14:36a

Abba, Father: Here Jesus spoke to God as his father. In the Aramaic language, Abba is the informal word for “father.” It was used by family members. He used Abba, the informal word for “father,” and followed it with the Greek word for “father.” It is not clear why Mark included two words that mean “father.”

Here are some other ways to translate this:

• If you have both a formal and informal word for “father” you may be able to use both here.

• Use an expression in your language which indicates that Jesus spoke to God, his Father in an affectionate way. For example:

my father, my father
-or-
dear father

• Transliterate Abba and explain it in a footnote. Here is an example footnote:

Jesus used the Aramaic word “Abba” here. It means “Daddy/Papa.” A person used this word to speak to his father when they were at home together.

If the word Abba has a different meaning in your language, you should not include this word in the text.

Use whichever form is most natural in your language for a son to address his father in a way that shows affection.

He said: The Berean Standard Bible places the words He said after “Abba, Father.” In Greek these words occur at the beginning of 14:36a. Place the words He said where it is natural in your language.

14:36b

all things are possible for You: In this context the clause all things are possible for You indicates that God can do anything, and he can cause anything to happen.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

you are able to do everything
-or-
nothing is impossible for you

14:36c

Take this cup from Me: The words Take this cup from Me are a humble prayer. Be sure to express it in a humble and polite way in your language.

this cup: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as cup is used here as a figure of speech. It refers to the suffering that Jesus would soon experience. Jesus was asking God to rescue him from the suffering that he would endure on the cross. If your readers would not understand this, here are some ways to translate it:

• Keep the figure of speech and indicate that it refers to suffering. For example, the New Living Translation says:

Please, take this cup of suffering away from me.

• Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:

Save me from this suffering.

14:36d

Yet: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Yet here introduces a limit or condition that Jesus added to his request. Jesus had asked to be saved from suffering, but he did not want God to save him if it was not God’s will.

Here are some other ways to translate this conjunction:

However
-or-
But even though I have asked this

not what I will, but what You will: There are implied words in this clause:

Do not do what I want you to do, but do what you want to do.

This clause indicates that Jesus accepted whatever his Father wanted to happen to him. He chose what his Father wanted, rather than what he wanted.

In some languages it may be more natural to reverse the order of these clauses and say:

your will be done, not my will

but what You will: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but indicates a contrast between two choices. In this context Jesus had to choose either what he wanted to happen or what God wanted to happen. Jesus chose what God wanted.

General Comment on 14:35–36

In 14:36 Mark gives the words that Jesus prayed as a direct quote. In some languages it may be necessary to translate 14:35c also as part of the direct quote. For example:

He prayed, “My Father, if it is possible in your plan, let me avoid the suffering that is about to strike me. Everything is possible for you. Cause this suffering not to come. Yet do what you want, not what I want.”

Paragraph 14:37–38

© 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.

14:68a

But: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But here indicates that Peter’s response to the servant girl will not agree with what she said. He denied that what she had said was true. Some English versions do not use a conjunction here. Connect Peter’s response to 14:67 in a natural way in your language.

he denied it: The phrase he denied it here means that Peter said that what the servant girl had said was not true. Of course, Peter had been with Jesus, but he was afraid to admit it.

In some languages it may be more natural to express the words denied it as a direct quote. For example:

He replied to the servant girl, “What you are saying is not true!”

denied it: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as denied it is literally, “denied, saying.” Some languages may also need to include a word like “saying” or “said.” For example:

But he denied it and said
-or-
But he said

If you do not use a word like denied to introduce the quote, then you should clearly communicate the idea of denial in 14:68b.

it: The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the word it to make the sentence sound natural in English. This word is not in the Greek text, but English requires that there be a direct object with the verb “deny.” Follow the pattern of your own language in this matter.

14:68b

I do not know or even understand what you are talking about: In this context the verbs know and understand have almost the same meaning. Peter repeated the same idea in order to emphasize what he was saying. He wanted to make it clear to the servant girl that she was mistaken.

In some languages it may not be natural in this context to use two verbs with almost the same meaning, like know and understand. If this is true in your language, you may be able to translate Peter’s reply with a different type of emphatic phrase. For example:

I do not have any idea what you are talking about!

he said: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as he said occurs at the beginning of 14:68b, along with the phrase “he denied it.” Place it where it is natural in your language. One way to do this in English is:

He denied what she said and replied, “I do not know or understand what you are talking about!”

14:68c

Then he went out to the gateway: The phrase Then he went out to the gateway indicates that Peter left the fire in the courtyard and went out into the covered passageway that led toward the outer gate. (Louw & Nida (page 87) define proaulion as “the area in front of an entrance to a building,” but this may be misleading if it is understood as the entrance “into” the building rather than the entrance “from” the street into the courtyard of the building.) When you translate this, indicate clearly that Peter went toward the place where he could go out into the street, not toward the entry into the house.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

went toward the entrance of the courtyard (New Century Version)
-or-
went out to the gate (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
went to the edge of the yard near the gate

and the rooster crowed: There is a textual issue here:

(1) Some Greek manuscripts include words that are often translated as, “and a rooster crowed.” This text is followed by most English versions.

(Berean Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, English Standard Version, God’s Word, King James Version, New American Bible, New American Standard Bible, New Century Version, NET Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation, New Revised Standard Version, Good News Bible)

(2) Other Greek manuscripts do not include the words “and a rooster crowed.” This is followed by a few English versions.

(New International Version, Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). It has very good manuscript support and most English versions follow this option.

However, if the major language version in your area does not include these words, you may want to use brackets around them or include them only in a footnote. An example of a possible footnote is:

Some manuscripts include “and the rooster crowed.”

If you follow option (1), you could include the following footnote:

Some Greek manuscripts do not have “and the rooster crowed.”

the rooster crowed: The phrase the rooster crowed indicates that a male fowl made the noise that it normally makes sometime before dawn. Use the natural way in your language to describe this noise. For example:

a rooster called/cried

See how you translated the similar phrase in 14:30b.

© 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.

15:29a

And those who passed by: The clause those who passed by refers to people who by chance were walking by the place where Jesus was crucified. They did not come to watch the crucifixion on purpose.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

people who walked by
-or-
those who happened to pass/walk by the cross at that moment

heaped abuse on Him: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the English idiom heaped abuse on Him means “to speak evil of him.” An example of the words these people spoke against Jesus are given in 15:29c–30.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

insulted him (God’s Word)
-or-
said terrible things about Jesus (Contemporary English Version)

The form of the Greek verb for heaped abuse indicates that this action was repeated many times. Many people who walked by insulted Jesus. Consider using a verb form or another way in your language to indicate this. For example:

were insulting him
-or-
repeatedly insulted him

15:29b

shaking their heads and saying: The phrase shaking their heads describes a gesture that indicates that the people were insulting Jesus. When Jews shook their heads, they showed that they did not respect the person whom they were looking at or talking to.

If people in your culture will not understand the meaning of this gesture, you could:

• Translate it literally and include a footnote to explain the meaning. A sample footnote could be:

Jews “shook their heads” at a person to indicate that they considered that person very low/shameful and therefore did not respect them.

• Translate it in a way that makes the meaning clear. For example, the New Living Translation says:

shaking their heads in mockery

• Translate only the meaning and not the gesture. For example:

and said in mockery
-or-
and said with scorn/disrespect

General Comment on 15:29a–b

It may not be necessary or natural in your language to have two verbs of speaking, such as “insulted” (15:29a) and “said” (15:29b). These could be combined into one verb. Also the action “shaking their heads” (15:29b) could be placed either before or after the verb/verbs of speaking. For example, you could say:

Those who passed by shook their heads and insulted him, “So! You who are…”

15:29c–30

Aha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, come down from the cross and save Yourself!: The people passing by said this to mock Jesus. It is based on something that Jesus had previously said. What he said was probably misunderstood by most people (see John 2:19–22 and Mark 14:58–59). This is the sense of the mockery:

(a) You said you can do great miracles such as destroying the temple and rebuilding it in three days.

(b) If you can do that, then do this: come down from the cross and save yourself.

These people did not believe that Jesus could do either (a) or (b). They believed that his being on the cross was proof that he did not have power to do great miracles.

Translate this in a natural way in your language to show that they were mocking Jesus. It should be clear that the people did not believe that he could do what they were telling him to do.

15:29c–d

Aha!: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Aha is an exclamation that here expresses mocking or ridicule. If you have a word or expression in your language that expresses mocking or ridicule, consider using it here. If you do not have such a word, you could leave this word untranslated.

You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days: These words in Greek are spoken as a way to address Jesus. They are not a complete sentence in themselves but simply lead to the command to “come down….” It may be natural in your language to make this a separate sentence as a number of English versions have done. For example:

So you would destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days! (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
You were going to tear down the Temple and build it back up in three days! (Good News Bible)

It is implied here that Jesus had said or claimed he would do this. You may want to make this explicit in your language:

You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. (New Century Version)
-or-
So you’re the one who claimed you could tear down the temple and build it again in three days. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Didn’t you say that you would destroy the temple and build it in three days?

temple: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as temple here refers to the main temple building. The main building was the holiest part of the temple. It was the part where God was present in a special way.

Here are some other ways to translate the word temple:

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

house/building of God
-or-
house/place where God dwells
-or-
house/place where God is
-or-
holy/sacred house

• If your language has a word for “temple,” consider using it. But you may need to modify it. For example:

temple of the Lord

Be sure to use a different term from the one you have chosen for “synagogue.” There was only one temple, but there were many synagogues throughout the land of Israel where the Jews met regularly for worship.

See how you translated this term in 14:58b, where the same word occurs. See also temple, Meaning 2, in the Glossary for more information.

rebuild it: The temple had already been built when Jesus made this statement. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

build it again
-or-
put it back together again

in three days: The phrase in three days refers to how much time it would take Jesus to rebuild the temple. It does not mean that he would wait three days and then begin rebuilding the temple. Nor does it mean that he would wait three days and then rebuild it in an instant. See how you translated this at 14:58c.

© 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.

16:15–18

In these verses Jesus spoke to his disciples. In some languages it may be more natural to use indirect quotes for his words. See the General Comment on 16:15–18 at the end of the notes on 16:18c for an example.

16:15a

He said to them: The words He said to them introduce important instructions that Jesus gave his disciples. You may need to make it clear in your translation that 16:15–18 is not part of Jesus’ rebuke. For example:

And then he told them (New Living Translation)
-or-
But after that he said to them

16:15b–c

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature: The command in 16:15b–c is often called “the Great Commission.” It indicates that Jesus wanted his disciples to preach the good news to everyone in every place in the world.

into all the world…to every creature: The expressions into all the world and to every creature have similar meanings. The Greek text uses two similar words that are translated as all and every in the Berean Standard Bible. This repetition emphasizes that Jesus wanted everyone in the whole world to hear the good news. Emphasize this in a way that is natural in your language.

into all the world: In this context the expression into all the world means “to every place” or “everywhere” in the world.

preach: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as preach means to publicly tell people something important. In Mark, it usually refers to speaking about God and his kingdom to a group or crowd of people. The word should not only refer to what a preacher does in church.

Here are some other ways to translate preach:

announce
-or-
proclaim
-or-
tell people

See how you translated this word in 1:38b and 14:9b.

the gospel: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as the gospel is the same word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “gospel” in 1:1. In Mark, this word refers to the good news about Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

good/sweet news
-or-
good news about Jesus Christ
-or-
good news from God
-or-
message/report that causes joy

Be sure that the term you choose does not refer only to a news report or to a story that is not true.

See how you translated this term in 1:1. In 14:9b, the Berean Standard Bible translates this same term as the “gospel.”

to every creature: The expression every creature is a figure of speech that refers to all of mankind. It does not include other animals or plants.

Here are some other ways it has been translated:

everyone (New Living Translation)
-or-
all people (Good News Bible)

© 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.

1:17a

Come, follow Me: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Come, follow Me is literally “Come after me.” Jesus said this to invite Simon and Andrew to go with him and become his disciples. Jesus did not simply want them to walk along behind him. He wanted them to be with him and learn from him. In some languages you may need to indicate this explicitly. For example:

Come, be my disciples (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

See disciple in the Glossary for information on how to translate it.

Jesus said: The Berean Standard Bible has placed the phrase Jesus said in the middle of what Jesus was saying. In the Greek text it comes before Jesus’ words. In some languages, the phrase Jesus said would occur after his words in 1:17b. You should place this phrase wherever it is most natural in your language.

1:17b

I will make you fishers of men: This statement is a figure of speech. It indicates that Jesus would train the disciples to gain people for the kingdom of God. This work of gaining people contrasted with their work of gaining fish.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

I will teach you how to catch people instead of fish. (God’s Word)
-or-
I will show you how to fish for people! (New Living Translation)

In some languages an expression like “catch people” may imply a wrong meaning. It may imply that they were going to gather people to do forced labor or that they were going to catch criminals. In other languages it may not be possible to use a phrase like “fish for people.”

If that is true in your language, here are some other ways to translate it:

I will teach you how to bring in people instead of fish (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
You have been gaining fish, but now I will show you how to gain people to believe in me.
-or-
Your work has been to catch fish. But now I will teach you to do the work of bringing people to me.

If a literal translation of 1:17b is well known in a major language version in your area, you may want to mention this literal wording in a footnote. For example:

Here is a more literal translation of these words: “I will teach you to fish for people.”

make you: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as make you is literally “make you to become.” It means “teach or train you” to do a different kind of work. It does not imply that Jesus would force them to change their work.

men: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as men refers to people in general. It does not refer only to males.

General Comment on 1:17a–b

In some languages it may be more natural to reorder the parts of 1:17a–b. For example:

17aHe said to them, “17bUntil now your(dual) work has been to catch fish. 17aCome(dual) with me and become(dual) my disciples 17band then I will teach you(dual) to do the work of persuading people to believe in me.”

© 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.

2:7a–c

Each part of this verse expresses something that the religious leaders were thinking.

2:7a

Why does this man speak like this?: This is a rhetorical question that the teachers of the law were asking in their minds. It expresses their disapproval of what Jesus had said. There are two ways to express this rhetorical question:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Why would he say such a thing? (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
How does he dare talk like this? (Good News Bible)

• As a statement. For example:

This man/fellow should not say that!

Use a natural form in your language to express surprise and disapproval. Translate in a way that would not imply that the question was spoken out loud.

this man: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as this man indicates that the teachers of the law felt disrespect or even contempt for Jesus.

speak like this: The words speak like this refer to Jesus’ words to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven.”

2:7b

blaspheming: The Greek word the Berean Standard Bible translates as blaspheming often means “speaking against God” or “dishonoring God in a serious way.” In this context it refers to claiming to do something that only God had the authority to do. So the New Century Version says:

speaking as if he were God (New Century Version)

2:7c

Who can forgive sins but God alone?: This is a rhetorical question. The teachers of the law believed that God is the only one who has authority to forgive sins. They used the rhetorical question to express this belief in a very emphatic way. There are two ways to translate this rhetorical question:

• As a question. For example:

Doesn’t he know that only God can forgive sins?

• As an emphatic statement:

No one except God can forgive sins!
-or-
Only God can forgive sins. (New Century Version)
-or-
Jesus is just a man. He cannot forgive sins. Only God can forgive sins.

Use whichever form is most natural in your language to emphasize a belief. Do not imply that the teachers of the law were speaking aloud.

forgive: In this context the word forgive refers to canceling sins so that a person will not be punished for them. It is another form of the same word that was used in 2:5c. You should translate in a similar way here.

sins: See the note on 2:5c.

God: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as God refers here to the eternal spirit who created everything. He is more powerful than any other spirit, and he is perfectly good and wise. He deserves to be worshipped. Here are some ways to translate God:

• Use a name or title for God that people in your culture already use.

• Use a descriptive term that fits the truth about God that is revealed in the Bible. For example:

Creator
-or-
Great Spirit
-or-
Ruler of the universe

See how you translated God in 1:1. For more detailed information, see God in the Glossary.

General Comment on 2:7a–c

In some languages it may be more natural to express the parts of this verse in a different order. For example:

7aIt is blasphemy for a person 7bto say that a man’s sins are forgiven! 7cNo one can forgive a person’s sins except God.
-or-
7cNo one can forgive a person’s sins except God. 7bThis person is blaspheming 7aby saying that the paralytic’s sins are forgiven.
-or-
7cGod can forgive sins, but a person cannot. 7aWhen this man says he forgives the paralytic man’s sins, 7bhe is blaspheming against God.

© 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.

3:12a

But: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible here translates as But is a simple connector that is often translated as “and” (as in the Revised Standard Version). Here this word introduces what Jesus said to the unclean spirits. Jesus’ reaction was unexpected, so some English versions here translate this conjunction as But. Other versions do not translate this word here. You should connect 3:11 and 3:12 in a way that is natural in your language.

He warned them sternly: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as He warned them sternly is literally “he rebuked them much.”

Here are some other ways to translate this:

Jesus strongly warned them (New Century Version)
-or-
he sternly ordered them (NET Bible)
-or-
he insisted that they… (Revised English Bible)

3:12b

not to make Him known: The clause not to make Him known is an indirect command. Jesus was commanding the unclean spirits not to tell people that he was the Son of God.

If people will incorrectly think that Jesus was saying that he was not the Son of God, then you should add a footnote. A possible footnote is:

When Jesus ordered the demons to stop saying that he was the Son of God, this does not mean that Jesus was not the Son of God. He was. However, he did not want it announced in that way or at that time.

make Him known: The phrase make Him known refers to revealing the fact that Jesus was the Son of God.

General Comment on 3:12a–b

The clause make Him known in 3:12b is an indirect quotation. In some languages a direct command is more natural. For example:

12aBut Jesus commanded the evil spirits, 12b“Do not tell people who I am.”

© 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.