Translation commentary on Mark 11:21

Exegesis:

anamnēstheis (14.72) ‘being reminded,’ ‘recalling,’ ‘remembering.’

rabbi (cf. 9.5) ‘Master,’ ‘Teacher.’

katērasō (only here in Mark; elsewhere in N.T., Mt. 25.41, Lk. 6.28, Rom. 12.14, Jas. 3.9) ‘you cursed.’

Translation:

In languages in which ‘remembered’ is a transitive verb, one may translate as ‘remembered what had happened.’

Him may require substitution by ‘Jesus,’ depending upon the receptor language usage.

In most languages there is a technical term meaning ‘to curse,’ but many translators have hesitated to employ this term because it usually implies the use of black magic and the motivation would be almost inevitably a case of jealousy. In Inupiaqfor example, rather than use the technical term a substitute is found in the expression ‘punished with his words.’ In Navajo a rather generic expression ‘to speak against’ has been employed.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

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