Translation commentary on Mark 15:27

Exegesis:

duo lēstas (cf. 11.17) ‘two bandits,’ ‘two robbers’: perhaps, like Barabbas, insurrectionists.

ek dexiōn (cf. 10.37) ‘on the right.’

ek euōnumōn (cf. 10.40) ‘on the left.’

Translation:

With him must be translated spatially, but with caution, e.g. ‘at the same place.’ A literal rendering of ‘with him’ might imply three men on one cross.

One on his right and one on his left is somewhat elliptical, therefore requiring some additions in certain languages, e.g. ‘they crucified one man at Jesus’ right side and another man was crucified at Jesus’ left side.’ In some circumstances, however, a much more natural and meaningful translation would be ‘one on each side of Jesus.’

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 .

Translation commentary on Mark 16:12

Exegesis:

meta … tauta ‘after this’: this temporal phrase is not used by Mark.

dusin ex autōn peripatousin … poreuomenois eis agron ‘to two of them as they were walking … going to the country’: this appearance would seem to be that one which is described in Lk. 24.13-35.

peripateō (cf. Mk. 2.9) ‘walk,’ ‘walk about.’

poreuomai (cf. v. 10) ‘go.’

eis agron (cf. ap’ agrou Mk. 15.21) ‘to the country’: the context implies a journey from Jerusalem out to the neighboring rural region.

ephanerōthē en hetera morphē ‘he was manifested in another form,’ ‘he appeared in a different fashion’: the statement seems to be that this appearance was in a form different from that in which he appeared to Mary.

phaneroō (not used with this meaning in Mark; cf. v. 14) ‘to make manifest’; in the passive, as here, ‘to be made manifest,’ ‘to appear’ (in Mk. 4.22 of a hidden matter, ‘to be revealed’). Translator’s New Testament translates here ‘He was revealed.’

en hetera morphē ‘in a different form’: what is meant, apparently, is that in manifesting himself to these two Jesus took on a different form or appearance from that in which he appeared to Mary. The adjective heteros ‘another,’ ‘different’ is not in Mark, nor is morphē ‘form,’ ‘shape,’ ‘appearance’ (elsewhere in the N.T. it appears only in Phil. 2.6, 7). In the Transfiguration story in Mark the change which Jesus underwent is described by Mark by the verb metamorphoō (Mk. 9.2).

Translation:

Appeared in another form may be rendered as ‘came to two of them in a different appearance’ or ‘he looked different as he came to two of them.’ In Tzeltal this is rendered as ‘looking like another.’

Into the country identifies the open country away from the city, roughly equivalent to ‘out into the fields’ in some languages.

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 .

Translation commentary on Mark 1:18

Instead of ta diktua ‘the nets’ of the majority of modern editions of the Greek text, Textus Receptus and Kilpatrick have ta diktua autōn ‘their nets’ (cf. Exegesis, below).

Exegesis:

aphentes ēkolouthēsan ‘leaving … they followed’ is equal to ‘they left and followed.’ The verb aphiēmi is used in the sense of ‘abandon,’ ‘leave’ some fifteen times in Mark (cf. 2.5).

akoloutheō ‘follow’: used both in the literal sense, and with the meaning ‘follow as a disciple.’

ta diktua ‘the nets’: in this context ‘their nets’ is meant (cf. Turner), without the addition of the possessive autōn ‘their.’ diktuon (1.19) is the generic word for “net” of any kind (cf. amphiblēstron ‘casting net’ Mt. 4.18, and sagēnē ‘drag net’ Mt. 13.47).

Translation:

In verses 17 and 18 it is essential that an appropriate word for ‘follow’ be found, since a poor choice at this point may be almost disastrous. There are three principal types of meanings which must be distinguished: (1) to follow a long way off (implying either disinterest or avoidance), (2) to follow in the sense of tracking down (obviously not desirable for disciples), and (3) to follow in the sense of accompaniment, e.g. as a child follows an adult, as a dog its master, or as a friend his companion. One must make certain, however, that such a term does not imply ‘failure to work or to participate in an enterprise,’ in the sense that those who follow along may not take part or do their share.

It is essential that the nets spoken of in this verse be the same as are mentioned or implied in verse 16.

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 .

Translation commentary on Mark 2:6

Exegesis:

ēsan … kathēmenoi kai dialogizomenoi ‘were … sitting and questioning’: these verbal phrases, consisting of the imperfect of eimi ‘to be’ plus the present participle of the main verbs, denote continuous action.

tines tōn grammateōn (cf. 1.22) ‘some scribes.’

kathēmenoi (2.14; 3.32, 34; 4.1; 5.15; 10.46; 12.36; 13.3; 14.62; 16.5) ‘(were) sitting.’

dialogizomenoi (2.8; 8.16, 17; 9.33; 11.31) ‘considering,’ ‘pondering,’ ‘reasoning.’ Moulton & Milligan note that in the N.T. the word always has the sense of “inward deliberation or questioning.”

en tais kardiais autōn ‘in their hearts’: the meaning is the same as ēn heautois ‘in themselves’ of v. 8.

kardia (2.8; 3.5; 6.52; 7.6, 19, 21; 8.17; 11.23; 12.30, 33) ‘heart’: in Hebraic thought the heart is the center of intellectual activity. Lagrange points out that the same concept was true also of the Latins and even of the Greeks. The narrative throughout makes clear that this questioning carried on by the scribes was wholly internal and not outwardly expressed. Cf. Abbott-Smith: “say to oneself, i.e. think, reflect, without saying anything aloud.”

Translation:

Now is transitional, introducing a new aspect of the situation; it is not temporal.

For scribes see 1.22.

Questioning can be quite well translated as ‘thinking’ or even ‘speaking to themselves in their hearts.’

Though the heart is spoken of in the Bible as the center of intellectual and emotive elements of human experience, in other languages the heart may have no such value. In some languages the corresponding centers are the viscera (Conob), the liver (Laka), the stomach (Uduk), the gall (Toraja-Sa’dan) and the head (Anuak), though in the neighboring Shilluk demons may be in one’s head, but the liver and heart are the center of most other psychological activities. Whether one is to use ‘heart’ or some other part or organ of the body depends entirely upon the manner in which in any language such psychological experiences are described.

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 .

Translation commentary on Mark 3:16

Text:

At the beginning of the verse Tischendorf, Nestle, Westcott and Hort, Soden, Vogels, Kilpatrick, Lagrange, and Merk add kai epoiēsen tous dōdeka “and he appointed the twelve”: this clause is omitted by Textus Receptus, Souter, American Standard Version, Revised Standard Version, Taylor (cf. Taylor for arguments for omitting it). Although not decisive, the evidence for retaining the clause with Nestle and others, seems to outweigh the evidence for omitting it.

Exegesis:

kai ‘and’: here with the meaning ‘so’ (Translator’s New Testament, Manson).

tous dōdeka (4.10; 6.7; 9.35; 10.32; 11.11; 14.10, 17, 20, 43) ‘the Twelve’: not simply a number, as in v. 14, but a title: ‘the Twelve’ (Translator’s New Testament); Lagrange les Douze.

kai epethēken onoma tō Simōni Petron ‘and he added to Simon the name Peter.’

epitithēmi (3.17; 5.33; 6.5; 7.32; 8.23, 25; 16.18) ‘lay,’ ‘set,’ ‘place upon’: the phrase epitithenai onoma means ‘give a surname.’

Translation:

Verses 16 through 19 consist of a list of the names of the apostles, but this list is grammatically in apposition with the twelve, spoken of in verse 14. In most languages this type of apposition is so distant that without some clarification or more explicit reference, misunderstanding is likely to arise. For example, in one translation the list of names (all strange ones) was taken to be a list of the demons that were to be cast out, for the list immediately followed reference to the demons. Accordingly, verse 16 must often begin as ‘these men were…’ (Highland Oaxaca Chontal) or ‘the ones he appointed were…’ (Chicahuaxtla Triqui).

Surnamed is ‘to give an additional name to’ or ‘to give a second name to.’ This practice is a good deal more common in many cultures than in our own, and hence is not likely to be misunderstood.

For problems of transliteration of proper names and the adjustments which must be made in the case of certain familiar names see Bible Translating, 243-46. Note, however, that in many instances there are strong pressures for the adoption of arbitrary orthographic conventions in the case of well-known proper names (e.g. taking over spelling of French, Spanish, or Portuguese, despite the fact that the people do not pronounce the names according to such consonant-vowel representations). In most instances one must accede to these pressures and use the orthographically approved form of the prestige language of the area. This principle often applies to such names as Peter, James, John, Philip, and Thomas, but would not be likely to apply to Bartholomew, Alphaeus, or Thaddaeus.

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 .

Translation commentary on Mark 4:24 – 4:25

Exegesis:

blepete ti akouete ‘see what you hear,’ i.e. ‘pay attention to what you are listening to!’

en hō metrō metreite metrēthēsetai ‘in the (same) measure you measure (for others) it will be measured out (to you).’

metron (only here in Mark) ‘measure’: a measure of capacity.

metreō (only here in Mark) ‘measure out,’ ‘give out,’ ‘apportion,’ ‘deal out’ something to someone.

prostethēsetai (only here in Mark) ‘more shall be given,’ ‘shall be added,’ ‘shall be given in addition.’ The two passives metrēthēsetai humin kai prostethēsetai humin ‘shall be measured out to you and more shall be added to you’ are to be referred to God, as the subject.

dothēsetai … arthēsetai ‘shall (more) be given … shall be taken away’: these two passives also, as in the previous verse, are to be referred to God as the subject.

hos ouk echei, kai ho echei ‘he who has not, even what he has’: the meaning, naturally, is ‘he who has very little, even the little that he has will be taken away’ – it would, of course, be impossible to take away from someone something he actually does not have.

Translation:

Take heed what you hear is translated in two different ways: (1) ‘pay attention to what you hear’ (the preferred rendering) and (2) ‘discriminate carefully between the things which you might hear,’ e.g. ‘select the right things to listen to.’ This latter rendering does not seem to fit this type of context, especially after verse 23.

Take heed is translated in Conob as ‘to hear dying.’ The word ‘dying’ added to the admonition ‘to hear’ indicates the importance of listening, a kind of “life or death matter.”

In some languages the order of constituents in the expression the measure … you get must be changed so that the persons participating are the active subject, rather than the measure, e.g. ‘you will receive the same kind of measure that you measure out to others.’ In other languages the measure is treated in somewhat more generic terms, ‘what you have given to others will be what you get’ in which the meanings ‘to give’ and ‘to measure out to’ are rendered by the same word (Southern Subanen).

The last clause in verse 24 must in some instances be shifted so that the grammatical subject is the personal participant, even as in the previous clauses, e.g. ‘and you will receive even more’ (Shipibo-Conibo). If Textus Receptus is followed, there maybe even greater need of a shift in subject expression, e.g. ‘you who hear will receive more’ (Copainalá Zoque, Eastern Otomí).

The passive expression in the first clause of verse 25 may be shifted to active, e.g. ‘the one who has some will receive even more’ (or in the passive form, ‘will be given even more’). Where, however, the logical subject of the process of giving must be introduced, one may translate as ‘God will give even more to the one who has some.’

The hyperbole about taking away from a man what he does not have can often be rendered as ‘even if a man does not have anything, even the little that he does have will be taken away,’ thus preserving some measure of the extreme statement.

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 .

Translation commentary on Mark 5:30 – 5:31

Exegesis:

epignous en heautō (cf. 2.8 epignous … tō pneumati autou) ‘perceiving in himself,’ ‘sensing in himself.’

tēn ex autou dunamin exelthousan ‘the power from him which had gone out’: the meaning here, clearly, is ‘sensing that (the) power had gone out from him.’ Taylor, however, following Swete, argues that ex autou ‘from him’ is an additional statement concerning the power that resided in Jesus, and defends the American Standard Version rendition ‘the power proceeding from him had gone forth.’ As Field points out, however, what is said is not that Jesus was conscious of his power: he was conscious that it had gone forth. This is the meaning that practically all modern translations give to the phrase.

dunamis ‘power,’ ‘strength’ is used in Mark in three ways: (1) in the sense of ‘power’ as such, 5.30; 9.1; 12.24; 13.26; (2) with the meaning ‘miracle’: in the sg. 6.5; 9.39, in the pl. 6.2, 14 (3) personalized, 13.25 (‘the powers in the heavens’) and 14.62 (‘the Power,’ i.e. God).

epistrapheis (cf. 4.12) ‘turning,’ ‘turning around’ – here in a physical sense.

sunthlibonta (v. 24) ‘pressing,’ ‘crowding,’ ‘jostling.’

Translation:

Power must be translated with care, since a literal rendering may result in bad distortion of the meaning of the passage. For example, in Loma (Liberia) a literal rendering would denote that Jesus had lost his strength, i.e. had become helpless. In another language, this expression about ‘power going out of a person’ is a euphemistic, but common, way of speaking about the male function in sexual intercourse. In some languages, therefore, certain adaptations must be made, e.g. ‘person-heal-power’ (Loma (Liberia)) and ‘medicinal power,’ in which ‘medicinal’ means essentially ‘healing’ (Tabasco Chontal), and ‘know-how’ (Highland Oaxaca Chontal) in which one must use ‘know-how’ rather than literally ‘power’ or ‘strength,’ for the latter would be equivalent to saying that having lost his strength, he could do nothing in the future, until this was magically recovered – a parallel to common practices in witchcraft. Pamona renders ‘a miracle-power had gone out from Him,’ a precise and accurate expression.

It is not easy to render the obvious irony in the voice of the disciples who exclaim and yet you say…. This may be approximated in some languages by employing a double question, e.g. ‘You see the crowd pressing around you; then how can you say, Who touched me?’ Cf. Toraja-Sa’dan ‘But you see that the crowd is pressing round you, and then you say….’

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 .

Translation commentary on Mark 6:26

Exegesis:

perilupos (14.34) ‘very sad,’ ‘deeply grieved’; possibly ‘greatly annoyed’ (Manson), ‘very vexed’ (Moffatt).

orkous (only here in Mark) ‘oaths,’ ‘vows.’

anakeimenous (14.18; 16.14) ‘(the men) reclining at (the table),’ i.e. ‘the guests.’ Most translators take ‘because of his oaths and his guests’ with what follows (as does Revised Standard Version); Translator’s New Testament, however, takes it with what precedes: ‘The king was deeply distressed on account of his oaths and those dining with him.’

ouk ēthelēsen athetēsai autēn ‘he did not want to refuse her.’

atheteō (7.9) ‘reject’; the meaning here could be ‘disappoint her’ (by breaking his word to her).

Translation:

It is usually necessary to distinguish carefully between sorry and sorrow, (though the Greek perilupos may be used for both concepts), especially if the receptor language distinguishes between emotional feelings which are caused by what one has done himself and those which arise because of sympathy for the plight of others. Expressions for sorry are often quite figurative, e.g. ‘to be heavy in the stomach’ (Uduk) and ‘to have a painful heart’ (Kpelle).

For oath, see vowed, 6.23. Guerrero Amuzgo renders this expression as ‘because of the tight (i.e. ‘binding’) word which he had said to her face’ (a verb, rather than a noun, is required). In some languages for oath one can use ‘a strong promise’ (Barrow Eskimo).

Guests may be described as ‘people who have been invited to the feast,’ but there is generally some more direct and specific way of designating such persons.

Break his word to her is strictly figurative language, and in many languages one cannot ‘break a word,’ but it may be possible ‘to kill a word’ or ‘to forget a word.’ In Cashibo-Cacataibo one must say ‘did not want to say, I will not do it,’ a full description in the form of direct discourse. Guerrero Amuzgo renders this expression as ‘he did not want to have his heart change his word to that woman’s face,’ in which the term ‘face’ is a means of identifying the direction of speaking.

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 .