Translation commentary on Mark 10:44

Exegesis:

prōtos (cf. 6.21) ‘first’: as in 9.35 and 10.31 the word indicates rank.

doulos (12.2, 4; 13.34; 14.47) ‘slave,’ ‘bond-slave’ (as distinguished from diakonos ‘servant’ and misthōtos (1.20) ‘hired man.’

Translation:

For translations of first see 10.31 and 9.35. In this context, however, first, in the sense of the first in a line, may not be applicable, for in this passage ‘strongest to command’ may be a closer correspondence in meaning.

Where a term for slaves is not known, there are sometimes different grades of servants. For example, among the Tzotzil a servidor (borrowed from Spanish) is ‘one who works for hire,’ but a mozo (likewise from Spanish) is one who is working off a debt, and for all practical purposes is a slave, for the chances of his ever paying off the debt are rather remote, unless he can obtain some legal help.

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 10:44

10:44

and: In most English versions, the parallel clauses in 10:43b and 10:44 are joined with the word and. In some languages a word like and may not be appropriate to join two statements with very similar meanings. Connect these statements in a natural way in your language.

Here are some other connectors that could be used here:

yes
-or-
indeed
-or-
in fact

whoever wants to be first: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as first here means “the leader of all the others.” It is a more emphatic term than the word that is translated as “great” in 10:43b.

must be the slave of all: Jesus was saying that a disciple who wants to be the leader must serve all the others like a slave. He did not mean that his disciples should literally become slaves. But they should have a humble attitude and be willing to serve others as slaves do.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

must be like a servant for everyone
-or-
must serve all his companions

slave: The word slave refers to someone who was owned by another person. He worked for his owner/master without receiving pay. He had no rights of his own (or very few rights).

In some cultures, slaves may not be known. In other cultures, the word for slave may imply different customs than in biblical culture. If that is true in your language, some ways to translate this are:

person who belonged to someone else
-or-
owned person
-or-
person who serves someone
-or-
worker/servant

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