Translation commentary on Mark 6:50

Exegesis:

etarachthēsan (only here in Mark) ‘they were frightened,’ ‘they were terrified,’ ‘they were troubled.’

elalēsen met’ autōn kai legei autois ‘he spoke with them and says to them’: unlike other constructions in which two almost synonymous verbs are used (one as a participle and the other in a finite form), expressing one idea only, ‘said,’ ‘answered,’ ‘spoke’ (cf. 1.7, 24; 3.33; 6.37), in the present passage two actions are indicated by the verbs: (1) ‘he spoke with them’ (the only place in Mark laleō is used with the preposition meta ‘with’), and (2) ‘he said to them.’

tharseite (10.49) is an imperative ‘cheer up!’ ‘courage!’ ‘take heart!’

egō eimi (13.6; 14.62) ‘it is I.’

mē phobeisthe ‘quit being afraid.’

Translation:

For terrified compare 4.40, but in this context the Greek expression is stronger than the one used in 4.40 and implies the active fright of the disciples rather than an intense feeling of awe and latent fear. However, in many languages the same basic idioms are employed, often with qualifiers to indicate the intensity of the emotion.

Take heart is an interesting English idiom, meaning ‘have courage,’ ‘don’t be afraid,’ and ‘buck up’ (to use another figure of speech). This same concept is rendered in other languages in a variety of ways: ‘have a hard heart’ (Miskito), ‘make your heart firm’ (Mossi ), ‘strengthen your heart’ (Pamona), ‘bring your heart to rest’ (Javanese), ‘make your heart rest’ (Southern Subanen), and ‘be strong in your heart’ (Highland Puebla Nahuatl). The basic meaning of the Greek implies the overcoming of fear, and hence any expression – figurative or not – which accurately denotes this experience is valid.

It is I must be recast in many languages to read ‘I am Jesus.’

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 6:50

6:50a

for: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for introduces the reason that the disciples were terrified.

they all saw Him and were terrified: The disciples were terrified when they saw Him, that is, Jesus. However, since they did not know that what they saw was Jesus, it may be natural to translate this as:

they were all terrified at what they saw
-or-
they were all terrified at the sight

General Comment on 6:49c–50a

In these verses, 6:50a expresses the reason for the result in 6:49c. In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of these clauses. For example:

50aThey all saw him and were terrified, 49cso they cried out.
-or-
50aThey all saw him and were terrified, 49cthat is why they screamed.

General Comment on 6:49a–50a

Verse 6:49b (they thought he was a ghost) and 6:50a (they saw Jesus and were terrified) both give the reason why the disciples cried out. In some languages it may be natural to put these two verse parts together. For example:

49aBut when they saw him walking on the lake, 49cthey starting screaming/yelling 49bbecause they thought he was a ghost 50aand were terrified at the sight.
-or-
49aBut when they saw him walking on the lake, 49bthey thought he was a ghost 50aand were terrified at the sight. 49cSo they started screaming/yelling….
-or-
49aBut when they saw him walking on the lake, 50athey were all terrified 49cand screamed, 49bbecause they thought he was a ghost.

Paragraph 6:50b–52

6:50b

But Jesus spoke up at once: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But indicates contrast. Here the contrast is between the fact that the disciples were afraid and the fact that Jesus spoke to them to reassure them. Some English versions, such as the New International Version, do not translate this word. You should show this contrast in a way that is natural in your language.

Jesus spoke up at once: The expression Jesus spoke up at once was a natural way in Greek to introduce what someone said.

Use an expression for introducing what someone says that is natural in your language. For example:

But Jesus said to them at once
-or-
Jesus immediately spoke. He said to them…

6:50c

Take courage: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Take courage means “be courageous,” or “be firm / resolute in the face of danger.”

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

Have courage! (New Century Version)
-or-
Don’t worry! (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Calm down! (God’s Word)

It is recommended that you translate this word using the expression in your language for encouraging people who are facing danger.

It is I: In some languages it might not make sense for a speaker to make the obvious comment It is I. It may be more natural for the speaker to refer to himself by name. For example:

I am Jesus.

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