The Greek in Mark 4:11 that is translated as “to you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as unter euch ist Gottes Herrschaft unsichtbar, als Geheimnis, gegenwärtig or “God’s reign is present among you, invisibly, as a mystery.”
In a footnote they explain: “Literally: ‘The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you.’ This does not refer to understanding, because the disciples clearly still lacked that. The word ‘mystery’ [or: secret] refers to the state of the kingdom, not to the disciples’ knowledge.”
The Greek, Ge’ez, and Aramaic that is translated as “mystery” in English is translated as “wisdom which was hidden” in Mezquital Otomi, as “that was not possible to be understood before” in Huehuetla Tepehua, as “which was not known in time past” in Central Tarahumara (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), and in Newari as “hidden meaning” or “hidden matter” (source: Newari Back Translation).
The Greek in Mark 4:11 that is translated in English as “those outside” is translated in Totontepec Mixe as “those who are not with us,” in Secoya as “those who have other beliefs,” and in Teutila Cuicatec as “those who are not my disciples.” (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
Retrotraducciones en español (haga clic o pulse aquí)
Los doce discípulos y algunas (otras) personas dijeron: “Jesús, la historia, el ejemplo que nos explicaste antes, ¿qué significa? Nosotros no entendemos.”
Jesús (dijo): “¿Uds no entienden? Ay, si yo les explico historias y ejemplos pero uds no entienden, lo mismo va a continuar en adelante. ¿Cómo puede ser?
Oigan, ahora Dios les da la gracia de que uds pueden entender y descubrir el significado de lo que yo les expliqué hace rato.
El hombre que siembra semillas ¿qué representa? Él es como un hombre que explica y predica la palabra de Dios.
Oigan, miren, el camino con la tierra dura en donde caen las semillas y los pájaros los acaban todas, eso representa cuando él explica y predica la palabra de Dios y algunos personas lo ven pero inmediatamente satanás se lo quita y las personas lo olvidan.
La otra parte con las piedras y poco tierra donde caen las semillas y las plantas crecen rápidamente pero los raíces no pueden profundizar y las plantas marchitan, eso representa cuando él explica y predica la palabra de Dios y algunas personas lo ven y están contentos, pero después al continuar hay problemas y la gente los insulta y están en contra de ellos y ya no continuan a prestar atención a la palabra de Dios, y desvian.
La otra parte donde hay la mala hierba que cubre la tierra y cuando las semillas caen las plantas crecen pero no maduran, eso representa cuando él explica y predica la palabra de Dios y algunas personas lo ven pero en sus mentes están soñando y preocupados con problemas, piensan de dinero y cosas que les gustan y ya no siguen a poner atención a la palabra de Dios, sino desvian. Sus vidas no cambian nada sino quedan lo mismo.
La otra area donde la tierra es buena y cuando las semillas caen las plantas crecen y maduran y hay treinta plantas, y otras plantas maduran y hay sesenta plantas, y otras plantas maduran y hay cien, eso representa cuando él explica y predica la palabra de Dios y algunas personas lo ven y entienden y son transformados, sus vidas cambian para bien.
Y al continuar otras personas lo ven y entienden y son transformados y cambian sus vidas para bien, y otras personas lo ven y entienden y son transformados y cambian sus vidas para bien, y otras personas ven el buen testimonio.”
Jesús dijo: “A las personas afuera yo sólo doy historias breves para que ellos vean y oigan, pero no entiendan nada del significado, porque las personas pueden arrepentirse y Dios les perdonará y borrará (sus pecados) pero ellos no quieren, por eso.”
The twelve disciples and some (other) people said: “Jesus, the story that you just told us, what does it mean? We don’t understand it.”
Jesus (said): “You don’t understand? If I tell you stories and examples and you don’t understand the same will happen in the future. How can that be?
“Listen, now God will give you the grace that you can understand and figure out what I have just told you.
“The man who sows seeds, what does he represent? He is like a man who explains and preached the word of God.
“Hey, look, the road with the hard ground on which the seeds fall and the birds eat them all up, that represents when he explains and preaches the word of God and some people see it, but immediately Satan takes it away and the people forget it.
“The other part with the stones and very little soil where the seeds fall and the plants grow rapidly but the roots cannot get deeper and the plants whither, that represents when he explains and teaches the word of God and some people see it and are happy, but afterwards there are problems and the people insult them and are against them and they do not continue to pay attention to the word of God, but turn aside.
“The other part where there are weeds that cover the ground and when the seeds fall the plants grow but do not ripen, that represents when he explains and preaches the word of God and some people see it but in their minds they are dreaming and preoccupied with problems, they set their minds on money and things that they like and they do not continue to pay attention to the word of God. They turn aside and their lives do not change at all but stay the same.
“The other area where the soil is good and when the seeds fall the plants grow and ripen and there are thirty plants and other plants ripen and there are sixty plants and others ripen and there are 100, that represents when he explains and preaches the word of God and some people see it and understand it and are transformed, their lives change for the better.
“And then other people see it and understand and are transformed and change their lives for the better, and other people see it and understand and are transformed and change their lives for the better, and other people see the good testimony.”
Jesus said: “To the people out there I only give brief stories so that they see and hear but do not understand the meaning, because the people can repent and God will forgive them and wipe out (their sins) but they do not want to, that’s why.”
In British Sign Language it is translated with a sign that combines the signs for “tell-a-story” and “compare.” (Source: Anna Smith)
“Parable” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
Scot McKnight (in The Second Testament, publ. 2023) translates it into English as analogy because “the Greek word has the sense of tossing down something alongside something else. Hence an analogy.”
When Jesus had finished teaching and the crowd had left, the twelve closest disciples and the other disciples remained with him. The disciples looked at each other in confusion, then turned to Jesus:
— We do not understand. You teach much, but we cannot understand the meaning of your parables.
Jesus said:
— You are my disciples. God will reveal to you the mystery of his kingdom. You will understand. I have strangers flocking to me. I teach them, tell them parables, examples, images, explain to them. But they don’t understand. They look, but as if their eyes were closed. They have ears, they listen, but they miss everything. If they would turn their eyes to God, if they would change their lives, then they would understand. And then God would forgive their sins.
Original Russian back-translation (click or tap here):
Когда Иисус закончил учить и народ разошелся, с ним остались двенадцать ближайших учеников, а также другие ученики. Ученики переглядывались друг с другом в недоумении, потом обратились к Иисусу:
— Нам непонятно. Ты много учишь, но мы не можем понять смысл Твоих притчей.
Иисус сказал:
— Вы — мои ученики. Бог откроет вам тайну своего Царства. Вы поймете. Ко мне стекаются посторонние люди. Я учу их, рассказываю им притчи, примеры, образы, объясняю им. Но они не понимают. Они смотрят, но так, как будто глаза у них закрыты. У них есть уши, они слушают, но все пропускают мимо ушей. Если бы они обратили свой взгляд на Бога, если бы они изменили свою жизнь, тогда бы они поняли. И тогда бы Бог простил их грехи.
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 4:11:
Uma: “Yesus said: ‘Long ago God had not yet made-known-to mankind how he would become King on earth. But now he has made-known-to you that teaching. But as for the people who are not my followers, I teach them with parables,” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Isa answered, he said, ‘You have been given knowledge/wisdom so that you can understand what God has hidden in his mind/thoughts about how he rules over his people. But to the other people, I teach them in parables,” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus said, ‘You, my disciples, God will cause you to understand the things hidden long ago about this ruling. But the other people, they will be taught by means of parables.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Jesus said, ‘You are the ones to whom God has given the privilege to know what was not made-known previously concerning his ruling, but as for the other people, only parables will be related to them,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Jesus replied, saying, ‘It really has been given/graced to you to know the hidden teaching concerning the kingdom of God. But as for those others who don’t want to believe-in/obey me, all the things which will be taught to them are wholly by illustration.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
In the GermanGute Nachricht (Good News) translation of 1982, this occurrence of the Greek term which is translated in most English versions of “kingdom (of God or heaven)” is translated with a form of “once God finalizes his creation (or “work”) . . . ” (Wenn Gott sein Werk vollendet . . .). For an explanation of the differentiated translation in German as well as translation choices in a number of languages, see Kingdom (of God / heaven).
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