Section 8:11–13
The Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign from heaven
According to 8:10, Jesus and his disciples traveled in a boat to the region of Dalmanutha. Some time after they arrived, some Pharisees came to Jesus. We do not know the specific time or place. They demanded that he show them a sign from heaven, but Jesus refused and left their area.
It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
The demand of the Pharisees for a sign from heaven
-or-
The Pharisees demand a miraculous sign
There is a parallel passage for this section in Matthew 16:1–4.
Paragraph 8:11–13
8:11a
Then: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then introduces the next story. It is uncertain exactly when this story happened in relation to the previous story. (Mark 8:10 mentions that Jesus and the disciples went to Dalmanutha, and the parallel in Matthew also occurs in the section following Jesus’ arrival in Magadan (perhaps another name for Dalmanutha). However, Wessel (page 688), Hiebert (page 194) and Lane (page 276) all feel that there is no explicit connection. Gundry (page 401), Edwards (page 235) and France (page 311) understand Dalmanutha as the likely setting, but Hiebert (page 194) and Lenski (page 320) mention the possibility that the Pharisees had come from Capernaum or that Jesus had gone to Capernaum.) This may be the reason why many English versions do not translate this word here. If you need to make a time or place connection explicit in your language, try to use a general expression.
the Pharisees came: The phrase the Pharisees came indicates here that some of the Pharisees came to Jesus. It does not mean that all of the Pharisees came. In some languages it may be necessary to indicate this. For example, the Good News Bible says:
Some Pharisees came to Jesus
Pharisees: The Pharisees were a Jewish religious group or party. It was very important to them to obey all of the Jewish religious laws very carefully and in detail. Here are some ways to translate this word:
• Transliterate the word Pharisees according to the sounds of your language and indicate that it refers to people. For example:
Farisi members
-or-
Parise adherents
• Transliterate the word Pharisees and indicate that it refers to a group of people with certain beliefs. For example:
people belonging to the Farise religious sect/group
-or-
members of the religious group called the Farasi
You may also want to include an explanation of Pharisees in the glossary of your translation. Refer to how you translated Pharisees in 2:16a and 7:5a.
and began to argue with Jesus: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as argue with means “question” or “debate” in this context. The Pharisees were opposed to Jesus. So they did not want information from him, and they did not want to have a friendly conversation with him.
Here are some other ways to translate argue with:
question (New International Version)
-or-
dispute (New King James Version)
8:11b
testing Him: The phrase testing Him indicates the purpose for the next clause. The Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. That is the reason they asked him to show them a sign. The Greek text places the purpose phrase at the end of this verse, as in the Revised Standard Version. Place it where it is natural in your language.
testing: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as testing refers here to an attempt to cause someone to make a mistake, often by tricking him. In this context the Pharisees tried to cause Jesus to say or do something that would make the people think that he was not from God. Their purpose was to discredit Jesus so that people would not listen to him.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
Hoping to trap him…
-or-
They wanted to discredit him, so they…
demanding from Him a sign from heaven: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as demanding means “requesting.” It can be used for either a polite request or a demand. Use an appropriate verb in your language.
In some languages it may be necessary to express this request as a direct quote. For example, the New Living Translation, 1996 edition says:
…they demanded, “Give us a miraculous sign from heaven to prove yourself.”
a sign from heaven: The phrase a sign from heaven here means “a sign from God.” (Some commentaries (Lenski page 321, Gould page 144, etc.) interpret “from heaven” to mean “in the skies/space.” That is, the Pharisees were asking for a celestial phenomenon rather than a miracle on earth to serve as attestation that Jesus’ teaching came from God. No major English version explicitly follows this interpretation.) The Pharisees did not believe that Jesus had power from God. They asked him to do a special miracle to prove that his power came from God. They thought he would not be able to do this.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
a special miracle to show that his power came from God
-or-
a miracle to show that God approved of him (Good News Bible)
See heaven, Meaning 3, in the Glossary.
sign: The word sign refers to a miracle that has a meaning. In this context, the Pharisees wanted Jesus to perform a miracle that would prove that his power came from God.
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