Markus 2:14

2:14 As he went along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax booth. ¹  “Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him.

Markus 7:3

7:3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they perform a ritual washing, ²  holding fast to the tradition of the elders.

Markus 8:11

The Demand for a Sign

8:11 Then the Pharisees ³  came and began to argue with Jesus, asking for ⁴  a sign from heaven ⁵  to test him.

Markus 9:20

9:20 So they brought the boy ⁶  to him. When the spirit saw him, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He ⁷  fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

Markus 9:22

9:22 It has often thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if you are able to do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

Markus 12:40

12:40 They ⁸  devour widows’ property, ⁹  and as a show make long prayers. These men will receive a more severe punishment.”

Markus 15:31

15:31 In the same way even the chief priests – together with the experts in the law ¹⁰  – were mocking him among themselves: ¹¹  “He saved others, but he cannot save himself!

Markus 16:12

16:12 After this he appeared in a different form to two of them while they were on their way to the country.

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.]]

[2:14]  ¹ tn While “tax office” is sometimes given as a translation for τελώνιον (telwnion, so L&N 57.183), this could give the modern reader a false impression of an indoor office with all its associated furnishings.

[2:14]  sn The tax booth was a booth located on the edge of a city or town to collect taxes for trade. There was a tax booth in Capernaum, which was on the trade route from Damascus to Galilee and the Mediterranean. The “taxes” were collected on produce and goods brought into the area for sale, and were a sort of “sales tax” paid by the seller but obviously passed on to the purchaser in the form of increased prices (L&N 57.183). It was here that Jesus met Levi (also named Matthew [see Matt 9:9]) who was ultimately employed by the Romans, though perhaps more directly responsible to Herod Antipas. It was his job to collect taxes for Rome and he was thus despised by Jews who undoubtedly regarded him as a traitor.

[7:3]  ² tn Grk “except they wash the hands with a fist,” a ceremonial washing (though the actual method is uncertain).

[8:11]  ³ sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.

[8:11]  ⁴ tn Grk “seeking from him.” The participle ζητοῦντες (zhtountes) shows the means by which the Pharisees argued with Jesus.

[8:11]  ⁵ sn What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.

[9:20]  ⁶ tn Grk “him.”

[9:20]  ⁷ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[12:40]  ⁸ tn Grk “who,” continuing the sentence begun in v. 38.

[12:40]  ⁹ tn Grk “houses,” “households”; however, the term can have the force of “property” or “possessions” as well (O. Michel, TDNT 5:131; BDAG 695 s.v. οἶκια 1.a).

[15:31]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Grk “Mocking him, the chief priests…said among themselves.”