serve

The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated in English as “serve,” “minister,” “walk with,” or “service” is translated in Igede as myị ẹrụ or “agree with message (of the one you’re serving).” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

In Quetzaltepec Mixe, “serve” is translated as “obey.” (Source: Robert Bascom)

Mark 1:29-34 in Mexican Sign Language

Following is the translation of Mark 1:29-34 into Mexican Sign Language with back-translations into Spanish and English underneath:


© La Biblia en LSM / La Palabra de Dios

Retrotraducciones en español (haga clic o pulse aquí)

Cuando terminaron en el templo, Simón y Andrés fueron a su casa acompañados por Jesús, Jacobo y Juan.

La gente dijo a Jesús que la suegra de Simón estaba inferma con fievre, acostada en la cama.

Jesús caminó hacia ella y vio la mujer acostada, la tomó de las manos y la mujer acostada se levantó y estaba sana, aliviada, y empezó atenderlos y tratarlos.

Después en la noche todas las personas del pueblo con diferentes enfermedades y personas que tenían adentro demonios fueron llevados a la casa por la gente.

Jesús salió y vio las personas enfermas y puso las manos sobre uno y sanó, se alivió, puso las manos sobre otro y sanó, y siguió poniendo las manos sobre ellos.

Jesús vio las personas que tenían demonios (y pensó): Me conocen, mejor antes expulsar a todos. Y los demonios se asustaban y salían de las personas y se iban.


When they were done in the religious building Simon and Andrew went to their house accompanied by Jesus, James and John.

The people told Jesus that the mother-in-law of Simon was ill, she was lying in bed with a fever.

Jesus walked over and saw the woman lying down, he took her by the hand and the woman lying down got up and was well, healthy, and she started attending to them and caring for them.

Afterwards, at night all the people in the village with different illnesses and people that had demons inside them were all taken over to the house by people.

Jesus came out and looked around at the ill people and he layed his hands on one and he got healed, he lay his hands on another and he got healed, and he kept laying his hands on people.

Jesus saw the people that had demons inside (and he thought): They know me, better throw them out beforehand. And the demons took fright and went out of the people and left.

Source: La Biblia en LSM / La Palabra de Dios

<< Mark 1:21b-28 in Mexican Sign Language
Mark 1:35-39 in Mexican Sign Language >>

complete verse (Mark 1:31)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 1:31:

  • Uma: “From there, he went to her sleeping-place, he held her hand, and he helped-her-get-up. She immediately got well, and she served them.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Isa went there and took the hand of the woman and caused her to get up. So-then she was already healed. Then she got up and they were fed by her.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Jesus went to her and took her by the hand and caused her to get up, and immediately the fever left, and she cooked a meal for Jesus and company.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then Jesus approached her, and took-her-hand to help her to get-up. Right-then her fever was-removed, and she fed them.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Jesus approached that woman, took hold of (her) hand and sat her up. The fever of that woman immediately dropped and she prepared-food to set-a-meal for Jesus and company.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “Then Jesus having neared her. raised her up, having hand-grasped her. Just then, having left the fever, she made them eat.” (Source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Balinese: “Jesus then approached her, took her hand and made her rise up; verily, did the fever leave her, after which she served the people there.” (Source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
  • English translation by Michael Pakaluk (2019): “And so, going to her, he raised her up by taking her hand. Well, the fever left her. So she began taking care of them.”

Scriptures Plain & Simple (Mark 1:29-39)

Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Mark 1:29-39:

At the conclusion of the synagogue service,
Jesus left with James and John
       for the home of the brothers Peter and Andrew.
When Jesus arrived, he learned
       Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever.

As soon as Jesus helped her up by her hand, the fever left,
       and she prepared a meal for her guests.

That evening after sunset,
everyone sick or demon-possessed was brought to Jesus,
       until the front door was swamped with people.

Jesus healed all kinds of horrible diseases
and forced out many demons —
       they recognized him, but he refused to let them speak.

Very early the next morning, Jesus slipped away
       to a place where he could be alone.
But Peter and the others kept looking
until at last they found him and said,
       “Everyone’s looking for you!”

“Let’s go to the nearby towns,” replied Jesus.
       “That’s why I’ve come.”

So they traveled to every synagogue in Galilee,
       with Jesus teaching and forcing out demons.

Translation commentary on Mark 1:31

Text:

With considerable mss. support Textus Receptus, Vogels, Soden and Kilpatrick have eutheōs ‘immediately’ after ho puretos ‘the fever,’ a reading rejected by the majority of modern editions of the Greek text.

Exegesis:

proselthōn ēgeiren autēn kratēsas tēs cheiros ‘approaching he raised her by (means of) seizing (her by) her hand,’ i.e. “he came near, grasped her hand and raised her.”

proserchomai (6.35; 10.2; 12.28; 14.35, 45) ‘approach,’ ‘come to,’ ‘draw near’: the precise application here is a matter of discussion, the majority taking it to mean ‘approaching the patient’ (cf. Swete); Lagrange, however, takes it to mean ‘entering the room.’

egeirō ‘rise,’ ‘raise’ appears in Mark 19 times: (1) without an object, ‘rise,’ ‘arise’ from a recumbent or sitting position, 3.3; 10.49; from sleep, 4.27 (cf. diegertheis in 4.39); 14.42; from illness, 2.9, 11, 12; from death, 5.41 (cf. Exegesis of 5.39); 6.14, 16; 12.26; 14.28; 16.6, 14; figuratively ‘rise up,’ ‘appear,’ 13.8, 22; (2) with an object, ‘raise,’ ‘arouse,’ ‘lift up’ from sleep, 4.38; from illness, 1.31; 9.27.

krateō ‘grasp,’ ‘seize,’ ‘lay hold (of)’: the verb is used in three ways in Mark: (1) ‘seize,’ ‘grasp’ with the genitive (as here): 1.31; 5.41; 9.27; (2) ‘take hold of,’ ‘dominate,’ ‘subdue,’ ‘arrest’ with the accusative: 3.21; 6.17; 12.12; 14.1, 44, 46, 49, 51; and (3) ‘hold on (to),’ ‘retain,’ ‘observe’ with the accusative: 7.3, 4, 8; 9.10.

diēkonei (cf. v. 13) ‘she served’: the subject is penthera ‘mother-in-law.’

Translation:

Came is probably best taken in the sense of ‘came to where she was.’

Lifted her up must be carefully translated, for some languages make quite fine distinctions, e.g. ‘raise from a reclining position to a sitting one,’ ‘raise from a sitting position to a standing one,’ and ‘lift entirely off the ground.’ (In more than one translation examined this last meaning has been employed, much to the amazement of the readers.) Obviously the first meaning is here most appropriate.

A fever may leave us, but in other languages a patient may ‘leave the fever’ (Shipibo-Conibo) or ‘become cool’ (Huichol), or ‘the heat may be driven out’ (Southern Bobo Madaré).

She served them may be rendered as ‘she gave them food to eat,’ ‘she took care of their needs,’ or ‘she worked for them’ (Kpelle).

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 .