the abomination of desolation: The phrase the abomination of desolation is a quotation from the book of Daniel. In Daniel these words occur in several verses. The verses indicate that an idol would be placed in the temple of the true God in Jerusalem. This would defile the temple and cause it to be abandoned. Daniel’s prophecy came true in 167 B.C. when a ruler defiled the temple with an idol.

Jesus indicated here that an event like the event in Daniel’s prophecy would happen again. There are two events that the abomination of desolation may refer to here:

(a) It may refer to the time when the Roman army defiled the temple in A.D. 70. Soon after that, the temple was destroyed.

(b) It may refer to the time when the antichrist will come to the temple. This has not yet happened. See 2 Thessalonians 2:3–10.

It is probable that Jesus’ prophecy refers to both events. The prophecy was fulfilled in A.D. 70, and it will again be fulfilled in the future.

In your translation, use an expression that readers could understand as referring to both events. If you must choose between the two options, it is recommended that you choose option (a).

abomination: The word abomination refers to something that is hated intensely because it is disgusting and detestable. In this context it is also hated because it defiles a sacred place.

of desolation: The phrase of desolation indicates that the abominable thing or person causes a certain place to be left desolate. It causes people to abandon the place and stay away from it.

The text in Mark does not state that this place is the temple. However, this is clear from the parallel passage in Matthew and from the book of Daniel, which many of Mark’s readers knew.

In some languages it may be necessary to specify what is desolated. For example:

that causes the temple to become deserted/abandoned
-or-
that spoils/defiles the temple, so that people have to abandon it

If you do not make “the temple” explicit in your translation, you may want to include a footnote to explain this. For example:

The place that would become desolate is the temple in Jerusalem.

13:14b

standing: In some languages a verb like standing may not be used about an idol or statue. It may be used only for a person. Try to use a word that could also refer to an idol or statue or other religious symbol. For example:

erect/upright

where it should not be: This phrase probably refers to the holy place in the temple (as in Matthew 24:15). Mark does not give these details. If you wish to make a footnote here you could say:

The phrase “where it does not belong” probably refers to the Holy Place in the temple. See Matthew 24:15.

13:14c

(let the reader understand): The clause let the reader understand is a command. This command interrupts the thought that begins in 13:14a–b and finishes in 13:14e.

reader: The word reader may be understood in two ways:

(1) Mark is making a comment to any person who reads his Gospel. For example, the Good News Bible says:

(Note to the reader: understand what this means!)

(Good News Bible, New Century Version, New Living Translation) (These versions indicate that they follow interpretation (1) by the way they use quotation marks. For example, the Good News Bible puts closing quotation marks at the end of the phrase “where he should not be.” The note in parentheses have no quotation marks. After this note, the next sentence begins with quotation marks, showing that Mark is beginning again to quote Jesus’ words. )

(2) Jesus is making a comment to any person who reads the book of Daniel.

Many English versions are ambiguous. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Most commentaries follow this view. Mark wanted his readers to understand the new and terrible meaning now given to the words “the abomination of desolation.”

Here are two ways to translate this phrase:

(Note to the reader: understand what this means!) (Good News Bible)
-or-
Everyone who reads this must try to understand! (Contemporary English Version)

Consider whether you have a special way in your language for an author to make a comment like this to readers. Notice that this phrase let the reader understand is also found in Matthew 24:15. See the General Comment on 13:14a–d for a suggestion about reordering.

13:14d

then: The word then indicates that the thought in 13:14a–b resumes after the interruption of 13:14c. In some languages it may be good to repeat information from 13:14a. For example:

When you
(plur) see this abomination, then…

let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains: The clause let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains is a command. Jesus was saying that his followers who lived in the region of Judea must/should flee. They should leave the towns of that region and seek safety in more remote places in the mountains.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

those who are in Judea must flee/escape to the mountains
-or-
those of you who are living in the towns of Judea must run away to hide in the mountains

General Comment on 13:14a–d

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of some of the parts of this verse. For example:

14cLet the reader understand what I am about to write: 14aOne day you will see the abomination 14bstanding in the temple where it should not be 14aso that it causes the temple to be abandoned. 14dThen those in Judea must flee to the mountains.

© 2008 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

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