Translation commentary on Mark 15:9

Exegesis:

thelete apolusō…; ‘do you want (that) I should release…?,’ ‘do you want me to release…?’: for another example of this construction see 10.36.

humin ‘for you,’ i.e. in accordance with their request (v. 8).

ton basilea tōn Ioudaiōn (cf. v. 2) ‘the King of the Jews.’

Translation:

Answered is in some languages rendered as ‘asked them in return,’ since a question follows.

For release see Mark 15.6, and for King see Mark 15.2.

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 15:9

15:9

Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?: This is a real question.

Here are some other ways to translate this question:

Would you like me to release for you the king of the Jews?
-or-
Do you want me to free the king of the Jews for you? (God’s Word)

to you: The phrase to you means “for you” in the sense of “as a favor to you” or “to benefit you.” The Good News Bible has:

Do you want me to set free for you the king of the Jews?

In some languages it may be more natural to leave this phrase implied. For example, the Revised English Bible says:

Would you like me to release the king of the Jews?

the King of the Jews: The phrase the King of the Jews is the title Pilate had used to refer to Jesus in 15:2a. You should translate this title here as you did there.

Pilate asked: The Berean Standard Bible puts the phrase Pilate asked after the question. In Greek, this phrase occurs before the question. You should place this phrase where it is most natural in your language.

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