SIL Translator’s Notes on Mark 2008 – Page 4

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 4:34

4:34a

He did not tell them anything without using a parable: This clause refers only to the times when Jesus was teaching the crowds.

There are two negative words here: not and without. It may be more natural in your language to use positive words.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

Whenever he spoke to them about God, he used parables.
-or-
He taught the crowds using only parables.
-or-
In fact, in his public teaching he taught only with parables (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

parable: In this context the word parable is used in a general way to describe any of the types of wise speech that Jesus used in this chapter. See the note on 4:33a, and translate in a similar way here.

4:34b

But privately He explained everything to His own disciples: The words privately…to His own disciples indicates that the crowds had left and only Jesus and his disciples were present. For example:

when they were by themselves (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
privately to his own disciples (Revised Standard Version)

everything: In this context, the word everything refers to all the parables. It may be more natural in your language to refer in a different way to all the parables. For example:

all of them
-or-
every parable

disciples: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as disciples means “learners” who are in a relationship with a teacher. The learners commit themselves to their teacher in order to learn from him and live according to his teaching and example. In the New Testament disciples often lived with their teacher and followed him wherever he went.

Some ways to translate disciples are:

• Use a term that refers to people who learn from a teacher or an expert. It is helpful if the term also implies that the learners are often with their teacher. For example:

learners/students
-or-
apprentices

Be careful not to use a term that would refer only to a student in a school or classroom.

• Use a term that refers to people who follow a teacher or leader by obeying his teaching. It is helpful if this term also implies learning from the teacher and actually following the teacher wherever he goes. For example:

followers
-or-
those who are committed/faithful (to a teacher/leader)

See how you translated this term at 3:9. See also disciple in the Glossary.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 5:26

5:26a

She had borne much agony under the care of many physicians: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as She had borne much agony under the care of many physicians indicates that doctors and their treatments had caused her much suffering. They probably caused both pain and financial loss.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Doctors that she went to for treatment caused her to suffer much
-or-
She had gone to many doctors, and they had not done anything except cause her a lot of pain. (Contemporary English Version)

5:26b

and had spent all she had: This phrase indicates that the woman had already used all her resources to pay the doctors for her treatments. She may have paid in money or goods. She had nothing left that she could use to pay for more help.

General Comment on 5:26a–b

In some languages it may be natural to change the order of 5:26a and 5:26b. For example:

26bShe had spent all she had 26agoing to see many different doctors. She had endured a lot of different treatments….
-or-
26aShe had used up all her money 26bon the painful treatments ordered/prescribed by many physicians

5:26c–d

but to no avail. Instead, her condition had only grown worse: The Greek phrases that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but to no avail and Instead show strong contrast. The woman had hoped that her condition would improve. But the opposite was true; her bleeding increased.

her condition had only grown worse: The woman’s illness became more severe. This happened during a period of years before she came to Jesus. Use an appropriate verb form in your language.

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SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 6:16

6:16a

But: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But here introduces who Herod thought Jesus was. This idea agrees with the first idea mentioned in 6:14d. It does not contrast with all the other ideas. So some English translations do not translate the conjunction But. The New Century Version, for example, leaves it untranslated. Connect Herod’s idea in 6:16a to the other ideas in 6:14–15 in the way that is natural in your language.

when Herod heard this: Just as in 6:14a, the word this is not in the Greek. Most English versions add the word “this” or “it” to make the meaning clearer. The word this refers back to all the things the people were saying about who Jesus was. You may need to use a specific expression instead of this, such as:

when Herod heard their opinions
-or-
when Herod heard these ideas
-or-
when Herod heard what the people were saying

6:16b

John, whom I beheaded, has risen from the dead!: Herod believed what the first group of people (6:14c) were saying. He had personal reasons to believe this, since he had given the order to kill John (6:17–29).

It is not explicitly stated that Herod thought that Jesus was John. You may need to make this clear. For example:

He is John the Baptist! I had his head cut off, but he has come back to life! (Good News Bible)
-or-
Jesus must be John, the man I beheaded! He has been raised from the dead.

John: It may be necessary to say “John the Baptist” (as in the Good News Bible) to make the reference clear.

In Greek, John’s name is stated at the end of the clause “the man I beheaded.” This emphasizes John and makes him the focus of this passage. To emphasize John you could translate:

He is John the Baptist! (Good News Bible)
-or-
This must be John! (Contemporary English Version)

whom I beheaded: The phrasewhom I beheaded here means that Herod had ordered someone to cut off John’s head. Herod himself did not cut off John’s head. One of his soldiers did that.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

I caused his head to be cut off
-or-
I myself ordered him to be beheaded

I: In Greek, the word is emphasized. If possible, you should make this word emphatic in your translation. For example:

It was I who had him beheaded!

has risen from the dead: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as has risen from the dead is more literally “has been raised from the dead,” as in the New International Version. This is a passive clause. In some languages it may be more natural to use an active verb, as the Berean Standard Bible does. Here are some other ways to say this in active form:

he has come back to life
-or-
God raised him from the dead

Some languages use an impersonal third person plural “they” to show a passive. For example:

they raised him from the dead

from the dead: Not all Greek manuscripts include the phrase from the dead. Some manuscripts say “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised” (as in the Revised Standard Version). But even in these texts, the idea of from the dead is clearly implied. So it is recommended that you include this phrase in your translation if it is natural.

General Comment on 6:16a–b

In some languages it may be natural to translate Herod’s comments as indirect speech. For example:

Herod heard what the people were saying. He decided that John the Baptizer, whom he had beheaded, must have been raised from the dead.

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SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 6:48

6:48a

He could see that the disciples: According to 6:46b, Jesus went up on the mountain to pray. Here the context implies that Jesus paused in his praying and looked out toward the lake to see how the disciples were doing. (Even though it was night, there was probably enough moonlight for Jesus to see the disciples on the lake. Only a few commentators think that this was a “supernatural seeing from afar.” (Clarke quoted in Mark: A Portrait of the Servant by Hiebert, page 165.)) In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit some of this information.

In some languages there are also specific words for “look downward” and “look from a distance.” If your language uses specific words like these, it may be appropriate to use one of them here. For example:

When Jesus looked down at the disciples, he saw that they were straining…

straining to row: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as straining to row is more literally “distressed while rowing.” It indicates that the disciples were working/straining very hard to try to move the boat forward.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

having trouble rowing the boat
-or-
struggling hard to row the boat (New Century Version)

6:48b

the wind was against them: The phrase the wind was against them indicates that the wind was blowing against the front of the boat. The wind was so strong that the disciples were not able to move the boat across the lake.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the wind was blowing towards them
-or-
the wind was meeting them
-or-
they were going against the wind (God’s Word)

General Comment on 6:48a–b

In some languages it may be natural to put the information that the disciples were rowing in 6:48b. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:

48aHe could see that the disciples were struggling hard, 48bbecause they were rowing against the wind.

General Comment on 6:48a–b

In this verse, 6:48b expresses the reason for the result in 6:48a. In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of these clauses. For example:

48bThe wind was blowing against them; 48athat is why they were straining at the oars. Jesus saw all this.

6:48c

About the fourth watch of the night: The fourth watch of the night was the period between 3:00 and 6:00 in the morning. At that time, people considered night to be from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The Romans divided the night into four periods of time. Each period was three hours long. Soldiers took turns guarding (watching) for one period. So the fourth watch was the three-hour period before dawn.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

Not long before morning (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
between three and six o’clock in the morning (Good News Bible)
-or-
As the night was ending (NET Bible)
-or-
Before dawn/daybreak

If your language has a specific expression or idiom for this time of day, consider using it here.

6:48d

Jesus went out to them: Jesus had been up on the mountain. Before he could walk out to the disciples, he first had to walk downhill to the shore. In some languages it may be necessary to make some of this information explicit. For example:

he walked/went down the mountain and went out to them

walking on the sea: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as walking on the sea indicates that Jesus was walking on top of the water. This was a miracle.

In some languages, verbs such as walking are also used to mean “swimming,” and prepositions such as on can also mean “in.” If this is true in your language, you will need to clarify what Jesus was doing. For example:

walking on the surface of the water

6:48e

He intended to pass by them: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as He intended to pass by them is literally “He wanted to go past them.” Jesus was walking as though he intended to walk past the boat without stopping. (A note on 6:48 in the NET Bible says, “The statement ‘he wanted to pass by them’ is somewhat difficult to understand. There are at least two common interpretations: (1) it refers to the perspective of the disciples, that is, from their point of view it seemed that Jesus wanted to pass by them; or (2) it refers to a theophany and uses the language of the Greek Old Testament (LXX) when God “passed by” Moses at Sinai (cf. Exod 33.19, 22). According to the latter alternative, Jesus is “passing by” the disciples during their struggle, in order to assure them of his presence with them. See W. L. Lane, Mark (NICNT), 236.”)

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

He intended to pass by them (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
He was going to pass by them (Revised English Bible)
-or-
He would have passed by them

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SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 7:25

7:25a

Instead: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Instead indicates a strong contrast. The contrast is between how Jesus wanted no one to know he was there and how the woman soon heard where he was.

Here are some other ways to translate this conjunction:

But (English Standard Version)
-or-
In fact (New International Version)

Other versions do not translate this conjunction. You should connect 7:25 to 7:24 in a way that is natural in your language.

a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit: Here, a new person is introduced into the story. Mark gives more information about her in 7:26a–b. You should introduce this new person in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

there was a woman there whose little daughter had an unclean spirit. She…

See the General Comment on 7:25a–26b at the end of 7:26b for suggestions on how to do this by changing the order of the verse parts.

little daughter: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as little daughter is a term of endearment. It implies that the woman loved her daughter very much. It does not imply that the daughter was not tall.

There is only one other place in the New Testament where this Greek word occurs. In that verse (Mark 5:23), it refers to Jairus’ daughter, who was twelve years old.

If your language requires you to specify the approximate age of the girl, use a term that refers to an unmarried girl of the age of puberty or younger.

If your language does not use a specific word meaning “daughter,” you may use a descriptive term that uses the word “child.” For example:

her child who was a young-lady/female

In the following verses that use the word “daughter,” you may then be able to shorten this expression to “child.”

had an unclean spirit: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as had an unclean spirit indicates that an evil spirit controlled the girl’s thoughts and actions.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

controlled by an unclean spirit
-or-
had an evil spirit in her (New Century Version)
-or-
on whom an evil spirit had fastened
-or-
on whom an unclean spirit was riding

Use an expression that is natural in your language to refer to an unclean spirit controlling a person. See evil spirit in the Glossary for more information.

unclean spirit: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as unclean spirit refers to a spirit that is evil and can control people’s actions. The phrase unclean spirit refers to the same type of spirit as the Greek terms that are often translated as “demon” and “evil spirit.” In this context the evil spirit that possessed the girl is called a “demon” in 7:26c.

Here are some other ways to translate unclean spirit:

• Use a general term in your language that refers to spirits that are evil and can control people. If there is one word with this meaning, you may not need a separate word like “evil.” For example:

demon

• Use a specific term in your language that refers to a certain type of spirit. This spirit should be able to do what is described in this context. Do not use a term that refers to the spirit of a dead person.

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

an evil/bad spirit
-or-
an unclean spirit

Be sure that an expression like “unclean spirit” does not imply that the spirit is literally dirty.

See evil spirit in the Glossary for more information.

7:25b

soon heard about Jesus The phrase soon heard about Jesus contains implied information. It implies that the woman learned that Jesus was in the area. In some languages it may be necessary to make some of this information explicit. For example:

heard that he was there (Easy English Bible)
-or-
heard where Jesus was (Contemporary English Version)

7:25c

fell at His feet: The phrase fell at His feet means that the woman humbly got on her knees in front of Jesus and lowered her face to the ground. Bowing down like this was a way to show respect and honor to someone of high position.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

knelt down (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
bowed down (God’s Word)

This word does not indicate that the woman stumbled or tripped and then fell down.

See how you translated the similar expressions in 5:22b and 5:33b.

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SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 8:21

8:21

Do you still not understand?: This is a rhetorical question. It expresses a rebuke. Jesus rebuked his disciples because they still did not understand who he really was. There are at least two ways to translate this rebuke.

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Do you not yet understand? (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Don’t you understand even yet? (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

• As a statement. For example:

Surely, you should understand by this time!

Use whichever form is most natural to express this rebuke in your language.

understand: The disciples did not understand who Jesus really was. This is implied information. See the note in 8:17c for more information on how to translate understand.

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SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 9:17

9:17a

Someone in the crowd replied: This person was somewhere in the crowd that had run to greet Jesus.

9:17b

Teacher: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Teacher was a polite title for a Jewish religious leader. It was a title of respect for a Jewish man who had authority to teach the things about God. In some languages the appropriate way to address a religious teacher may be:

Sir Teacher
-or-
Sir
-or-
Master

Be careful not to use a term that can refer only to a school teacher.

This same word occurs in 4:38c.

I brought You my son, who has a spirit that makes him mute: It might be more natural in your language to reorder this sentence to have the background information first. For example:

My son is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. I brought him to you.

The son’s condition is also the implied reason why the man brought him to Jesus. In some languages it may be more natural to make this reason explicit. For example:

I brought my son to you, because he is possessed by an evil spirit that has made him mute.

I brought You my son: The father brought his son to Jesus.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

I brought my son to you (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
I came with my son to you.

son: The word son here probably refers to a boy who was less than thirteen years old and more than three years old. If your language has a term with that meaning, you could use it here.

who has a spirit that makes him mute: This expression indicates that the spirit controlled the boy and caused him to be unable to speak.

Here are some other ways to translate this expression:

A demon keeps him from talking. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
He has an evil spirit in him that stops him from talking. (New Century Version)

has a spirit: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as has a spirit is literally “having a spirit.” This phrase indicates that an evil spirit controlled the boy’s thoughts and actions.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

has an evil spirit in him (Good News Bible)
-or-
possessed by a spirit (New International Version)
-or-
on whom an evil spirit had fastened
-or-
on whom an evil spirit was riding

Use an expression that is natural in your language to refer to an evil spirit controlling a person. A similar phrase occurs in 7:25a.

a spirit: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as spirit refers to a spirit that is evil and can control people’s actions. Here the word spirit refers to the same type of spirit as the Greek terms that are often translated as “evil spirit,” “unclean spirit,” and “demon.”

Here are some other ways to translate spirit:

• Use a general term in your language that refers to a spirit that is evil and can control people.

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

an evil/bad spirit
-or-
an unclean spirit

Be sure that an expression like “unclean spirit” does not imply that the spirit is literally dirty.

See how you translated “unclean spirit” in 1:23a. See also evil spirit in the Glossary for more information.

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SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 9:49

Paragraph 9:49–50

In these verses, there are three different sayings about salt. Salt had many functions for the Jewish people. Each of these sayings refers to a different use of salt.

(a) (9:49) God commanded his people to put salt on all their sacrifices (Leviticus 2:13). Salt became a symbol of the eternal nature of the covenant between God and his people.

(b) (9:50a) People used salt to keep food from spoiling. They also used it to make food taste better.

9:49

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “For” connects 9:49 to the previous verse. In this context it indicates that 9:49 in some way explains the previous verses. All believers should remove causes of sin because they will all experience suffering of some kind. Some English versions do not translate this conjunction. You should introduce 9:49 in a way that is natural in your language.

You may want to refer back to 9:43–48 in a general way or refer to the general principle taught in those verses. For example:

I say that because
-or-
Remove causes of sin because

everyone will be salted with fire: There is a textual issue here:

(1) Some Greek texts have: “For everyone will be salted with fire.”

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, NET Bible, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, New Century Version, English Standard Version)

(2) Other Greek texts have: “For everyone shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.”

(King James Version, Good News Bible (The Good News Bible appears to follow option (2). However, there is a possibility that it actually follows option (1) and makes explicit its interpretation of those manuscripts.))

It is recommended that you follow option (1).

The expression everyone will be salted with fire is very difficult. Bible scholars have interpreted it in different ways. However, most scholars believe that Jesus’ words figuratively referred to Jewish sacrifices which were always salted (see Leviticus 2:13). Most of these sacrifices were also burned with fire. Fire here is an image of the suffering or hardships that all disciples would experience. This suffering would make them more holy and help them to rely more on God.

In many languages, it will not be easy to translate salted with fire literally. In languages where it can be translated, it may not be easily understood. Another problem is that your culture may use salt and fire figuratively to mean different things than they meant to the Jews. If that is true, you may want to:

• Translate this expression in a way that explains the metaphor. For example:

Just as every sacrifice/food is salted, everyone passes though fires of suffering.
-or-
Everyone will experience suffering/difficulties that will be like going through fire.
-or-
Everyone will be like a sacrifice that is salted and then burned.
-or-
Everyone will be purified by fire as a sacrifice is purified by salt. (Good News Bible)
-or-
Everyone will be purified with/by the fire of suffering.

If you follow one of these models for translation, you may want to include a footnote giving the literal Greek text. For example:

Literally: “For everyone will be salted with fire.”

• Explain this expression in a footnote. For example:

The expression “salted with fire” probably refers figuratively to Jewish sacrifices which were always salted (see Leviticus 2:13). Most of these sacrifices were burned with fire. Fire here is an image of the suffering or hardships that all disciples would experience. These hardships would make them more holy and cause them to rely more on God.

everyone: The word everyone refers to all of Jesus’ followers. You may want to make this clear by saying:

all my followers
-or-
all of you(plur)

will be salted: This is a passive clause. If it is more natural in your language to use an active verb here, you may be able to say:

Just as people salt every sacrifice, so God will cause everyone to pass though fires of suffering.
-or-
Everyone will be like a sacrifice on which a person puts salt and then burns.
-or-
God will purify everyone with fire as a person purifies a sacrifice with salt.
-or-
God will purify everyone with/by the fire of suffering.

with fire: The phrase with fire is emphasized in the Greek. If you have a natural way to emphasize this phrase, you may want to do so. For example:

it is with/by fire that everyone will be salted

fire: Notice that fire in this verse does not have the same meaning as “fire” in 9:48b. This verse means that all followers of Jesus will experience suffering of some kind because they belong to him. This verse does not mean that everyone will experience the fire of hell. Your translation should make the different meaning clear either in text or in a footnote. See the notes and examples above.

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 2008

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 4:34

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 5:26

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 6:16

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 6:48

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 7:25

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 8:21

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 9:17

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 9:49

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