Translation commentary on Mark 14:37

Exegesis:

For the same combination of the three verbs erchesthai … heuriskein … katheudein ‘come … find … sleep’ cf. 13.36 and 14.40.

ouch ischusas…; ‘were you not able…?’ ‘could you not…?’: either (as Revised Standard Version) ‘be able’ (as in 9.18), or, literally ‘have the strength’ (as in 5.4), which Taylor prefers.

ischuō (cf. 2.17) ‘be strong,’ ‘be able.’

mian hōran ‘one hour’: here a period of time. Perhaps the sense is ‘even (as little as) one hour?’

grēgorēsai (cf. 13.34) ‘to watch,’ ‘to stay alert,’ ‘to keep awake.’

Translation:

Since the perspective of the previous section has been the activity of Jesus, it may be necessary to translate came as ‘went back.’

Said may require rendering by ‘asked.’

For watch see verse 34.

Where there is no equivalent for hour in the strict sense of a precise period of time, one can often translate as ‘for even a short period of time’ or ‘for even a while.’

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 14:37

14:37a

Then Jesus returned: The text implies here that Jesus returned to the group of three disciples, that is, to Peter, James, and John. Refer back to them in a natural way in your language. For example:

After that, Jesus returned to his three already mentioned disciples

14:37b

and found them sleeping: The phrase and found them sleeping indicates that Jesus saw that they were sleeping. It does not indicate that the disciples had been lost and Jesus found them.

14:37c

In Greek this verse part begins with the common conjunction that is often translated as “and.” Here it introduces what Jesus said when he saw that the disciples were sleeping. Introduce it in a natural way in your language.

“Simon, are you asleep?” He asked: Jesus addresses Peter here as Simon. (Peter’s sleeping showed that he was not acting according to his name, “Peter, the Rock.”) In some languages it may cause confusion to use two different names like this for the same person. If that is true in your language, you can use both names to introduce the quote. For example:

He said to Simon Peter, “Simon…”

are you asleep?”: This is a rhetorical question. Jesus knew that Peter had been sleeping, and he asked him this question as a mild rebuke. Jesus wanted Peter to realize that he should not have been asleep; he needed to wake up. There are at least three ways to translate this rebuke:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Why are you sleeping?
-or-
How could you be sleeping now?

• As a statement. For example:

You should not be sleeping.

• As an exclamation. For example:

Oh, you are sleeping!

Express this mild rebuke in a way that is natural in your language. If you translate it as an exclamation, introduce it with a verb that is appropriate for the context. For example:

He exclaimed: “Oh, you are sleeping!”

asked: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as asked is more literally “said.” The Berean Standard Bible translates the verb as asked here because it introduces a rhetorical question. When you decide how to translate the rhetorical question, choose an appropriate verb in your language to introduce it.

14:37d

Were you not able to keep watch for one hour?: This is a rhetorical question. Jesus asked this question to rebuke Peter more emphatically. He rebuked him because he did not stay awake and pray for even one hour. There are at least three ways to translate this rebuke:

• As a rhetorical question. For example, the Good News Bible has:

Weren’t you able to stay awake for even one hour?

• As a statement. For example:

You should have been able to stay awake for one hour.
-or-
I’m surprised/disappointed that you weren’t able to stay alert for even a short time. (Translator’s Reference Translation)

• As an exclamation. For example:

You(sing) could not stay awake for even one hour!

Use whichever form is most natural to express this rebuke in your language. Remember that this rebuke should be more emphatic in your language than the rebuke “Are you asleep?” in 14:37c.

Were you not able: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Were you not able is literally “Do you not have the strength…?” In this context the phrase does not refer to physical strength but to strength of character or will. Most English versions translate it as “Could you not…?” or “Were you not able to…?” Express the idea in a natural way in your language.

keep watch: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as keep watch is also translated as “stay awake” by some English versions. The Greek word has both meanings. This word is also used in 14:34b and 14:38a. In some languages it may be helpful to use two expressions. For example:

stay awake and alert

one hour: The phrase one hour can refer to a literal hour or to a short period of time. Here it probably refers to a literal hour as an example of a short period of time. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

Can you(sing) not stay awake and watch for a little while, even for only one hour?

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