SIL Translator’s Notes on Mark 14:2

14:2a

In Greek, 14:2a begins with a phrase that the Revised Standard Version translates as “for they said.” The Berean Standard Bible puts the phrase “they said” in the middle of Jesus’ words. Place it where it is natural in your language. See the General Comment on 14:2a–b for a suggestion about indirect speech. The form of the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “said” indicates that the leaders probably said the statement in 14:2 several times during their discussions.

The conjunction that the Revised Standard Version translates as “for” introduces some additional things that the chiefs priests and teachers of the law were thinking and saying. There is also a contrast here. The Jewish leaders wanted to arrest and kill Jesus (14:1c–d), but they did not want to do it immediately (14:2a). Some English versions indicate this contrast with a conjunction such as “But.” For example:

But they said (New Century Version)
-or-
However, they said (God’s Word)

Some English versions do not translate the conjunction. You should connect 14:2a to 14:1c–d in a way that is natural in your language.

not during the feast: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as not during the feast is an ellipsis. In some languages it may be necessary to supply the missing parts of the clause from 14:1c–d. For example:

We must not arrest and kill him during the feast
-or-
We should not do this during the festival

the feast: The feast here probably refers to all of the eight days when the people celebrated both the festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread.

14:2b

or there may be a riot among the people: This clause expresses a situation that the leaders intended to avoid.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

so that the people will not riot
-or-
in order to avoid a violent protest
-or-
because the people will riot (Contemporary English Version)

During the feast there were many more people in Jerusalem than usual. They had come to the city to celebrate Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Many of these visitors to Jerusalem supported Jesus (see 11:8–10). The Jewish leaders were afraid to arrest Jesus during the feast. They thought that if they arrested Jesus, these visitors would be very angry and might even fight against them.

riot: A riot is a violent protest. In this context it means that a large number of people would gather and act in a disorderly way. They would do this to show their anger against the Jewish leaders because they caused Jesus to be arrested.

If your language does not have a specific term for riot, you may be able to use a descriptive phrase. For example:

the people might gather and show their anger against us.
-or-
We do not want the people to cause a disturbance
-or-
the people may act in a disorderly and violent way

General Comment on 14:2a–b

In some languages it may be more natural to use indirect speech in this verse. For example:

They told each other that they should not arrest him during the feast or the people might riot.
-or-
They decided to avoid the danger of popular protests by waiting for the feast to end and the crowds to go away. Then they would arrest him.

© 2008 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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 14:34

14:34a

Then: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then is the most common Greek connector and is often translated as “and.” Here it introduces what happened next. Use a natural way in your language to do this.

He said to them: The Berean Standard Bible follows the order of the Greek and places the words He said to them before what Jesus said. The New International Version reverses the order and places this phrase at the end of the verse. Place the words He said to them where it is natural in your language.

My soul: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as My soul is a way for a person to refer to himself. People often used this expression to show deep emotion. Languages have different ways to express this. Some languages have idioms that use other parts of the body, such as the heart or liver, in a figurative way.

is consumed with sorrow: The phrase consumed with sorrow indicates that Jesus was extremely grieved and troubled. He was very sorrowful and upset. Use an idiom or expression to describe this type of intense sorrow in a natural way. For example:

I am very sorrowful.
-or-
The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me. (Good News Bible)
-or-
Anguish is tearing me apart.

to the point of death: The phrase to the point of death indicates that Jesus was so sorrowful that he felt as if the grief might kill him.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

I feel as if I’m dying (God’s Word)
-or-
so that I am almost dying

14:34b

Stay here: The phrase Stay here indicates that Jesus wanted the disciples to remain where they were. He would go some distance away to pray, and they should stay in the same place and wait for him to return.

keep watch: In earlier parts of Mark, the Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as keep watch means to be alert and ready for whatever may happen. Here it also means “stay awake, do not go to sleep.” Jesus indicated that his disciples should remain awake and continue to be alert.

Paragraph 14:35–36

© 2008 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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 14:66

Section 14:66–72

Peter denied that he was a disciple of Jesus

In the last event of the preceding section, the guards were abusing Jesus after his trial before the council. In this section the focus shifts to Peter in the courtyard. In 14:54 Peter had entered the courtyard of the high priest’s house. Jesus was inside the high priest’s house, declaring that he was the Son of God. At the same time, Peter was in the courtyard denying that he knew Jesus. These stories contrast dramatically with each other.

In this section people asked Peter three times whether he knew Jesus. Each time Peter denied that he knew him, just as Jesus had predicted in 14:30. Then Peter became deeply sorry and wept because he had denied that he knew Jesus.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Peter denied Jesus
-or-
Peter said that he did not know Jesus
-or-
Peter’s denial of Jesus

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 26:69–75, Luke 22:55–62, and John 18:15–18, 25–27.

Paragraph 14:66–72

14:66a

This part of the verse indicates that the focus in the story shifts to what Peter did while Jesus stood before the council. In some languages there may be a special way to indicate that these events happened at the same time. Here are some ways to do this in English:

Meanwhile, Peter was in the courtyard below.
-or-
Now while Peter was below in the courtyard (NET Bible)

in the courtyard below: The word below indicates that the courtyard was at a lower level than the room in the high priest’s house where Jesus’ trial occurred. This room may have been in an upper story of the house overlooking the courtyard or it may have been up a few steps from the courtyard. If possible, translate below in a way that would allow either meaning. In some languages it may be necessary to leave the location of the courtyard implied. For example:

in the courtyard (New Century Version, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version)

14:66b

one of the servant girls of the high priest came down: One of the high priest’s servant girls came to where Peter was. In 14:67 the text indicated that Peter was sitting by the fire. See the General Comment on 14:66b–67a for a possible way to reorder the information in these verse parts.

servant girls: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as servant girls refers to female slaves or domestic servants. It does not imply anything regarding the servant’s age.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

female servants (God’s Word)
-or-
servant women (Good News Bible)
-or-
maids who worked for…

Be careful not to use an expression that may imply a sexual relationship.

came down: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as came down is literally “comes.” It may indicate either that the maid was passing by the fire where Peter was or that she came to the fire.

© 2008 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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 15:27

15:27a

Along with Jesus, they crucified two robbers: The clause Along with Jesus, they crucified two robbers means that the soldiers nailed a robber to a cross on each side of Jesus. The two robbers were on their own crosses near Jesus. They were not all crucified on the same cross.

robbers: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as robbers refers to people who steal from other people in a violent manner. (An alternative interpretation prominent in the commentaries is to understand the word translated “robbers.” If you have more than one word for “robber,” use a word that describes a dangerous robber. This kind of robber may hurt people when he steals from them. Do not use a word that describes someone who secretly steals small things.

15:27b

one on His right and one on His left: In some languages it may be necessary to repeat your word or phrase for “crucified.” For example:

They nailed one man/robber to a cross and placed it to the right of Jesus, and they nailed one man/robber to a cross and placed it to the left of Jesus.

In some languages it may be more natural to say “one on each side of Jesus” instead of one on His right and one on His left.

© 2008 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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 16:13

16:13a

And they went back and reported it to the rest: There is implied information in this clause: The two followers realized that they had seen Jesus. Then they returned and reported to the other followers that they had seen him. Although Jesus appeared to the two men in a different form (16:12), Jesus made himself known to them after a while. You may need to make this explicit in your translation. For example:

When they realized who he was, they rushed back to tell the others. (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

See Luke 24:30–32.

they: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as they refers to the two followers of Jesus in 16:12.

went back: The phrase went back indicates that the two followers went back to where Jesus’ other followers were (see Luke 24:33). They were probably in Jerusalem.

and reported it to the rest: The two disciples who saw Jesus while they were walking into the country told the other followers that they had seen him alive.

16:13b

but they did not believe them either: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but they did not believe them either indicates that just as Jesus’ followers/friends did not believe the women, so they did not believe the two disciples either. They did not believe that either the women or the two disciples had really seen Jesus.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

but nor did the rest of the disciples believe it
-or-
neither would they believe their report/words
-or-
who did not believe them either (New Jerusalem Bible)

believe them: Here the phrase believe them means “believe what they said” or “believe what they said about seeing Jesus.”

See believe, meaning 1, in the Glossary for more information about this word.

© 2008 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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 1:2

Paragraph 1:2–3

The quotes in 1:2–3 come from two books of the Old Testament. The quote in 1:3 is from Isaiah 40:3. The quote in 1:2 is from Malachi 3:1. Some parts of 1:2–3 may also be from Exodus 23:20. Mark mentioned only Isaiah. Consider whether it would be helpful to your readers to use footnotes to give the references for these Old Testament quotations.

1:2a

As: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as As indicates the connection between 1:2a and 1:4: Just as Isaiah prophesied in 1:2–3, so John appeared in 1:4 and fulfilled that prophecy. Another way to show this connection is to indicate it only in 1:4. Many English versions that omit the word “as” in 1:2a follow this option. See the note on 1:4a.

it is written in Isaiah the prophet (There is a textual issue in 1:2a: (1) Some Greek manuscripts have in Isaiah the prophet. For example, the Revised Standard Version says: “As it is written in Isaiah the prophet” (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Bible, Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, English Standard Version, NET Bible, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation, Contemporary English Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, New Century Version). (2) Some Greek manuscripts have in the prophets. For example, the King James Version says: “As it is written in the prophets” (King James Version). It is recommended that you follow option (1).) The phrase Isaiah the prophet refers here to the book that Isaiah the prophet wrote. (The manuscript evidence for the reading “in Isaiah the prophet” has both early and widespread support. The quote in 1:2 actually comes from Exodus 23:20 and Malachi 3:1 and only 1:3 comes from Isaiah. Because Isaiah was a major prophet in the Old Testament, and often quoted in the New, it is possible that Mark mentions Isaiah the prophet as representative of these quotes from the Old Testament. (Gundry page 35) Also, it must be noted that Mark was not writing for a Jewish but a Gentile audience, who would not be familiar with all the prophets mentioned in the Jewish Scriptures.) This book is in the Old Testament. In this book Isaiah wrote the messages that God gave him to tell people. The first readers of Mark’s Gospel knew that Mark was quoting God’s message that Isaiah had written long before. If this information is not clear to your readers, you may need to make it explicit. For example:

Long ago, God caused the prophet Isaiah to write these words:
-or-
The prophet Isaiah wrote these words from God long ago. He said…

it is written: The phrase it is written is the usual way that authors of New Testament books introduced a quote from the Old Testament. You should be as consistent as possible in translating this phrase.

prophet: A prophet is a man who speaks on behalf of God. He tells people what God has revealed to him, and he also gives them messages from God.

Here are some ways to translate prophet:

a spokesman for God
-or-
a man who speaks God’s words
-or-
God’s message-speaker

When choosing a term for prophet, consider how you will translate other words which are similar in meaning such as “angel,” “apostle,” and “preacher.”

While prophets did foretell the future, this was not their only function. Avoid using a word that focuses on telling the future.

See also prophet in the Glossary.

1:2b–c

I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your Way: Here the pronoun refers to God, and the pronoun You refers to the Christ. It is important to translate this quotation carefully so that readers will understand to whom the pronouns in 1:2b–c refer. (In Malachi 3:1 the quotation can be translated as, “I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me,” and the quotation from Isaiah 40:3 can be translated as, “prepare the way of the LORD .” When these quotations are interpreted in relation to Mark 1:2, they indicate that the LORD himself was coming to earth in the person of the Messiah.)

If this meaning will not be clear in your translation, you may need to make it explicit. For example, the Good News Bible makes explicit that refers to God. It has:

God said, “I will send…”

1:2b

Behold: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Behold indicates that the speaker will say something important or surprising, and he wants people to listen carefully to it.

This word is not easy to translate into English, so many English versions do not translate it (see the New International Version). Consider whether you have a natural way in your language to translate this Greek word.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

Look/Listen
-or-
Take note of this
-or-
I have something to tell you

I will send My messenger: In many cultures at that time, a king would choose a person to go as his messenger to tell people that he was coming. The messenger would tell the people to prepare for his coming. Here God indicated that he would send a messenger to tell people that the Christ was coming.

send: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as send means to order someone to go somewhere for a particular purpose.

My messenger: In some languages it may be more natural to express the word messenger as a verb phrase. For example:

I will send someone ahead of you to make known my message/words.

ahead of You: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as ahead of You is literally “before your face.” In this context the phrase may indicate either or both of the following options:

(a) I will send my messenger before I send you.

(b) I will send my messenger to go in front of you.

In some languages there may be a natural way to translate the clause so that both meanings are possible. If you must chose one of these meanings, choose option (a).

1:2c

prepare Your way: In this context the phrase prepare Your way is a metaphor. It is based on the custom of preparing roads before a king came. People repaired the roads so that the king could travel easily on them. Here the metaphor indicates that God was sending someone to prepare people for the Christ by telling them to repent of their sins. (This metaphor is also used in Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2–3, Luke 3:4–6, and Luke 7:27.)

In some languages people may not understand the meaning of the metaphor. They may wrongly think that it refers to repairing roads. If that is true in your language, consider one of these options:

• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:

I will send my messenger ahead of you. He will prepare people for your coming, like a person who prepares the roads before a king comes.

• Translate the meaning of the metaphor directly. For example:

I will send my messenger ahead of you to tell people to prepare themselves for your coming.

way: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as way literally means “road,” “path,” or “highway.” Use a word that is appropriate for your area.

© 2008 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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 1:36

1:36

In this verse the focus of the story changes briefly from Jesus in a solitary place to Simon and his companions back at the house. In some languages it may be necessary to indicate this change of focus in some way. For example:

Now as for Simon and his companions

Simon and his companions went to look for Him: The Greek text does not say when Simon and his companions went to look for Jesus. The previous verse implies that they went after they woke up and discovered that Jesus was not in the house. In some languages some or all of this implied information may be clear from the context of the story. In other languages it may be clearer and more natural to make some of this information explicit. For example:

Later Simon and the others went out (New Living Translation)
-or-
When Simon and his companions woke up and saw that Jesus was not there, they went…

Simon and his companions: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Simon and his companions is literally “Simon and the ones with him.” Simon’s companions may have been the other disciples, but others may also have been included. This phrase may be translated in several ways. For example:

Simon and his friends (God’s Word)
-or-
Simon and the others (New Living Translation)

went to look for Him: In this context, the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as look for means “search diligently.” It may also imply that Simon and his companions searched anxiously.

© 2008 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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 2:26

2:26a

During the high priesthood of Abiathar: The phrase During the high priesthood of Abiathar refers to Abiathar’s lifetime or to the general time period when he became high priest. The name of the high priest who gave the bread to David was Ahimelech. After Ahimelech died, his son Abiathar became high priest for David. In your translation it is good to use a general expression that does not say explicitly that Abiathar was the high priest at this time. For example, the New Century Version says:

During the time of Abiathar the high priest

high priesthood: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as high priesthood is literally “high priest.” The “high priest” was the leader of all the Jewish priests. All Jewish priests offered sacrifices on behalf of the people, but the high priest offered certain special sacrifices that no other priest could offer. In a special way, he represented the Jewish people to God.

Here are some other ways to translate “high priest”:

the chief/leader of all the priests
-or-
the Main/Principal Priest
-or-
the highest/leading priest

See how you translated priest at 1:44b.

priests: Jewish priests were men who offered sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. They also performed other rituals for them.

Here are some other ways to translate priests:

• Use a descriptive term that focuses on the function of priests. For example:

sacrificers
-or-
men/people who offer sacrifices to God
-or-
people who represent other people to God

• Use a local word for priest. This option may be acceptable if the duties of a local priest are similar to those of a Jewish priest. You may need to indicate that the word refers to a Jewish priest. For example:

Jewish people’s priests/sacrificers

If possible, you should choose a term that can be used in both Old Testament and New Testament contexts. Remember that in the book of Hebrews believers are called priests and Christ is called our high priest.

2:26b

the house of God: The house of God was a Jewish expression that could refer to either the tabernacle or the temple. In this context, it refers to the tabernacle. The tabernacle was a tent that was like a portable temple. It was the place where the Jewish people presented sacrifices to God and where God revealed his presence to them.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

God’s house/dwelling
-or-
the big tent where our ancestors worshiped God

God: See the note on 2:7.

ate the consecrated bread: In the story in 1 Samuel 21:1–6, David asked the priest for the bread, and the priest gave it to him. This information is not mentioned explicitly in this verse. Your readers might think that David stole the bread and ate it. If that is true, you may need to make explicit that the priest gave it to him or to mention this fact in a footnote. For example:

ate the consecrated bread that the priest gave him

the consecrated bread: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the consecrated bread refers to the bread that the priests offered or presented to God. Every Sabbath, the bread was replaced with fresh bread. Then, only the priests were allowed to eat the old bread. See Leviticus 24:5–9 and Exodus 25:30.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the sacred/holy bread
-or-
the bread offered to God (Good News Bible)
-or-
special bread (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

It may also be helpful to include a footnote to explain this. For example, the TRT suggests this footnote:

Every Sabbath/resting day twelve fresh loaves of bread were put on a gold table in the Holy Place as a sacrifice to God. The old loaves were eaten by the priests (see Leviticus 24:5–9).

bread: The word bread refers to the main food of the Jewish people. Other ways to translate this could be “loaf” or “loaf of bread.” If the people for whom you are translating do not eat bread, you could translate this with a generic term, such as “food.” Since this refers to a specific Jewish tradition, do not substitute another specific kind of food.

2:26c

was lawful only for the priests: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as was lawful only for the priests is literally “not lawful/permitted for anyone to eat except the priests.”

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

not lawful for any but the priests to eat (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
against the law for any but the priests to eat (NET Bible)
-or-
no one but a priest is allowed to eat it

lawful: The word lawful here means “permitted.” In this context it refers to what the Jewish religious and ceremonial law allowed. The law about the dedicated bread is stated in the Law of Moses (see Leviticus 24:9).

priests: The term priests means men who were authorized to offer sacrifices to God for the people. Refer to the term you used for priests in 1:44b.

2:26d

In this part of the verse Jesus told the part of David’s story that was similar to what he and his disciples were doing. Like David, Jesus was allowing his disciples to break a rule, and he had the authority to do that.

And he gave some to his companions as well: In this clause, Jesus finished his story about what David did. The clause implies that although David gave some consecrated bread to his companions, it was not wrong. God did not punish him for it. You may need to make this explicit in your translation. For example:

He also gave some of the bread to his companions and they ate it too. But God did not punish David for doing that.
-or-
He even gave some to his companions and they also ate it. But what David did was not wrong.

he: The pronoun he refers to David.

gave some: The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the object some, meaning “some consecrated bread.” The Greek text does not have an explicit object of gave. You should supply an object if it is natural in your language.

his companions: Use the same term for his companions as you used in 2:25b.

as well: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as as well is emphatic here. It means “even.” David even gave some of the bread that only priests should eat to his companions, who were ordinary people.

General Comment on 2:25–26

In Greek these verses are one long sentence. In some languages, it may be necessary to use shorter sentences. It also may be necessary to reorder some of the information and perhaps to combine 2:25–26. For example:

25aJesus said: “Have you not read what our ancestor David did long ago 26awhen Abiathar was High Priest? 25bWhen David and his friends were hungry, 26bhe entered into the worship house and ate the bread that was dedicated to God, 26dand he also distributed it to his companions. 26cAccording to our religious laws, it is only priests who are allowed to eat that bread.”

If you combine these verses you can use a combined verse number (25–26) at the beginning of 2:25.

© 2008 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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.