Translation commentary on Mark 10:3

Exegesis:

eneteilato (13.34) ‘he commanded,’ ‘ordered.’ Freely translated, the meaning of the question is: “What commandment (entolē) did Moses give you?”

Translation:

Answered may be easily mistranslated in languages which require certain types of verbs introducing direct discourse. What follows is of course a question, even though it is given in response to another question. Accordingly, in some languages this must be adapted as ‘he asked them in turn.’

Command may be rendered as ‘tell you to do’ or ‘order you to do.’ Often some complimentary verb must be added, for Moses was not actually commanding the people but enjoining a particular order upon them.

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 .

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 10:3

10:3

What did Moses command you?: This is the sort of question a teacher might ask a student. Jesus already knew the answer, but he wanted the Pharisees to tell him what they knew. He was asking them to tell him what commands/laws about divorce were in the first five books of the Old Testament scriptures. These are the books that Moses wrote.

The Good News Bible shows another way to translate this:

What law did Moses give you?

you: When Jesus used the word you here, he was referring to you Jewish people. Although Moses wrote down God’s laws many centuries earlier, these laws also applied to the Jews of Jesus’ generation. In some languages, using the word “you” may wrongly imply that Moses literally gave a command to the Pharisees. It may also wrongly imply that Jesus was not a Jew.

In order to avoid these wrong meanings, Here are some other ways to translate this question:

What does the Law of Moses say about that? (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
What did Moses command us(incl) Jews long ago?

He replied: The Berean Standard Bible places the words He replied after Jesus’ question. In Greek, these words occur before the question. Place the words He replied where it is natural in your language.

Jesus did not answer the Pharisees’ question here. Instead he asked them about what the Scriptures said. It may be more natural in your language to indicate that he asked a question in reply. For example:

In response he asked, “What did Moses command you?”
-or-
Jesus answered with a question, “What law did Moses give you?” (Good News Bible)

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