Markus 4:10

The Purpose of Parables

4:10 When he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.

Markus 5:26

5:26 She had endured a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet instead of getting better, she grew worse.

Markus 5:34

5:34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. ¹  Go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

Markus 6:8

6:8 He instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff ²  – no bread, no bag, ³  no money in their belts –

Markus 6:30

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

6:30 Then ⁴  the apostles gathered around Jesus and told him everything they had done and taught.

Markus 6:38

6:38 He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five – and two fish.”

Markus 6:55

6:55 They ran through that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever he was rumored to be. ⁵ 

Markus 7:36

7:36 Jesus ordered them not to tell anything. But as much as he ordered them not to do this, they proclaimed it all the more. ⁶ 

Markus 8:7

8:7 They also had a few small fish. After giving thanks for these, he told them to serve these as well.

Markus 8:20

8:20 “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?” They replied, ⁷  “Seven.”

Markus 8:28

8:28 They said, ⁸  “John the Baptist, others say Elijah, ⁹  and still others, one of the prophets.”

Markus 9:9

9:9 As they were coming down from the mountain, he gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Markus 9:26

9:26 It shrieked, threw him into terrible convulsions, and came out. The boy ¹⁰  looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He is dead!”

Markus 9:43

9:43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter into life crippled than to have ¹¹  two hands and go into hell, ¹²  to the unquenchable fire.

Markus 9:47

9:47 If your eye causes you to sin, tear it out! ¹³  It is better to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than to have ¹⁴  two eyes and be thrown into hell,

Markus 10:15

10:15 I tell you the truth, ¹⁵  whoever does not receive ¹⁶  the kingdom of God like a child ¹⁷  will never ¹⁸  enter it.”

Markus 10:40

10:40 but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give. It is for those for whom it has been prepared.” ¹⁹ 

Markus 11:4

11:4 So ²⁰  they went and found a colt tied at a door, outside in the street, and untied it.

Markus 11:33

11:33 So ²¹  they answered Jesus, ²²  “We don’t know.” ²³  Then Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you ²⁴  by what authority ²⁵  I am doing these things.”

Markus 12:6

12:6 He had one left, his one dear son. ²⁶  Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

Markus 12:15

12:15 But he saw through their hypocrisy and said ²⁷  to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius ²⁸  and let me look at it.”

Markus 12:34-35

12:34 When Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Then no one dared any longer to question him.

The Messiah: David’s Son and Lord

12:35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he said, “How is it that the experts in the law ²⁹  say that the Christ ³⁰  is David’s son? ³¹ 

Markus 13:7

13:7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. ³² 

Markus 13:27

13:27 Then he will send angels and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. ³³ 

Markus 14:15

14:15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”

Markus 14:21

14:21 For the Son of Man will go as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for him if he had never been born.”

Markus 14:25

14:25 I tell you the truth, ³⁴  I will no longer drink of the fruit ³⁵  of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Markus 14:44

14:44 (Now the betrayer ³⁶  had given them a sign, saying, “The one I kiss is the man. Arrest him and lead him away under guard.”) ³⁷ 

Markus 14:62

14:62 “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand ³⁸  of the Power ³⁹  and coming with the clouds of heaven.” ⁴⁰ 

Markus 15:1

Jesus Brought Before Pilate

15:1 Early in the morning, after forming a plan, the chief priests with the elders and the experts in the law ⁴¹  and the whole Sanhedrin tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. ⁴² 

Markus 15:31

15:31 In the same way even the chief priests – together with the experts in the law ⁴³  – were mocking him among themselves: ⁴⁴  “He saved others, but he cannot save himself!

Markus 16:9

The Longer Ending of Mark

16:9 ⁴⁵ [[Early on the first day of the week, after he arose, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had driven out seven demons.

Markus 16:20

16:20 They went out and proclaimed everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through the accompanying signs.]]

[5:34]  ¹ tn Or “has delivered you”; Grk “has saved you.” This should not be understood as an expression for full salvation in the immediate context; it refers only to the woman’s healing.

[6:8]  ² 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]  ³ tn Or “no traveler’s bag”; or possibly “no beggar’s bag” (L&N 6.145; BDAG 811 s.v. πήρα).

[6:30]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[6:55]  ⁵ tn Grk “wherever they heard he was.”

[7:36]  ⁶ tn Grk “but as much as he ordered them, these rather so much more proclaimed.” Greek tends to omit direct objects when they are clear from the context, but these usually need to be supplied for the modern English reader. Here what Jesus ordered has been clarified (“ordered them not to do this”), and the pronoun “it” has been supplied after “proclaimed.”

[8:20]  ⁷ tc ‡ A difficult textual problem is found here, involving three different variants: καὶ λέγουσιν (kai legousin) is found in א pc; οἱ δὲ εἶπον (Joi de eipon) is the reading of Ì⁴⁵ A D W Θ Ë^1,13 33 Ï it; and καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ (kai legousin autw) is supported by B C L (Δ 579 892) 2427 pc. The first two variants would not be translated differently; the third reading, however, would add “to him” after “they replied.” What complicates the issue is that the external evidence is fairly evenly split between the second and third readings, though the first reading is in agreement with the second reading in lacking the dative pronoun. Indeed, another layout of the problem here could treat this as two distinct problems: καὶ λέγουσιν vs. οἱ δὲ εἶπον and αὐτῷ vs. omission of the word. In this second arrangement of the problem, the reading without the pronoun has slightly stronger support (Ì⁴⁵ א A D W Θ Ë^1,13 33 Ï it). Internally, Mark never elsewhere uses the form εἶπον for the third person plural indicative form of this verb (it is always εἶπαν [eipan]). And although only one other time in Mark is the object lacking after λέγουσιν (6:38), it is a similar context (viz., the disciples’ response before Jesus feeds the 5000). Very tentatively, the reading that is followed here is καὶ λέγουσιν. NA²⁷ puts αὐτῷ in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.

[8:28]  ⁸ tn Grk “And they said to him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[8:28]  ⁹ sn The appearance of Elijah would mean that the end time had come. According to 2 Kgs 2:11, Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah.

[9:26]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the boy) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[9:43]  ¹¹ tn Grk “than having.”

[9:43]  ¹² sn The word translated hell is “Gehenna” (γέεννα, geenna), a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew words ge hinnom (“Valley of Hinnom”). This was the valley along the south side of Jerusalem. In OT times it was used for human sacrifices to the pagan god Molech (cf. Jer 7:31; 19:5-6; 32:35), and it came to be used as a place where human excrement and rubbish were disposed of and burned. In the intertestamental period, it came to be used symbolically as the place of divine punishment (cf. 1 En. 27:2, 90:26; 4 Ezra 7:36). This Greek term also occurs in vv. 45, 47.

[9:47]  ¹³ tn Grk “throw it out.”

[9:47]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “than having.”

[10:15]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[10:15]  ¹⁶ sn On receive see John 1:12.

[10:15]  ¹⁷ sn The point of the comparison receive the kingdom of God like a child has more to do with a child’s trusting spirit and willingness to be dependent and receive from others than any inherent humility the child might possess.

[10:15]  ¹⁸ tn The negation in Greek (οὐ μή, ou mh) is very strong here.

[10:40]  ¹⁹ sn After the first passion prediction in 8:31 Jesus rebuked Peter as having been used by Satan. After the second passion prediction in 9:31 the disciples were concerned about who would be the greatest in the kingdom. After the third passion prediction in 10:33 James and John asked for positions of honor and rulership in the kingdom, revealing their complete misunderstanding of the nature of the kingdom and exposing their inadequacy as true disciples of Jesus. Jesus replied that such positions were for those for whom it has been prepared.

[11:4]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[11:33]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[11:33]  ²² tn Grk “answering, they said to Jesus.” The participle ἀποκριθέντες (apokriqentes) is redundant, but the syntax of the phrase has been modified to conform to English style.

[11:33]  ²³ sn Very few questions could have so completely revealed the wicked intentions of the religious leaders. Jesus’ question revealed the motivation of the religious leaders and exposed them for what they really were – hypocrites. They indicted themselves when they cited only two options and chose neither of them (“We do not know”). The point of Mark 11:27-33 is that no matter what Jesus said in response to their question they were not going to believe it and would in the end use it against him.

[11:33]  ²⁴ sn Neither will I tell you. Though Jesus gave no answer, the analogy he used to their own question makes his view clear. His authority came from heaven.

[11:33]  ²⁵ tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ. This is exactly the same phrase as in v. 28.

[12:6]  ²⁶ tn Grk “one beloved son.” See comment at Mark 1:11.

[12:6]  sn The owner’s decision to send his one dear son represents God sending Jesus.

[12:15]  ²⁷ tn Grk “Aware of their hypocrisy he said.”

[12:15]  ²⁸ tn Here the specific name of the coin was retained in the translation, because not all coins in circulation in Palestine at the time carried the image of Caesar. In other places δηνάριον (dhnarion) has been translated simply as “silver coin” with an explanatory note.

[12:15]  sn A denarius was a silver coin stamped with the image of the emperor and worth approximately one day’s wage for a laborer.

[12:35]  ²⁹ tn Or “that the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.

[12:35]  ³⁰ tn Or “the Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[12:35]  sn See the note on Christ in 8:29.

[12:35]  ³¹ sn It was a common belief in Judaism that Messiah would be David’s son in that he would come from the lineage of David. On this point the Pharisees agreed and were correct. But their understanding was nonetheless incomplete, for Messiah is also David’s Lord. With this statement Jesus was affirming that, as the Messiah, he is both God and man.

[13:7]  ³² tn Grk “it is not yet the end.”

[13:27]  ³³ tn Or “of the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.

[14:25]  ³⁴ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[14:25]  ³⁵ tn Grk “the produce” (“the produce of the vine” is a figurative expression for wine).

[14:44]  ³⁶ tn Grk “the one who betrays him.”

[14:44]  ³⁷ sn This remark is parenthetical within the narrative and has thus been placed in parentheses.

[14:62]  ³⁸ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1. This is a claim that Jesus shares authority with God in heaven. Those present may have thought they were his judges, but, in fact, the reverse was true.

[14:62]  ³⁹ sn The expression the right hand of the Power is a circumlocution for referring to God. Such indirect references to God were common in 1st century Judaism out of reverence for the divine name.

[14:62]  ⁴⁰ sn An allusion to Dan 7:13.

[15:1]  ⁴¹ tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.

[15:1]  ⁴² sn The Jews most assuredly wanted to put Jesus to death, but they lacked the authority to do so. For this reason they handed him over to Pilate in hopes of securing a death sentence. The Romans kept close control of the death penalty in conquered territories to prevent it being used to execute Roman sympathizers.

[15:31]  ⁴³ tn Or “with the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22. Only “chief priests” is in the nominative case; this sentence structure attempts to capture this emphasis.

[15:31]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “Mocking him, the chief priests…said among themselves.”

[16:9]  ⁴⁵ tc The Gospel of Mark ends at this point in some witnesses (א B 304 sy^s sa^ms arm^mss Eus Eus^mss Hier^mss), including two of the most respected mss (א B). The following shorter ending is found in some mss: “They reported briefly to those around Peter all that they had been commanded. After these things Jesus himself sent out through them, from the east to the west, the holy and imperishable preaching of eternal salvation. Amen.” This shorter ending is usually included with the longer ending (L Ψ 083 099 0112 579 al); k, however, ends at this point. Most mss include the longer ending (vv. 9-20) immediately after v. 8 (A C D W [which has a different shorter ending between vv. 14 and 15] Θ Ë¹³ 33 2427 Ï lat sy^c,p,h bo); however, Jerome and Eusebius knew of almost no Greek mss that had this ending. Several mss have marginal comments noting that earlier Greek mss lacked the verses, while others mark the text with asterisks or obeli (symbols that scribes used to indicate that the portion of text being copied was spurious). Internal evidence strongly suggests the secondary nature of both the short and the long endings. Their vocabulary and style are decidedly non-Markan (for further details, see TCGNT 102-6). All of this evidence strongly suggests that as time went on scribes added the longer ending, either for the richness of its material or because of the abruptness of the ending at v. 8. (Indeed, the strange variety of dissimilar endings attests to the probability that early copyists had a copy of Mark that ended at v. 8, and they filled out the text with what seemed to be an appropriate conclusion. All of the witnesses for alternative endings to vv. 9-20 thus indirectly confirm the Gospel as ending at v. 8.) Because of such problems regarding the authenticity of these alternative endings, 16:8 is usually regarded as the last verse of the Gospel of Mark. There are three possible explanations for Mark ending at 16:8: (1) The author intentionally ended the Gospel here in an open-ended fashion; (2) the Gospel was never finished; or (3) the last leaf of the ms was lost prior to copying. This first explanation is the most likely due to several factors, including (a) the probability that the Gospel was originally written on a scroll rather than a codex (only on a codex would the last leaf get lost prior to copying); (b) the unlikelihood of the ms not being completed; and (c) the literary power of ending the Gospel so abruptly that the readers are now drawn into the story itself. E. Best aptly states, “It is in keeping with other parts of his Gospel that Mark should not give an explicit account of a conclusion where this is already well known to his readers” (Mark, 73; note also his discussion of the ending of this Gospel on 132 and elsewhere). The readers must now ask themselves, “What will I do with Jesus? If I do not accept him in his suffering, I will not see him in his glory.”

[16:9]  sn Double brackets have been placed around this passage to indicate that most likely it was not part of the original text of the Gospel of Mark. In spite of this, the passage has an important role in the history of the transmission of the text, so it has been included in the translation.