Text:

After mē katabatō ‘he is not to go down’ Textus Receptus, Soden, Vogels, and Taylor add eis tēn oikian ‘into the house,’ which is omitted by the majority of modern editions of the Greek text.

Exegesis:

ho epi tou dōmatos ‘he who is on the roof’: on the flat roofs the people spent much of their leisure time, especially in the cool of the evening, at the close of the day’s work, and here they would get the news, good or bad, passed from roof top to roof top. The roof was reached by outside steps (cf. 2.4).

dōma (only here in Mark) ‘housetop,’ ‘roof.’

me katabatō mēde eiselthatō ‘he is not to go down or enter’: as Lagrange points out, the two clauses do not prohibit two actions, as though they meant ‘he is neither to go down, nor is he to enter,’ but designate a single action, ‘he is not to go down and enter.’ In effect it is an order for the man to go down and flee at once to the hills, without taking the time to go into the house and get some of his belongings.

katabainō (cf. 1.10) ‘go down,’ ‘come down.’

Translation:

Not go down, as the result of literal translating, has implied in many instances that the person was instructed to remain on the housetop indefinitely. This problem, which is confronted in a number of translations, may be solved by shifting the negative in accordance with the requirements of the activity described, e.g. ‘when he comes down from the housetop, he should not enter the house to take anything’ (Tabasco Chontal). Compare also ‘the man on the housetop in going should not enter…’ (Southern Subanen).

In some parts of the world flat roofs are carefully distinguished from peaked ones. It is quite essential that as much of the meaning as can be conveyed in this passage be implied by the right choice of words. For example, not only should a word applicable to a flat roof be used, but the translation of ‘take anything away’ should imply, if possible, his own possessions. It should not, as in some instances, connote the stealing of someone else’s property which the thief has failed to obtain by trying to break through the roof and so proposes to take (as assumed by the reader) by entering boldly into the house.

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:

ho heis tōn dōdeka literally ‘the one of the Twelve’: this “peculiar expression,” as Arndt & Gingrich call it, has had several explanations. Field protests that the phrase, thus read (it appears only here in New Testament), can only mean, in Greek, “the first (Number 1) of the twelve,” which he calls absurd. It would appear from the evidence of the papyri, however, that the phrase means simply ‘one of the Twelve,’ no special importance being attached to the definite article ho ‘the.’ Lagrange compares it to the French use of l’un.

hoi dōdeka (cf. 3.14) ‘the Twelve’: a title, not simply a number.

tous archiereis (cf. 8.31) ‘the chief priests.’

hina ‘in order that’: here indicates purpose.

paradoi autois ‘he might deliver (him) to them’: for paradidōmi ‘hand over’ cf. 1.14; in relation to Judas Iscariot, cf. 3.19; elsewhere in connection with the arrest of Jesus the verb occurs in 9.31; 10.33; 14.11, 21, 41, 42, 44.

Translation:

See 3.14 for the rendering of the Twelve.

For chief priests see 1.40, 2.26, and 8.31, and for betray see 3.19.

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:

egeiresthe (cf. 1.31) ‘rise,’ ‘get up,’ ‘rouse yourselves.’

agōmen (cf. 1.38) ‘let us go’: not in the sense of running away, but of meeting the approaching group.

ho paradidous me ‘he who delivers me’ (for the verb paradidōmi used with reference to Judas Iscariot cf. v. 10).

ēggiken (cf. 1.15) ‘has come,’ ‘is here’: the meaning ‘is near,’ ‘is at hand’ would not seem to fit the context quite so well as ‘has arrived,’ since the following verse states that while Jesus was still speaking Judas arrived.

Translation:

My betrayer consists of an object-action relationship, not a possessor-object relationship as might be assumed from the use of the so-called possessive pronoun my. Accordingly, one must usually translate this as ‘the one who is going to betray me.’

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:

epērōtēsen (cf. 5.39) ‘he asked,’ ‘he inquired.’

su ei…; ‘are you…?’: the personal pronoun is emphatic, indicating either surprise or disdain (cf. Gould).

ho basileus tōn Ioudaiōn (15.9, 12, 18, 26; cf. ho basileus Israēl 15.32) ‘the King of the Jews.’

su legeis literally ‘you are saying (it).’ By many commentators and translators this is taken to be an unequivocal affirmation, ‘Yes,’ ‘Certainly,’ ‘I am’ (Goodspeed, Moffatt, The Modern Speech New Testament, Williams, Berkeley, Montgomery; Zürcher Bibel translates ‘You say it’ and adds, in a footnote, “This means: Yes, I am”). Goodspeed argues that a comparison between Jesus’ answer to the high priest in Mark 14.62 ‘I am’ and in Matthew 26.64 ‘You said (it),’ proves that the expression su legeis (in Matthew su eipas) must mean ‘I am (as you say).’ This, however, is to argue in a circle, on the unproved assumption that Mt. 26.64 is meant to convey the same meaning as Mk. 14.62 (which immediately raises the question, “Why, then, did not Matthew use the same expression as Mark?”).

These and other considerations would indicate that a literal translation, ‘You said it,’ ‘The statement is yours,’ is perhaps better. Notwithstanding efforts to the contrary, it has not been established that the Greek phrase represents a Jewish form of assent (cf. Rawlinson, who thus paraphrases: “The assertion is yours. I neither affirm nor deny it”). Thus the early versions (Vulgate Tu dicis – which Knox translates ‘Thy own lips have said it’; Syriac Peshitto) and later translations (Luther, Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale, O Novo Testamento de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo. Revisdo Autorizada, American Standard Version, Translator’s New Testament, Manson) agree with Revised Standard Version‘s ‘You have said so’ (Arndt & Gingrich translate, ‘That is what you maintain’).

Translation:

Where a technical term for King does not exist, one may use a descriptive substitute, based on function, e.g. ‘one who rules over,’ ‘one who bosses,’ or ‘one who is the big chief of.’

Jews may require in a receptor language a classifier, e.g. ‘Jew people.’

You have said so is variously translated, depending upon one’s exegesis of the clause. In some instances, however, ‘that is what you say’ has seemed to translators to be entirely too evasive, if not disrespectful. Accordingly, some have attempted to combine possible meanings in some such form as ‘I am as you say,’ an interpretation of affirmative assent with somewhat more of the literal form of the Greek clause.

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:

tines tōn parestēkoton (cf. 14.47) ‘some of the bystanders,’ ‘certain of those standing there.’

ide (cf. 2.24) ‘look!,’ ‘see!,’ ‘notice!’

Translation:

Hearing it said may require some recasting as ‘when some of those standing by heard what he said, they said….’

Behold must often be changed to ‘listen,’ ‘hear.’

Calling may be understood as ‘calling to’ or ‘calling for,’ not merely ‘calling out the name of.’

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 .

Text:

Amēn ‘Amen’ is included by Textus Receptus, Souter (and Revised Standard Version), but omitted by the great majority of modern editions of the Greek text.

Exegesis:

ekeinoi (cf. v. 11) ‘they,’ i.e. the disciples.

exelthontes ‘going out,’ ‘leaving’: presumably, from Jerusalem.

pantachou (cf. Mk. 1.28) ‘everywhere.’

tou kuriou sunergountos kai … bebaiountos ‘as the Lord worked with (them) and confirmed’: ‘the Lord’ here refers to the ascended and reigning Lord Jesus.

sunergeō (not in Mark) ‘work with,’ ‘cooperate.’

bebaioō (not in Mark) ‘make firm,’ ‘establish,’ ‘confirm.’

ton logon (cf. Mk. 2.2) ‘the (Christian) message,’ ‘the Word.’

dia tōn epakolouthountōn sēmeiōn ‘by means of the accompanying signs’: for sēmeia ‘signs’ cf. v. 17. It is to be presumed that the signs referred to here are those described in vv. 17-18.

epakoloutheō (not in Mark) ‘follow after’: it is probable that the force of the verb here is ‘authenticate,’ a meaning which has been found in the papyri. The signs not only accompanied the preaching of the message, but authenticated it. Cf. Moffatt, ‘by the miracles that endorsed it.’

Translation:

They can usually be translated by a pronoun if in the preceding verse the noun ‘disciples’ has been employed.

For preached see 1.4 and for signs see 8.11.

While is used in a somewhat unusual manner in this verse, for the meaning is not that they preached merely while the Lord was working. Rather, while implies ‘and at the same time,’ a rendering which must be employed in a number of languages.

Worked with them is in some languages equivalent to ‘helped them.’

Confirmed the message may be ‘made the message strong,’ or, as is more often the case, ‘showed that what they said was true.’ In Tzeltal this expression is idiomatically rendered as ‘the signs done by them became a mate for the words.’

There are difficulties in a literal translation of attended, for often people cannot speak of ‘signs attending’ anything. On the other hand, one may be able to say ‘by means of the signs which were shown at that time’ or ‘by the signs which God caused to be done then.’

Amen may be either transliterated (a very common practice) or translated into a form of expression which is closely parallel and customarily used in such contexts, e.g. ‘that is just the way it is’ (Huichol), ‘that’s it’ (Shilluk), ‘may it be thus’ (Tzeltal), or ‘and so it was.’

Another Old Ending: The shorter ending

The passage that follows is found after Mark 16.8 (and before the Longer Ending, except in the Old Latin manuscript k) in the following manuscripts: the Greek Uncial manuscripts (8th century), Ψ (8th or 9th century), 099 (7th century) and 0112 (7th century); the Greek Minuscule manuscripts 274 (marginal reading; 10th century) and 579 (13th century); the Old Latin manuscript k (4th or 5th century); in the margin of the Harclean Syriac version (7th century); and in several codices of the Sahidic, Bohairic and Ethiopic versions.

Unlike the Longer Ending, this one was written expressly to provide a suitable ending to the Gospel. It is dated in the 2nd century.

But they reported briefly to Peter and those with him all that they had been told.

Exegesis:

panta de ta parēggelmena ‘and all (things) that they had been ordered.’

paraggellō (cf. Mk. 6.8) ‘command,’ ‘order.’

tois peri ton Petron ‘to Peter and his companions’: for similar phrases cf. Mk. 4.10, Acts 13.13.

suntomōs (not in Mark) ‘briefly,’ ‘concisely’; Arndt & Gingrich prefer here the meaning ‘promptly,’ ‘readily.’

exēggeilan (not in Mark) ‘they reported,’ ‘they proclaimed.’

Translation:

They must refer to the women of 16.1, referred to by pronouns in verse 8.

Briefly may be translated as ‘with few words,’ but the likely meaning of ‘promptly’ would suggest a better rendering such as ‘right away,’ ‘soon,’ or ‘immediately.’

Had been told may be changed to an active form, e.g. ‘the young man had told them.’

And after this, Jesus himself sent out by means of them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.

Exegesis:

meta de tauta (not in Mark; cf. Longer Ending v. 12) ‘and after this.’

apo anatolēs kai achri duseōs ‘from the East as far as the West,’ i.e. ‘throughout the whole world’ (cf. the similar ‘the four winds’ in Mk. 13.27). See ‘from the east and west’ in Mt. 8.11//Lk. 13.29.

anatolē (not in Mark; cf. anatellō Mk. 4.6) ‘the rising (of the sun),’ ‘the East.’

achri (not in Mark) ‘as far as.’

dusmē (not in Mark) ‘the going down (of the sun),’ ‘the West.’

exapesteilen (not in Mark) ‘he sent out,’ ‘he sent forth.’

to hieron kai aphtharton kērugma ‘the sacred and incorruptible message.’

hieros (not in Mark; for the substantive to hieron ‘the Temple,’ cf. Mk. 11.11) ‘sacred,’ ‘holy.’

aphthartos (not in Mark) ‘incorruptible,’ i.e. ‘imperishable,’ ‘immortal.’

kērugma (not in Mark; cf. kērussō Mk. 1.4) ‘message,’ ‘proclamation.’

tēs aiōniou sōtērias ‘of the eternal salvation.’

aiōnios (cf. Mk. 3.29) ‘eternal.’

sōtēria (not in Mark) ‘salvation,’ ‘redemption.’

Translation:

By means of them must refer to the disciples, not to the women who are the subject of the preceding verse, and might be assumed to be the persons referred to here.

From east to west cannot be translated literally in most languages, for it would mean ‘starting from the east and going to the west.’ A more accurate rendering in most languages is ‘everywhere (or ‘all places’) both east and west.’

Sent out … the … proclamation is impossible in some languages, since only persons may be sent out ‘to proclaim words.’ An added problem occurs in this verse, namely, in the adjectives sacred and imperishable which are attributive to proclamation. The only manner in which this may be translated in some languages is ‘utter words which are holy and which never will fail.’

Of eternal salvation must be in an objective relationship to ‘proclamation’ or ‘word,’ e.g. ‘word about being saved.’ Salvation (see 10.26 for save) must quite often be rendered as a verb, e.g. ‘be saved,’ ‘be rescued,’ or ‘be restored to health,’ but the addition of the adjective eternal tends to create certain problems, since the meaning of eternal must be expressed by some adverbial expression, often a phrase, e.g. ‘being saved for ever’ or ‘being saved for time that will not end.’

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:

sparaxan (9.26) ‘convulsing.’ The word clearly points to a seizure, a convulsion (cf. 9.20, Lk. 9.39). A man suffering an attack of this sort is described as anthrōpos sparattomenos ‘a man convulsed.’

to pneuma to akatharton ‘the unclean spirit’ is in the nominative case, and is the subject of all the verbs in the verse.

sparaxan … kai phōnēsan ‘convulsing … and shouting’ are both aorist participles, whose action is simultaneous with that of the main verb exēlthen ‘went out.’ The Revised Standard Version “crying” should not be understood in the sense of weeping.

Translation:

Convulsing him should be translated by a term used to identify such types of seizures as occur in epilepsy. It is not enough to say ‘shook him.’ Such fits may of course be described in various ways in different languages. In Tzeltal, for example, such an attack is spoken of as ‘his wind was stopped.’

Crying with a loud voice is simply ‘yelled,’ but note that the spirit is the one who is credited with the scream, not the man.

In some languages the three actions of ‘convulsing,’ ‘yelling,’ and ‘coming out’ may have to be placed in a temporal sequence, but generally they can be rendered as ‘as the unclean spirit caused the man to have a fit and screamed out it came out of him.’

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:

paragōn (cf. 1.16) ‘passing by.’

ton tou Alphaiou ‘the (son) of Alphaeus’: the regular way of denoting filial relationship.

kathēmenon epi ‘sitting at’ (not ‘upon’).

to telōnion ‘revenue office,’ ‘custom house,’ ‘toll house’: Translator’s New Testament “customs office.” This customs office in Capernaum would be in the service of Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee.

akolouthei moi ‘follow me (in discipleship)’ (cf. 1.18).

Translation:

In some languages the transition between taught them and passed on is somewhat too abrupt. This may require the addition of some temporal particle such as ‘then,’ so as to show the proper sequence of events and to avoid the words ‘passing on’ being confusedly taken as more or less part of the teaching.

The tax office is ‘where they received taxes’ (or ‘customs’). This does not refer to the collection of personal taxes on wealth, but to the collection of customs on produce being transported to or through Capernaum. The equivalent of this type of tax in many communities are the levies imposed on merchants or farmers from surrounding regions who come into a market town to sell their wares or produce.

For an adequate translation of follow see 1.17.

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 .