Markus 3:13-14

Appointing the Twelve Apostles

3:13 Now ¹  Jesus went up the mountain ²  and called for those he wanted, and they came to him. 3:14 He ³  appointed twelve (whom he named apostles ⁴ ), ⁵  so that they would be with him and he could send them to preach

Markus 6:7-13

Sending Out the Twelve Apostles

6:7 Jesus ⁶  called the twelve and began to send them out two by two. He gave them authority over the unclean spirits. ⁷  6:8 He instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff ⁸  – no bread, no bag, ⁹  no money in their belts – 6:9 and to put on sandals but not to wear two tunics. ¹⁰  6:10 He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there ¹¹  until you leave the area. 6:11 If a place will not welcome you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off ¹²  your feet as a testimony against them.” 6:12 So ¹³  they went out and preached that all should repent. 6:13 They cast out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

[3:13]  ¹ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[3:13]  ² tn Or “up a mountain” (εἰς τὸ ὅρος, eis to Joro").

[3:13]  sn The expression up the mountain here may be idiomatic or generic, much like the English “he went to the hospital” (cf. 15:29), or even intentionally reminiscent of Exod 24:12 (LXX), since the genre of the Sermon on the Mount seems to be that of a new Moses giving a new law.

[3:14]  ³ tn Grk “And he.”

[3:14]  ⁴ sn The term apostles is rare in the gospels, found only here and Mark 6:30, Matt 10:2, and six more times in Luke (6:13; 9:10; 11:49; 17:5; 22:14; 24:10).

[3:14]  ⁵ tc The phrase “whom he named apostles” is lacking in the majority of mss (A C² [D] L ˹ 33 Ï latt sy). Several primary Alexandrian and Caesarean witnesses (א B [C* W] Θ Ë¹³ 28 pc co) include the phrase, so the external evidence is strongly in favor of this reading, especially since Alexandrian witnesses tend to witness to the shorter reading. It is possible that the Alexandrian witnesses have inserted these words to bring the text in line with Luke 6:13 (TCGNT 69), but against this is the internal evidence of Mark’s style: Mark tends toward gratuitous redundancy. Thus the inclusion of this phrase is supported by both internal and external evidence and should be regarded as more likely original than the omission.

[6:7]  ⁶ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:7]  ⁷ sn The phrase unclean spirits refers to evil spirits.

[6:8]  ⁸ sn Neither Matt 10:9-10 nor Luke 9:3 allow for a staff. It might be that Matthew and Luke mean not taking an extra staff, or that the expression is merely rhetorical for “traveling light,” which has been rendered in two slightly different ways.

[6:8]  ⁹ tn Or “no traveler’s bag”; or possibly “no beggar’s bag” (L&N 6.145; BDAG 811 s.v. πήρα).

[6:9]  ¹⁰ tn Or “shirts” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment (χιτών, citwn) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a “tunic” was any more than they would be familiar with a “chiton.” On the other hand, attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “Shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.

[6:10]  ¹¹ sn Jesus telling his disciples to stay there in one house contrasts with the practice of religious philosophers in the ancient world who went from house to house begging.

[6:11]  ¹² sn To shake the dust off represented shaking off the uncleanness from one’s feet; see Luke 10:11; Acts 13:51; 18:6. It was a sign of rejection.

[6:12]  ¹³ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.