word / command (of God) (Japanese honorifics)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-kotoba (みことば) or “word (of God)” in the referenced verses.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Honorary "are" construct denoting God ("do/reckon")

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, s-are-ru (される) or “do/reckon” is used.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Sung version of Mark 16

Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).

For more information, see here .

Translation commentary on Mark 16:20

Text:

Amēn ‘Amen’ is included by Textus Receptus, Souter (and Revised Standard Version), but omitted by the great majority of modern editions of the Greek text.

Exegesis:

ekeinoi (cf. v. 11) ‘they,’ i.e. the disciples.

exelthontes ‘going out,’ ‘leaving’: presumably, from Jerusalem.

pantachou (cf. Mk. 1.28) ‘everywhere.’

tou kuriou sunergountos kai … bebaiountos ‘as the Lord worked with (them) and confirmed’: ‘the Lord’ here refers to the ascended and reigning Lord Jesus.

sunergeō (not in Mark) ‘work with,’ ‘cooperate.’

bebaioō (not in Mark) ‘make firm,’ ‘establish,’ ‘confirm.’

ton logon (cf. Mk. 2.2) ‘the (Christian) message,’ ‘the Word.’

dia tōn epakolouthountōn sēmeiōn ‘by means of the accompanying signs’: for sēmeia ‘signs’ cf. v. 17. It is to be presumed that the signs referred to here are those described in vv. 17-18.

epakoloutheō (not in Mark) ‘follow after’: it is probable that the force of the verb here is ‘authenticate,’ a meaning which has been found in the papyri. The signs not only accompanied the preaching of the message, but authenticated it. Cf. Moffatt, ‘by the miracles that endorsed it.’

Translation:

They can usually be translated by a pronoun if in the preceding verse the noun ‘disciples’ has been employed.

For preached see 1.4 and for signs see 8.11.

While is used in a somewhat unusual manner in this verse, for the meaning is not that they preached merely while the Lord was working. Rather, while implies ‘and at the same time,’ a rendering which must be employed in a number of languages.

Worked with them is in some languages equivalent to ‘helped them.’

Confirmed the message may be ‘made the message strong,’ or, as is more often the case, ‘showed that what they said was true.’ In Tzeltal this expression is idiomatically rendered as ‘the signs done by them became a mate for the words.’

There are difficulties in a literal translation of attended, for often people cannot speak of ‘signs attending’ anything. On the other hand, one may be able to say ‘by means of the signs which were shown at that time’ or ‘by the signs which God caused to be done then.’

Amen may be either transliterated (a very common practice) or translated into a form of expression which is closely parallel and customarily used in such contexts, e.g. ‘that is just the way it is’ (Huichol), ‘that’s it’ (Shilluk), ‘may it be thus’ (Tzeltal), or ‘and so it was.’

Another Old Ending: The shorter ending

The passage that follows is found after Mark 16.8 (and before the Longer Ending, except in the Old Latin manuscript k) in the following manuscripts: the Greek Uncial manuscripts (8th century), Ψ (8th or 9th century), 099 (7th century) and 0112 (7th century); the Greek Minuscule manuscripts 274 (marginal reading; 10th century) and 579 (13th century); the Old Latin manuscript k (4th or 5th century); in the margin of the Harclean Syriac version (7th century); and in several codices of the Sahidic, Bohairic and Ethiopic versions.

Unlike the Longer Ending, this one was written expressly to provide a suitable ending to the Gospel. It is dated in the 2nd century.

But they reported briefly to Peter and those with him all that they had been told.

Exegesis:

panta de ta parēggelmena ‘and all (things) that they had been ordered.’

paraggellō (cf. Mk. 6.8) ‘command,’ ‘order.’

tois peri ton Petron ‘to Peter and his companions’: for similar phrases cf. Mk. 4.10, Acts 13.13.

suntomōs (not in Mark) ‘briefly,’ ‘concisely’; Arndt & Gingrich prefer here the meaning ‘promptly,’ ‘readily.’

exēggeilan (not in Mark) ‘they reported,’ ‘they proclaimed.’

Translation:

They must refer to the women of 16.1, referred to by pronouns in verse 8.

Briefly may be translated as ‘with few words,’ but the likely meaning of ‘promptly’ would suggest a better rendering such as ‘right away,’ ‘soon,’ or ‘immediately.’

Had been told may be changed to an active form, e.g. ‘the young man had told them.’

And after this, Jesus himself sent out by means of them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.

Exegesis:

meta de tauta (not in Mark; cf. Longer Ending v. 12) ‘and after this.’

apo anatolēs kai achri duseōs ‘from the East as far as the West,’ i.e. ‘throughout the whole world’ (cf. the similar ‘the four winds’ in Mk. 13.27). See ‘from the east and west’ in Mt. 8.11//Lk. 13.29.

anatolē (not in Mark; cf. anatellō Mk. 4.6) ‘the rising (of the sun),’ ‘the East.’

achri (not in Mark) ‘as far as.’

dusmē (not in Mark) ‘the going down (of the sun),’ ‘the West.’

exapesteilen (not in Mark) ‘he sent out,’ ‘he sent forth.’

to hieron kai aphtharton kērugma ‘the sacred and incorruptible message.’

hieros (not in Mark; for the substantive to hieron ‘the Temple,’ cf. Mk. 11.11) ‘sacred,’ ‘holy.’

aphthartos (not in Mark) ‘incorruptible,’ i.e. ‘imperishable,’ ‘immortal.’

kērugma (not in Mark; cf. kērussō Mk. 1.4) ‘message,’ ‘proclamation.’

tēs aiōniou sōtērias ‘of the eternal salvation.’

aiōnios (cf. Mk. 3.29) ‘eternal.’

sōtēria (not in Mark) ‘salvation,’ ‘redemption.’

Translation:

By means of them must refer to the disciples, not to the women who are the subject of the preceding verse, and might be assumed to be the persons referred to here.

From east to west cannot be translated literally in most languages, for it would mean ‘starting from the east and going to the west.’ A more accurate rendering in most languages is ‘everywhere (or ‘all places’) both east and west.’

Sent out … the … proclamation is impossible in some languages, since only persons may be sent out ‘to proclaim words.’ An added problem occurs in this verse, namely, in the adjectives sacred and imperishable which are attributive to proclamation. The only manner in which this may be translated in some languages is ‘utter words which are holy and which never will fail.’

Of eternal salvation must be in an objective relationship to ‘proclamation’ or ‘word,’ e.g. ‘word about being saved.’ Salvation (see 10.26 for save) must quite often be rendered as a verb, e.g. ‘be saved,’ ‘be rescued,’ or ‘be restored to health,’ but the addition of the adjective eternal tends to create certain problems, since the meaning of eternal must be expressed by some adverbial expression, often a phrase, e.g. ‘being saved for ever’ or ‘being saved for time that will not end.’

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 16:20

16:20a

And they went out and preached everywhere: This part of the verse tells what the disciples did in response to the instructions that Jesus gave them in 16:15b–c. In 16:15 he told them to go everywhere and preach the good news, and in this verse they did that. Your translation of 16:20a should remind people of your translation of 16:15.

they: The pronoun they refers here to Jesus’ disciples to whom he gave the instructions in 16:15–18.

went out: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as went out is literally “having gone forth.” In this context it indicates that the disciples went to many places. It does not imply that the disciples were indoors at the time Jesus was speaking to them.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

went (Good News Bible)
-or-
left (Contemporary English Version)

preached: In some languages it may be necessary to indicate what the disciples preached. If that is true in your language, indicate that they preached the good news about Jesus. For example:

preached Jesus’ message
-or-
proclaimed the Good News

It may also be necessary in some languages to indicate who they preached to. For example, the New Century Version says:

told the Good News to people (New Century Version)

This same word occurs in 16:15b–c.

everywhere: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as everywhere is used figuratively here. It emphasizes that the disciples went to many places. It does not indicate that they went to literally every place in the world. You may need to connect this idea directly with the verb “went.” For example:

went to many places

16:20b

This part of the verse refers back to 16:15, where Jesus sent the disciples out to proclaim the good news.

the Lord: The title Lord in 16:20b refers back to “the Lord Jesus” in 16:19a.

worked through them: The phrase worked through them indicates that the Lord Jesus helped his disciples and gave them power to preach his word and to do the miraculous signs that he mentioned in 16:17–18. Although he was no longer present on earth as a human being, he worked through them by sending his Holy Spirit to help them (Acts 1:8).

Here are some other ways to translate this:

helped them (New Century Version)
-or-
gave them power

16:20c

confirming His word by the signs that accompanied it: This statement is similar to what Jesus said in 16:17a. He indicated that he would prove or confirm by miraculous signs that he had sent the disciples. These signs showed that what they said was true.

confirming: In the context of this verse, confirming means “proved the truthfulness and trustworthiness” of the good news. The signs showed that what the disciples said about the good news was true.

Here is another way to translate this:

proved…was true (Good News Bible)

His word: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as His word is literally “the word.” It refers to the good news that the disciples preached everywhere. There are two ways to interpret it in this context:

(1) It refers to the disciples’ word. For example:

their preaching (Good News Bible)

(Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(2) It refers to the Lord’s word. For example:

his word (New International Version, 2011 edition)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, God’s Word)

The New Jerusalem Bible, King James Version, NET Bible, English Standard Version, and New American Standard Bible translate this literally as “the word/message.” However, if it is not natural to translate this way in your language, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), as most English versions do. This interpretation supports what Jesus said in 16:17a.

Here are some other ways to translate confirmed the word:

confirming what they said (New Living Translation)
-or-
proved that their preaching was true (Good News Bible)
-or-
proved that their message was true (Contemporary English Version)

signs: See how you translated signs in 16:17a.

(Revised Standard Version) Amen: There is a textual issue at the end of 16:20. It concerns the word that the Revised Standard Version transliterates as Amen:

(1) Many Greek manuscripts do not have the word Amen.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Bible, New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, Revised English Bible, New American Standard Bible, NET Bible, New Century Version, New Living Translation)

(2) Some Greek manuscripts end the verse with the word Amen.

(Revised Standard Version, King James Version) (The UBS4 (page 192) gives this reading a C rating.)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). However, if the major language version in your area includes the word Amen, you may follow it.

The word Amen means “Indeed it is true” or “May it be so.” Here are two ways to translate it:

• Use a word in your language with this meaning. Choose a word that would be appropriate to end this section. For example:

Truly!
-or-
Indeed!
-or-
So it shall be.

• Transliterate the word Amen according to the sounds of your language.

[[Mark 16:9–10 The Shorter Ending of Mark]]

This section is often referred to as “The Shorter Ending of Mark.” There is a textual issue concerning this section:

(1) Most Greek manuscripts do not include 16:9–10. Many Bible scholars do not believe that Mark wrote it. They believe that someone else added it later to certain Greek manuscripts.

Some English versions do not include it or mention it at all, such as the King James Version and God’s Word. Other English versions mention these verses in a footnote, such as Berean Standard Bible and New International Version, 2011 edition.

(2) Only a few Greek manuscripts include 16:9–10. Some English versions include this shorter ending of Mark, usually setting it apart in some way like brackets, italics, or a special heading. There are two places in the text to include it:

(a) At the end of 16:8. (New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Living Translation)

(b) At the end of 16:20. (New American Standard Bible, Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) and do not include 16:9–10 in the text of your translation. However, because a few Greek manuscripts and some English versions include this shorter ending of Mark, you may want to include it in a footnote, as the English Standard Version does. Here is a suggested footnote:

A few Greek manuscripts include additional text at the end of 16:8. This text is usually called “The Shorter Ending of Mark.” However, none of the most ancient Greek manuscripts have it. The additional text is: “[Put your translation here, based on the Notes and Display for 16:9–10 below.]”

There are similarities in this section to Matthew 28:8, 18–20, Luke 24:9–10, and Acts 1:8.

Paragraph 16:9–10

The Notes and Display for this paragraph are based on the New Revised Standard Version.

16:9

And all that had been commanded them they told briefly to those around Peter: The Greek clause that the New Revised Standard Version translates as all that had been commanded them is the object of the verb told. In some languages a more natural order for this sentence may be:

And they briefly told those around Peter all that had been commanded them.

In Greek the words all that had been commanded them occur at the beginning of 16:9 to emphasize them. If possible, you should emphasize the fact that they told all that had been commanded them in your translation. The New Living Translation, 1996 edition translates this clause as:

Then they reported all these instructions briefly to Peter and his companions. (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

all that had been commanded them: The Greek verb that the New Revised Standard Version translates as had been commanded is passive. In some languages it may be necessary to use an active verb and supply the subject. For example:

all that the young man had commanded them to say

This clause refers here to the message that the young man gave the women to tell Peter and the other disciples (16:7).

them: The pronoun them refers to the women who came to the tomb. See 16:1 for details.

they told briefly: The Greek clause that the New Revised Standard Version translates as they told briefly refers to reporting something in a short way.

those around Peter: The Greek phrase that the New Revised Standard Version translates as those around Peter may also be translated as “those with Peter.” This refers to Peter himself and the other disciples.

Here are some other ways you could translate this phrase:

Peter and the other disciples
-or-
Peter and his companions (New Living Translation)

16:10a–b

This verse indicates that Jesus sent his disciples to proclaim salvation all over the world. It is similar to Matthew 28:18–20 and Acts 1:8.

And afterward: The Greek conjunction that the New Revised Standard Version translates as And introduces what happened after 16:9. It does not indicate how much time passed between 16:9 and 16:10. If 16:10 refers to the same event as the one in Matthew 28:18–20, it would be several weeks afterward. Translate with a general word or expression meaning “some time later.”

Jesus himself sent out through them…the…proclamation of eternal salvation: This clause indicates that Jesus sent out…the…proclamation of eternal salvation by sending his followers to tell people about this salvation.

Here is another way to translate this:

Jesus himself sent them to proclaim to people the message of eternal salvation.

Jesus himself…through them: The words Jesus himself…through them emphasize the fact that it was Jesus who sent the disciples to proclaim the good news. Peter and the other disciples did not just decide on their own to go proclaim the message of salvation. The other Gospels tell about how Jesus appeared to them after his resurrection and sent them to proclaim the message.

them: The pronoun them refers to Jesus’ disciples. In 16:9, them referred to the women who were at the tomb. You will probably need to make this explicit in your translation. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:

Later, Jesus sent the disciples

of eternal salvation: The phrase of eternal salvation refers to the content of the proclamation or message. The message is about how God saves people forever from sin. This is possible because Jesus took their punishment when he died on the cross, and then rose from the dead to give them eternal life.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

salvation that gives eternal life (New Living Translation)
-or-
how people can be saved forever (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
how God saves people for eternity

salvation: In this context the word salvation refers to deliverance from spiritual and eternal danger. It refers specifically to the way that Jesus rescues people from sin and from spiritual death and hell, which is the punishment for sin.

Here are some ways to translate salvation in this context:

deliverance from sin and hell
-or-
he rescues/saves people from sin and its punishment

from east to west: The expression from east to west is used figuratively. In this context it means “everywhere” or “all over the world.”

the sacred and imperishable proclamation: The Greek words that the New Revised Standard Version translates as sacred and imperishable describe the message that Jesus sent his disciples to proclaim.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

to proclaim God’s unfailing message
-or-
to announce the holy and everlasting message

sacred: The Greek word that the New Revised Standard Version translates as sacred indicates that the message is holy. It is holy because it is from God.

imperishable: The Greek word that the New Revised Standard Version translates as imperishable is literally “undying.” It refers to something that does not die or decay. In this context it indicates that the message that Jesus sent his disciples to proclaim will never stop being true and powerful.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

always true
-or-
unfailing (New Living Translation)
-or-
will never lose its power

© 2008 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.