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Translation commentary on Mark 16:19
Text:
Iēsous ‘Jesus’ is omitted by Textus Receptus, Tischendorf, and Kilpatrick, but included by the great majority of modern editions of the Greek text.
Exegesis:
ho … kurios Iēsous ‘the Lord Jesus’: this phrase is not found in the Gospels (except, perhaps, in Lk. 24.3), and ho kurios ‘the Lord’ is not used of Jesus in the Marca historical narrative (unless it be at 11.3, which see; cf. 1.3).
meta to lalēsai autois ‘after speaking to them’: for the use of meta with the infinitive cf. Mk. 1.14.
anelēmphthē (not in Mark) ‘he was taken up.’
ekathisen ek dexiōn tou theou ‘he sat at the right hand of God’: the language is from Ps. 110.1, which is quoted in Mk. 12.36.
Translation:
In some languages the construction the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them is not possible. One must incorporate the subject ‘the Lord Jesus’ within the dependent clause, ‘after the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken….’
Was taken up must be changed into an active construction in some languages, in which case ‘God’ may be used as a subject. However, ‘taken up’ should not be translated in such a way as to imply ‘yanked up’ or ‘hauled up,’ as in some translations. ‘Caused to go up’ or ‘caused to go up and received’ may be employed in some instances.
The right hand may be ‘the right side,’ or as in some languages ‘the side of power’ or ‘the side of strength.’
For Lord see 1.3.
In order that them may not be understood as ‘the sick’ of the preceding verse, it may be necessary to substitute ‘disciples.’
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 16:19
Section 16:19–20
Jesus was lifted up into heaven
This section describes how Jesus went back to heaven. This event is often called “the Ascension of Jesus.” The concluding statement informs readers that the disciples did as Jesus instructed them to do in 16:15–18.
It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
Jesus Is Taken up to Heaven (Good News Bible)
-or-
The Ascension of Jesus (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Jesus went up to heaven
There are parallel passages for this section in Luke 24:50–53 and Acts 1:9–11.
Paragraph 16:19–20
16:19a
After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them: The clause After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them introduces the final event in the Longer Ending of Mark’s Gospel. This event happened some time after Jesus said the things in 16:15–18 to his disciples. The Contemporary English Version has another way to translate this:
After the Lord Jesus had said these things to the disciples (Contemporary English Version)
After: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as After is the same word that it translates as “After” in 16:12a. See how you translated it there.
the Lord Jesus: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Lord means “master,” or “one who has authority over others.” The Greek text often uses this same word to translate the personal name of God in Hebrew.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
Master Jesus
-or-
Chief Jesus
-or-
Sovereign Jesus
In some languages it may be necessary to add a word to indicate whose Lord or Chief is referred to. If that is true in your language, you can add a word like “our.” Although not everyone serves Jesus as Lord, he is master over everyone, so you can use an inclusive form. For example:
our Chief Jesus
See Lord, Context 2, in the Glossary.
had spoken: In this context the words had spoken refer specifically to the things that Jesus said in 16:15–18.
to them: The pronoun them refers to Jesus’ disciples.
16:19b
He was taken up into heaven: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as was taken up means here “lifted up and carried.” The verb is passive, and God is the implied subject. God lifted the Lord Jesus and carried him into heaven. Your translation should not imply that God forcefully took Jesus against his will.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
he was carried up to heaven (New Century Version)
-or-
he was lifted up into heaven
-or-
God received him into heaven.
-or-
God raised him up to heaven.
Acts 1:9 indicates that the disciples watched the Lord Jesus go into the sky until a cloud covered him. God took him all the way into heaven to sit at God’s right hand (16:19c).
In some languages it may be necessary to use both a term for sky and a term for heaven, because Jesus was carried through the sky and also into heaven. For example:
God lifted Jesus up into the sky and carried him to heaven.
See how you translated the word heaven in 10:21d and 12:25c. See also heaven, Meaning 2, in the Glossary.
See how the Berean Standard Bible translates the similar Greek clause in Luke 24:51. The Greek verbs are different in the two passages, but the meaning is the same.
16:19c
sat down at the right hand of God: The phrase at the right hand of God refers to the place of special honor next to God. In the culture at that time, the king or person having the greatest authority sat on a throne. The person with the next greatest authority and power after the king sat at the king’s right hand.
In many languages you may need to make the meaning of sat down at the right hand more explicit. For example:
sat in the place of special honor/authority at God’s right hand
See how you translated this idea in 12:36c and 14:62b.
at the right hand: The expression at the right hand means on the right side of someone, that is, to that person’s right.
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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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