Markus 1:21

Jesus’ Authority

1:21 Then ¹  they went to Capernaum. ²  When the Sabbath came, ³  Jesus ⁴  went into the synagogue ⁵  and began to teach.

Markus 2:24

2:24 So ⁶  the Pharisees ⁷  said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is against the law on the Sabbath?”

Markus 3:13

Appointing the Twelve Apostles

3:13 Now ⁸  Jesus went up the mountain ⁹  and called for those he wanted, and they came to him.

Markus 3:20

Jesus and Beelzebul

3:20 Now ¹⁰  Jesus ¹¹  went home, and a crowd gathered so that they were not able to eat.

Markus 5:27

5:27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ¹² 

Markus 5:36

5:36 But Jesus, paying no attention to what was said, told the synagogue ruler, “Do not be afraid; just believe.”

Markus 6:6

6:6 And he was amazed because of their unbelief. Then ¹³  he went around among the villages and taught.

Markus 6:24

6:24 So ¹⁴  she went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” Her mother ¹⁵  said, “The head of John the baptizer.” ¹⁶ 

Markus 6:52

6:52 because they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

Markus 7:17

7:17 Now ¹⁷  when Jesus ¹⁸  had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable.

Markus 7:30

7:30 She went home and found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Markus 8:16

8:16 So they began to discuss with one another about having no bread. ¹⁹ 

Markus 10:2

10:2 Then some Pharisees ²⁰  came, and to test him ²¹  they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his ²²  wife?” ²³ 

Markus 10:10

10:10 In the house once again, the disciples asked him about this.

Markus 10:13

Jesus and Little Children

10:13 Now ²⁴  people were bringing little children to him for him to touch, ²⁵  but the disciples scolded those who brought them. ²⁶ 

Markus 10:43

10:43 But it is not this way among you. Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant,

Markus 11:20

The Withered Fig Tree

11:20 In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.

Markus 14:4

14:4 But some who were present indignantly said to one another, “Why this waste of expensive ²⁷  ointment?

Markus 14:24

14:24 He said to them, “This is my blood, the blood ²⁸  of the covenant, ²⁹  that is poured out for many.

Markus 14:33-34

14:33 He took Peter, James, ³⁰  and John with him, and became very troubled and distressed. 14:34 He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay alert.”

Markus 14:38

14:38 Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Markus 14:45

14:45 When Judas ³¹  arrived, he went up to Jesus ³²  immediately and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed ³³  him.

Markus 14:47

14:47 One of the bystanders drew his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, ³⁴  cutting off his ear.

Markus 14:63-64

14:63 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? 14:64 You have heard the blasphemy! What is your verdict?” ³⁵  They all condemned him as deserving death.

Markus 14:66

Peter’s Denials

14:66 Now ³⁶  while Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the high priest’s slave girls ³⁷  came by.

Markus 15:6

Jesus and Barabbas

15:6 During the feast it was customary to release one prisoner to the people, ³⁸  whomever they requested.

Markus 15:42

Jesus’ Burial

15:42 Now ³⁹  when evening had already come, since it was the day of preparation (that is, the day before the Sabbath), ⁴⁰ 

[1:21]  ¹ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[1:21]  ² sn Capernaum was a town located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region, and it became the hub of operations for Jesus’ Galilean ministry.

[1:21]  map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.

[1:21]  ³ tn The Greek word εὐθύς (euqus, often translated “immediately” or “right away”) has not been translated here. It sometimes occurs with a weakened, inferential use (BDAG 406 s.v. 2), not contributing significantly to the flow of the narrative. For further discussion, see R. J. Decker, Temporal Deixis of the Greek Verb in the Gospel of Mark with Reference to Verbal Aspect (SBG 10), 73-77.

[1:21]  ⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:21]  ⁵ sn The synagogue was a place for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though its origin is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present. (See the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2.) First came the law, then the prophets, then someone was asked to speak on the texts. Jesus undoubtedly took the opportunity on this occasion to speak about his person and mission, and its relationship to Old Testament fulfillment.

[2:24]  ⁶ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[2:24]  ⁷ sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.

[3:13]  ⁸ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[3:13]  ⁹ 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.

[3:20]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[3:20]  ¹¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:27]  ¹² tn Grk “garment,” but here ἱμάτιον (Jimation) denotes the outer garment in particular.

[6:6]  ¹³ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[6:24]  ¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[6:24]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “She said”; the referent (the girl’s mother) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:24]  ¹⁶ tn While Matthew and Luke consistently use the noun βαπτίστης (baptisths, “the Baptist”) to refer to John, as a kind of a title, Mark employs the substantival participle ὁ βαπτίζων (Jo baptizwn, “the one who baptizes, the baptizer”) to describe him (though twice he does use the noun [Mark 6:25; 8:28]).

[7:17]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[7:17]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:16]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “And they were discussing with one another that they had no bread.”

[10:2]  ²⁰ tc The Western text (D it) and a few others have only καί (kai) here, rather than καὶ προσελθόντες Φαρισαῖοι (kai proselqonte" Farisaioi, here translated as “then some Pharisees came”). The longer reading, a specific identification of the subject, may have been prompted by the parallel in Matt 19:3. The fact that the mss vary in how they express this subject lends credence to this judgment: οἱ δὲ Φαρισαῖοι προσελθόντες (Joi de Farisaioi proselqonte", “now the Pharisees came”) in W Θ 565 2542 pc; καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ Φαρισαῖοι (kai proselqonte" Joi Farisaioi, “then the Pharisees came”) in א C N (˹: καὶ προσελθόντες ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτὸν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι) 579 1241 1424 pm; and καὶ προσελθόντες Φαρισαῖοι in A B K L Γ Δ Ψ Ë¹³ 28 700 892 2427 pm. Further, the use of an indefinite plural (a general “they”) is a Markan feature, occurring over twenty times. Thus, internally the evidence looks rather strong for the shorter reading, in spite of the minimal external support for it. However, if scribes assimilated this text to Matt 19:3, a more exact parallel might have been expected: Matthew has καὶ προσῆλθον αὐτῷ Φαρισαῖοι (kai proshlqon aujtw Farisaioi, “then Pharisees came to him”). Although the verb form needs to be different according to syntactical requirements of the respective sentences, the word order variety, as well as the presence or absence of the article and the alternation between δέ and καί as the introductory conjunction, all suggest that the variety of readings might not be due to scribal adjustments toward Matthew. At the same time, the article with Φαρισαῖοι is found in both Gospels in many of the same witnesses (א Ï in Matt; א pm in Mark), and the anarthrous Φαρισαῖοι is likewise parallel in many mss (B L ˹³ 700 892). Another consideration is the possibility that very early in the transmissional history, scribes naturally inserted the most obvious subject (the Pharisees would be the obvious candidates as the ones to test Jesus). This may account for the reading with δέ, since Mark nowhere else uses this conjunction to introduce the Pharisees into the narrative. As solid as the internal arguments against the longer reading seem to be, the greatest weakness is the witnesses that support it. The Western mss are prone to alter the text by adding, deleting, substituting, or rearranging large amounts of material. There are times when the rationale for this seems inexplicable. In light of the much stronger evidence for “the Pharisees came,” even though it occurs in various permutations, it is probably wisest to retain the words. This judgment, however, is hardly certain.

[10:2]  sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.

[10:2]  ²¹ tn In Greek this phrase occurs at the end of the sentence. It has been brought forward to conform to English style.

[10:2]  ²² tn The personal pronoun “his” is not in the Greek text, but is certainly implied and has been supplied in the English translation to clarify the sense of the statement (cf. “his wife” in 10:7).

[10:2]  ²³ tn The particle εἰ (ei) is often used to introduce both indirect and direct questions. Thus, another possible translation is to take this as an indirect question: “They asked him if it were lawful for a man to divorce his wife.” See BDF §440.3.

[10:2]  sn The question of the Pharisees was anything but sincere; they were asking it to test him. Jesus was now in the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas (i.e., Judea and beyond the Jordan) and it is likely that the Pharisees were hoping he might answer the question of divorce in a way similar to John the Baptist and so suffer the same fate as John, i.e., death at the hands of Herod (cf. 6:17-19). Jesus answered the question not on the basis of rabbinic custom and the debate over Deut 24:1, but rather from the account of creation and God’s original design.

[10:13]  ²⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[10:13]  ²⁵ tn Grk “so that he would touch them.” Here the touch is connected with (or conveys) a blessing (cf. v. 16; also BDAG 126 s.v. ἅπτω 2.c).

[10:13]  ²⁶ tc “Those who brought them” (ἐπετιμῶν τοῖς προσφέρουσιν, epetimwn toi" prosferousin) is the reading of most mss (A D W [Θ Ë^1,13] Ï lat sy), but it is probably a motivated reading. Since the subject is not explicit in the earliest and best witnesses as well as several others (א B C L Δ Ψ 579 892 2427), scribes would be prone to add “those who brought them” here to clarify that the children were not the ones being scolded. It could be argued that the masculine pronoun αὐτοῖς (autois, “them”) only rarely was used with the neuter antecedent παιδία (paidia, “children”), and thus the longer reading was not motivated by scribal clarification. However, such rare usage is found in Mark (cf. 5:41; 9:24-26); further, scribes routinely added clarifications when such were not necessary. Thus, both on external and internal grounds, the shorter reading is strongly preferred. Similar motivations are behind the translation here, namely, “those who brought them” has been supplied to ensure that the parents who brought the children are in view, not the children themselves.

[10:13]  tn Grk “the disciples scolded them.”

[14:4]  ²⁷ tn The word “expensive” is not in the Greek text but has been included to suggest a connection to the lengthy phrase “costly aromatic oil from pure nard” occurring earlier in v. 3. The author of Mark shortened this long phrase to just one word in Greek when repeated here, and the phrase “expensive ointment” used in the translation is intended as an abbreviated paraphrase.

[14:24]  ²⁸ tn Grk “this is my blood of the covenant that is poured out for many.” In order to avoid confusion about which is poured out, the translation supplies “blood” twice so that the following phrase clearly modifies “blood,” not “covenant.”

[14:24]  ²⁹ tc Most mss (A Ë^1,13 Ï lat sy) have καινῆς (kainh", “new”) before διαθήκης (diaqhkh", “covenant”), a reading that is almost surely influenced by the parallel passage in Luke 22:20. Further, the construction τὸ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης (to th" kainh" diaqhkh"), in which the resumptive article τό (referring back to τὸ αἷμα [to |aima, “the blood”]) is immediately followed by the genitive article, is nowhere else used in Mark except for constructions involving a genitive of relationship (cf. Mark 2:14; 3:17, 18; 16:1). Thus, on both transcriptional and intrinsic grounds, this reading looks to be a later addition (which may have derived from τὸ τῆς διαθήκης of D* W 2427). The most reliable mss, along with several others (א B C D^c L Θ Ψ 565), lack καινῆς. This reading is strongly preferred.

[14:24]  sn Jesus’ death established the forgiveness promised in the new covenant of Jer 31:31. Jesus is reinterpreting the symbolism of the Passover meal, indicating the presence of a new era.

[14:33]  ³⁰ tn Grk “and James,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[14:45]  ³¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:45]  ³² tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:45]  ³³ sn Judas’ act of betrayal when he kissed Jesus is especially sinister when it is realized that it was common in the culture of the times for a disciple to kiss his master when greeting him.

[14:47]  ³⁴ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 10:44.

[14:64]  ³⁵ tn Grk “What do you think?”

[14:66]  ³⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[14:66]  ³⁷ tn The Greek term here is παιδίσκη (paidiskh), referring to a slave girl or slave woman.

[15:6]  ³⁸ tn Grk “them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:6]  sn The custom of Pilate to release one prisoner to them is unknown outside the gospels in Jewish writings, but it was a Roman custom at the time and thus probably used in Palestine as well (cf. Matt 27:15; John 18:39); see W. W. Wessel, “Mark,” EBC 8:773-74.

[15:42]  ³⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic and introduction of a new character.

[15:42]  ⁴⁰ sn The day of preparation was the day before the Sabbath when everything had to be prepared for it, as no work could be done on the Sabbath.