Translation commentary on Mark 13:25

Text:

Instead of ek tou ouranou ‘from heaven’ of all modern editions of the Greek text, Textus Receptus has tou ouranou ‘of heaven.’

Exegesis:

hoi asteres (only here in Mark) ‘the stars.’

esontai … piptontes ‘shall be falling’: the verbal phrase is perhaps linear, denoting a succession of stars falling from heaven.

piptō (cf. 4.4) ‘fall.’

hai dunameis hai en tois ouranois ‘the powers which are in the heavens’: in accordance with Hebrew parallelism, these heavenly ‘powers’ may be simply the stars themselves, this second clause being synonymous with the first (as is probably the case in Isa. 34.4, whose language is reflected in this passage in Mark); or these ‘powers’ might be the evil spirits which, in Jewish thought, were supposed to rule the heavenly bodies. For the attributive phrase hai en tois ouranois ‘the ones in the heavens’ cf. a similar instance in 11.25.

saleuthēsontai (only here in Mark) ‘they shall be shaken’: i.e. they will be driven out of their normal course.

Translation:

It must be noted that the differences of exegesis (and exposition) of this passage (verses 24-25) may be quite pronounced, for though some persons believe that this description refers to extraordinary astronomical phenomena, others are certain that this description applies not to celestial bodies but to the collapse of earthly governments, which are often described in apocalyptic literature by these figures of speech. However, regardless of the ultimate exposition of the passage, the translation should preserve the wording as closely as possible, leaving this wider interpretation to commentaries.

Heaven is best translated as ‘sky,’ if the language in question distinguishes between words for ‘sky’ and ‘heaven’ (as the abode of God).

Powers in the heavens is translatable in some languages as the ‘authorities in the sky.’ One must avoid implying that God’s own authority is to be shaken by translating heavens as ‘the abode of God.’ However, ‘authorities’ (or ‘powers’) is not very meaningful even at best, since this type of expression is quite alien to the concepts of most people. In Navajo an alternative expression ‘that which holds things firm in the sky’ has been employed, but this is a phrase which would imply literal rearrangement of heavenly bodies.

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 13:25

13:25a

the stars will fall from the sky: The clause the stars will fall from the sky indicates that the stars will fall out of their positions in the sky. It is not clear whether they will fall all the way to the earth.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

The stars will fall out of the sky
-or-
The stars will fall from their positions in the sky

In some languages it may be unnaturally redundant to say that stars fall from the sky. If that is true in your language, you may make the phrase from the sky implicit. For example:

The stars will fall

13:25b

and the powers of the heavens: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as powers of the heavens is probably a poetic way to refer to the stars and other lights in the sky. It may also refer figuratively to spiritual forces that controlled the stars and other heavenly lights. These forces include Satan and his evil spirits. (This interpretation is mentioned as a possibility by UBS Handbook (page 414), TRT (page 180), and others. Greek writers sometimes referred to these lights as the “armies” or “powers” of the heavens. Other scholars understand “powers in the heavens” to refer to the stars as the armies of heaven. Still others, including Edwards (page 402), speak of the other heavenly bodies as being included.)

In most languages it will not be possible to find an expression that refers both to stars and to powerful beings in the sky. If that is true in your language, you may use an expression that refers to the stars or to all the lights in the sky. You may also want to add a footnote that gives the figurative meaning along with an explanation. For example:

Literally, the “powers” or “armies” in the sky. This phrase probably refers figuratively to the stars and other lights in the sky. It may also refer to evil spirits. Many people thought that evil spirits controlled the stars.

heavens: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as heavens means “in the sky.” This is the same Greek word as the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “sky” in 13:25a. It does not refer to heaven where God lives. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:

in the sky

See also heaven, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.

will be shaken: The phrase will be shaken means “will be shaken violently/strongly,” so that they fall from their positions.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

will be driven from their courses (Good News Bible)

The verb is passive. In some languages it may not be natural to use a passive verb here. If that is true in your language, here are some options to consider:

• Choose a verb that does not need to indicate an actor. For example:

will move/shift chaotically

• Use an impersonal expression. For example:

something will force [the heavenly bodies] from their normal places

• Supply God as the actor. This option should only be used if it is necessary. For example:

and God will violently shake all these things in the sky

Paragraph 13:26–27

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