Translation commentary on Mark 8:30

Exegesis:

epetimēsen … hina (cf. 3.12) ‘he commanded … that,’ ‘he warned … that.’

Translation:

In the form of direct discourse this verse may be translated as ‘he commanded them, Do not tell this about me to any one.’ The Greek does not mean, as is translated in some languages, ‘Do not speak to anyone about me’; rather the prohibition is to refrain from disclosing this specific information about Jesus as the Christ.

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 8:30

8:30

And: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And introduces what Jesus said next. Some English versions do not translate this conjunction. Other English versions, such as the Good News Bible, translates it as “Then.” Connect this verse to 8:29 in a natural way in your language.

Jesus warned them: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as warned in this context means “commanded.”

Here are some other ways English versions have translated Jesus warned them:

Jesus ordered them (Good News Bible)
-or-
he gave them strict orders (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
he charged them (Revised Standard Version)

not to tell anyone about Him: Jesus told the disciples not to tell anyone what Peter had said about Jesus. What Peter said was true, but it was not the right time for all the people to hear that Jesus was the Messiah. Your translation should not suggest that Jesus denied that he was the Messiah.

General Comment on 8:30

It may be more natural in your language to put Jesus’ warning to the disciples in direct speech. For example, the Good News Bible says:

Then Jesus ordered them, “Do not tell anyone about me.”

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