Markus 4:5

4:5 Other seed fell on rocky ground ¹  where it did not have much soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. ² 

Markus 15:15

15:15 Because he wanted to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them. Then, ³  after he had Jesus flogged, ⁴  he handed him over ⁵  to be crucified.

[4:5]  ¹ sn The rocky ground in Palestine would be a limestone base lying right under the soil.

[4:5]  ² tn Grk “it did not have enough depth of earth.”

[15:15]  ³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:15]  ⁴ tn The Greek term φραγελλόω (fragellow) refers to flogging. BDAG 1064 s.v. states, “flog, scourge, a punishment inflicted on slaves and provincials after a sentence of death had been pronounced on them. So in the case of Jesus before the crucifixion…Mt 27:26; Mk 15:15.”

[15:15]  sn A Roman flogging (traditionally, “scourging”) was an excruciating punishment. The victim was stripped of his clothes and bound to a post with his hands fastened above him (or sometimes he was thrown to the ground). Guards standing on either side of the victim would incessantly beat him with a whip (flagellum) made out of leather with pieces of lead and bone inserted into its ends. While the Jews only allowed 39 lashes, the Romans had no such limit; many people who received such a beating died as a result. See C. Schneider, TDNT, 4:515-19.

[15:15]  ⁵ tn Or “delivered him up.”