Exegesis:

ean de to halas analon genētai ‘if the salt becomes saltless,’ ‘if the salt loses its saltness’: it is explained that the coarse salt from the Dead Sea would dissolve, from excessive dampness or other causes, and leave savorless salt-like crystals as a residue. On the other hand, this may be an instance of oriental hyperbole in which ‘salt losing its salt’ is equivalent to something losing its reason for existence.

en tini auto artusete; ‘how will you season it?,’ ‘with what will you restore its flavor?,’ i.e. restore its saltness, its capacity to season, its distinguishing characteristic as salt.

echete en heautois hala ‘have salt in yourselves’: the majority take echete ‘have’ as imperative; Manson, however, takes it to be indicative, ‘there is salt between you.’ A reasonable explanation of the figure is offered by Lagrange who understands it to mean affability and agreeableness in social relations.

kai eirēneuete en allēlois ‘and be at peace among yourselves,’ ‘and keep peace with one another.’

eirēneuō (only here in Mark) ‘to be at peace.’

Translation:

Good must be understood in the sense of ‘valuable,’ ‘good for something’ or ‘useful’ – not ‘good,’ in the sense of moral or beneficent.

Salt has lost its saltness is translated in Amganad Ifugao as ‘if salt has lost its salt flavor’; in Javanese it is ‘if its being-salty has disappeared.’ One could also say ‘if salt is no longer salty.’ There is, of course, a problem here in that pure sodium chloride cannot lose its saltiness, but as noted above, this passage refers evidently to a highly impure substance from which the sodium chloride could be leached out. Similar kinds of salt are found in many parts of the world, and hence the statement does not seem so “impossible” as it might to those who are acquainted only with more refined products.

How will you season it is in some languages equivalent to ‘how can you put the salt flavor (or ‘taste’) back again’; cf. Javanese ‘what shall then be done so that its flavor is made to return?’

There are two principal meanings conveyed by the word peace: (1) inward attitudes of tranquillity and contentment and (2) lack of strife between persons. The first type of meaning is expressed in such idioms as ‘a song in the body’ (Baoulé), ‘heart coolness’ (Maninka), ‘to sit down in the heart’ (South Bolivian Quechua), and ‘quietness of heart’ (Chol). The second meaning, which is the one occurring in this context, relates to the capacity for unruffled social intercourse and for sympathetic and thoughtful consideration of others (in addition, of course, to the actual absence of strife – whether on a local or national level). In this type of context idioms such as ‘quiet goodness’ (Kekchi) and ‘having your hearts feel oneness for one another’ (Tzeltal) fit quite well, for Jesus is speaking not merely of the absence of strife, but of the positive quality of social adjustment.

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 .

Exegesis:

This is the third prediction of the Passion (cf. 8.31; 9.31).

Most of the words of this verse have already been dealt with: for ho huios tou anthrōpou ‘the Son of man’ cf. 2.10; paradidōmi ‘deliver up’ cf. 1.14; hoi archiereis ‘the chief priests’ cf. 8.31, hoi grammateis ‘the scribes’ cf. 1.22.

katakrinousin (14.64; 16.16) ‘they will condemn.’

tois ethnesin (10.42; 11.17; 13.8, 10) ‘to the nations,’ i.e. ‘to the Gentiles.’ The modern equivalent of this word on the lips of the Jews would be “pagans,” “heathen.” All non-Jews were considered “pagan.” In this context the specific reference is to the Roman authorities.

Translation:

Saying may be translated as a coordinate or independent verb of speaking, e.g. ‘and he said….’

Behold is not a command to look, but to pay attention.

For the Son of man see 2.10, and not especially the problems of a third person referent applicable to the speaker, hence translated in some instances as ‘I the Son of man.’

Will be delivered, as a passive, would normally be shifted to the active form in many languages, but this is made difficult by the fact that the one who delivered up Jesus was Judas, and Jesus does not make this known at this time. An equivalent form of expression can, however, usually be found, e.g. ‘the Son of man will come under the control of,’ ‘will come into the hands of,’ or ‘the chief priests … will get the Son of man in their hands.’

For chief priests see 2.26 and 8.31, and for scribes see 1.22.

Condemn him to death is translatable in some instances as ‘declare, You must die’ (or ‘be killed’), depending upon the normal way of speaking about the execution of criminals.

Deliver is ‘hand him over,’ to ‘turn him over to,’ or ‘lead him to.’

Gentiles is often rendered by transliteration, but this is not very satisfactory, since it conveys no meaning. A better, but not entirely adequate, alternative is to use the local equivalent of ‘foreigners,’ e.g. ‘the people of other lands’ (Guerrero Amuzgo), ‘people of other towns’ (Tzeltal), ‘people of other languages’ (San Miguel El Grande Mixtec), and ‘strange peoples’ (Navajo).

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 .

Exegesis:

apokritheis eipen (cf. 3.33) ‘he said’: a literal translation ‘he answered and said’ (King James Version, American Standard Version) is highly incongruous (yet cf. Swete’s ingenious interpretation).

Notice the emphatic form of the statement, which Moule calls “most vehemently prohibitive”: mēketi ‘no longer,’ eis tōn aiōna ‘eternally,’ ‘forever’ (cf. 3.29), mēdeis ‘no one.’

phagoi ‘may eat’: the optative is used for command (here, of course, a prohibition).

Translation:

May no one ever eat is a special form of utterance which has parallels in some languages in a simple future ‘no one will ever’ or with a somewhat more emphatic introductory expression ‘it will be very so that no one will ever.’ The form is that of a curse upon the fig tree.

Heard it is translatable in some languages ‘heard what he said.’

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 .

Verse Division:

Revised Standard Version (following American Standard Version and King James Version) ends the verse in accordance with the verse division of Textus Receptus (and Souter); most modern translations, however, follow the majority of editions of the Greek text by including in v. 14 the next sentence dōmen ē mē dōmen; ‘Should we pay, or should we not?’ These notes will follow the Revised Standard Version division.

Exegesis:

didaskale (cf. 4.38) ‘Teacher,’ ‘Master.’

alēthēs (only here in Mark) ‘true’: of persons, ‘truthful,’ ‘honest.’

ou melei soi peri oudenos literally ‘you have no concern for any one’ (cf. 4.38 for the same idiom): this literal rendition, however (and Revised Standard Version ‘you care for no man’), may appear to be a charge of indifference and heartlessness, which is certainly not the case. Various translations are given: ‘you pay no special regard to any one’ (The Modern Speech New Testament; cf. Lagrange, O Novo Testamento de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo. Revisdo Autorizada); ‘you court no man’s favor’; ‘you are not afraid of any one’ (Montgomery); ‘fearless’ (Moffatt); ‘impartial’ (Manson). The meaning is that Jesus, as a teacher, taught with strict justice and impartiality, neither afraid of wounding anyone’s sensibilities by the rigor of his teaching, nor seeking to curry any man’s favor by making casuistic distinctions in applying his principles. The Modern Speech New Testament‘s translation more nearly approximates the actual wording of the Greek; Arndt & Gingrich’s ‘you court no man’s favor,’ however, probably better represents the meaning of the original.

ou gar blepeis eis prosōpon anthrōpōn ‘for you do not look at men’s face’: this is a Hebraism meaning ‘you do not consider men’s outward appearance’ (The Modern Speech New Testament; cf. Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale, O Novo Testamento de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo. Revisdo Autorizada, Arndt & Gingrich blepō suggest ‘you do not regard men’s opinions’). ‘Outward appearance,’ of course, has to do with social, economic, or religious status, not with physical appearance.

ep’ alētheias ‘on the basis of truth,’ ‘in accordance with truth.’

tēn hodon tou theou ‘the way of God,’ i.e. ‘religion’ simply stated (cf. Rawlinson; perhaps, as one Jewish teacher to another, “The Faith”).

exestin (cf. 2.24) ‘it is permitted,’ ‘it is lawful.’

dounai kēnson ‘to pay the tax,’ ‘to pay taxes.’

kēnsos (only here in Mark) is a loanword from the Latin census and means ‘tax,’ ‘poll-tax’ (cf. Moulton & Milligan) which was paid to the Roman government. The word is here probably used in the general sense of ‘taxes’ without specific reference to any one tax (cf. Lagrange).

Kaisari (12.16, 17) is another loanword, from the Latin Caesar, used here as a title ‘Emperor’ or the equivalent (at that time Tiberius was Emperor).

Translation:

For teacher see 2.13.

You are true may require some metaphorical modification, e.g. ‘you are straight,’ ‘you always speak true words,’ or ‘you always speak straight words’ (Eastern Highland Otomi).

Care for no man, as noted above, must be translated with close attention to possible misinterpretation. For example, in the Tabasco Chontal one must say ‘you say the same thing to everyone’ and in Shilluk an equivalent is ‘you show the same respect to everyone.’ In Shipibo-Conibo, however, the same meaning is conveyed in quite a different way ‘in your mind no one is anything’ and in Chol one must say ‘your heart is equally straight in the presence of all men,’ while in Tzeltal the corresponding expression is ‘it does not matter who – all of us are equal as far as you are concerned.’

Do not regard the position of men has reference to respect for external symbols of position, rank, or status, translatable as ‘you do not look at what is on the surface’ (Shipibo-Conibo), and ‘you do not just see a man’s face’ (Copainalá Zoque).

Truly may be rendered as ‘with true words.’

The way of God may often be rendered literally as ‘the road of God,’ i.e. the road God has prescribed for men. In some languages, however, the idiom cannot be used, but a descriptive equivalent must be employed, e.g. ‘the way God has said people should live’ or ‘what God wants men to do.’

Lawful may be rendered as ‘in accordance with the law,’ ‘right,’ ‘proper,’ or even ‘good,’ in the sense of the correct thing to do, not in the meaning of moral worth.

Caesar may require some type of classifier, e.g. ‘chief Caesar’ or ‘ruler Caesar.’

Is it lawful … or not may need a somewhat fuller treatment in the second clause, e.g. ‘is it right that we should pay taxes to Caesar or shall we not pay taxes to him,’ but see the following verse.

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 .

Exegesis:

hōs anthrōpos apodēmos ‘(It is) like a man (who is going) away on a trip.’

apodēmos (only here in the N.T.; cf. apodēmeō, 12.1) is an adjective meaning ‘away on a trip,’ ‘away from one’s country.’

apheis (cf. 2.5) ‘leaving’: the participle is equivalent to the relative phrase hos aphēken ‘who left.’

doulois (cf. 10.44) ‘slaves.’

tēn exousian (cf. 1.22) ‘the authority,’ ‘the power’: here, as Revised Standard Version has it, to give the authority to the slaves means to put them in charge (cf. Goodspeed, Moffatt). Lagrange comments that ‘the authority’ given the slaves is a certain degree of autonomy: “each one will be free to do his own job in his own way.”

hekastō (only here in Mark) ‘to each one,’ ‘to every one.’

to ergon (14.6) ‘the work,’ ‘the task,’ ‘the job’: Arndt & Gingrich ‘assigned to each one his task.’ The word ergon is in the accusative case, the object of the participle dous ‘giving.’

tō thurōrō (only here in Mark) ‘to the doorkeeper,’ ‘to the gate guard.’

eneteilato hina grēgorē ‘he commanded that he be on watch,’ ‘he ordered (him) to remain alert.’

entellomai (cf. 10.3) ‘command,’ ‘order.’

hina ‘that’ denotes the content of the order, not its purpose (cf. 3.9).

grēgoreō (13.35, 37; 14.34, 37, 38) ‘be awake,’ ‘watch,’ ‘be alert’: the verb is formed from the perfect form of egeirō ‘rise.’

Translation:

It is like is a very indefinite type of transitional phrase from the preceding verse, and as such must in some languages be adapted to other syntactic and lexical requirements, e.g. ‘in the same way a man went on a journey…’ (South Bolivian Quechua), or ‘all this is like what happens when a man…’ or ‘this is just like the experience of a man who….’

Because of the relative complexity of the subject-predicate constructions in this verse, some major breaks are often required, e.g. ‘this is just like what happens when a man goes on a journey; he leaves home and gives special authority to his servants. Each has his own work. He commands the man who guards the door to be on the look-out continually.’

Puts his servants in charge is often equivalent to ‘gives his servants responsibility for everything,’ i.e. for everything about the estate.

Each with his work is translatable as ‘he gives each servant a special work to do.’

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 .

Exegesis:

ei kai ‘even though’: this refers to a supposition “conceived of as actually fulfilled or likely to be fulfilled” (Burton).

pantes ‘all’: here, of course, ‘all others.’

On skandalizō ‘stumble’ cf. v. 27.

Translation:

I will not may require expansion of the elliptically implied elements, e.g. ‘I will not fall away’ or ‘I will not abandon you.’

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 .

Exegesis:

esiōpa (cf. 3.4) ‘he remained silent,’ ‘he maintained silence.’

ouk apekrinato ouden literally ‘he did not answer nothing’: in Greek the double negative is emphatic (and not, as in some languages, equivalent to an affirmative).

su ei ho christos…; ‘are you the Messiah?’: the personal pronoun su ‘you’ is emphatic (cf. Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale C’est toi qui es le Christ…?). Taylor suggests it may be also contemptuous.

ho christos (cf. 1.1) ‘the Messiah,’ ‘the Anointed One’: here, as in 8.29; 12.35; 13.21, a title.

No indication is given in the question of the answer expected.

ho huios tou eulogētou ‘the Son of the Blessed (One).’

ho huios (cf. 1.1) ‘the Son.’

ho eulogētos (only here in Mark; cf. eulogeō 6.41) ‘the Blessed One’: this is a familiar Jewish way of referring to God, avoiding reference to the holy, unpronounceable name of God by using a title. The whole phrase usually employed was ‘the Holy One, Blessed is He.’ In the New Testament eulogētos is always used of God (Lk. 1.68, Rom. 1.25, 9.5, 2 Cor. 1.3, 11.31, Eph. 1.3, 1 Pet. 1.3).

Translation:

He was silent and made no answer is in a sense repetitious, but the redundancy is purposeful and emphatic and hence should be treated as such in any translation, e.g. ‘he kept silent; he did not speak’ or ‘he did not open his mouth; he did not answer with a single word.’

The Son of the Blessed is an extremely complex phrase and subject to ready misinterpretation. For example, in many languages this passage has been understood to be a reference to the blessed Virgin. In such instances one may be required to add the word ‘God,’ e.g. ‘Son of God, who is blessed.’

For discussion of some of the problems involving the translation of bless see 6.41 and 11.9-10, but note that in this passage bless refers to an activity of a lower personage to a higher one, namely, man’s blessing of God. Blessing in this type of context is often rendered (1) by a term such as ‘praise’ or ‘honor,’ or (2) by direct discourse, e.g. ‘say: he is very good.’ The following translations of this expression are typical, e.g. ‘Son of the honored one’ (Amganad Ifugao), ‘Son of God whom people worship’ (Sapo), ‘Son of one very much his goodness is said about him by us’ (Tzeltal), ‘Son of the one whom we praise’ (Cashibo-Cacataibo, Central Tarahumara), and ‘Son of the one people say, He is very good’ (Tzotzil).

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 .