Translation commentary on Mark 14:42

Exegesis:

egeiresthe (cf. 1.31) ‘rise,’ ‘get up,’ ‘rouse yourselves.’

agōmen (cf. 1.38) ‘let us go’: not in the sense of running away, but of meeting the approaching group.

ho paradidous me ‘he who delivers me’ (for the verb paradidōmi used with reference to Judas Iscariot cf. v. 10).

ēggiken (cf. 1.15) ‘has come,’ ‘is here’: the meaning ‘is near,’ ‘is at hand’ would not seem to fit the context quite so well as ‘has arrived,’ since the following verse states that while Jesus was still speaking Judas arrived.

Translation:

My betrayer consists of an object-action relationship, not a possessor-object relationship as might be assumed from the use of the so-called possessive pronoun my. Accordingly, one must usually translate this as ‘the one who is going to betray me.’

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 14:42

14:42a

Rise: In this context the word Rise is a command that means “stand up” or “get up.” Jesus said this to the disciples.

let us go: In this context the words let us go are a command that means, “let us go to meet them.” It does not mean, “let us flee” or “let us run away.” Jesus intended that he and his disciples would go and meet Judas and the temple guards who were coming to arrest him.

14:42b

In Greek this part of the verse begins with the same word that the Berean Standard Bible translated as “Look” in 14:41e. Here the Berean Standard Bible has chosen to translate it as See. Here the word indicates again that Jesus wanted the disciples to give their attention to what he would tell them.

See how you translated this word in 14:41e.

See, My betrayer is approaching!”: The clause My betrayer is approaching! indicates that the person who would betray Jesus was already nearby.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

Look! My betrayer is approaching! (NET Bible)
-or-
Look, here comes the man who has turned against me. (New Century Version)
-or-
See, my betrayer is here! (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

My betrayer: Here are some other ways to translate My betrayer:

the one who betrays me
-or-
the person who will give me to my enemies
-or-
the one who will cause me to be captured

Translate My betrayer in a way similar to how you translated “betrayed” in 14:41e.

General Comment on 14:42a–b

In some languages it may be more natural to reorder 14:42a and 14:42b. For example:

42bLook, the one who is giving me into the hands of people in order that they kill me is coming. 42aStand up! Let’s go meet him.

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