Mark 1

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The Greek euangelion ('good news, gospel') was not originally a religious term — in the Roman world it referred to imperial proclamations, especially announcements of military victory or a new emperor's accession. Mark's use of it for Jesus is a counter-imperial claim. The phrase may function as a title for the entire book rather than the first sentence of a narrative.
2. The phrase 'Son of God' (huiou theou) is absent from Codex Sinaiticus and a few other witnesses, but the SBLGNT includes it. If original, it frames the entire Gospel with a christological declaration that the narrative will progressively unfold.

Translator Notes

1. This verse actually quotes Malachi 3:1 (combined with Exodus 23:20), not Isaiah. The Isaiah quotation comes in verse 3. Mark attributes the composite quotation to Isaiah, likely because Isaiah was the more prominent prophet and the primary source. Some later manuscripts changed 'Isaiah the prophet' to 'the prophets' to resolve the difficulty, but the SBLGNT preserves the harder reading.
2. The Greek angelos ('messenger') is the same word used for 'angel.' Here it refers to John the Baptist as God's human messenger.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Malachi 3:1. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
4. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Exodus 23:20. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.

Translator Notes

1. This quotes Isaiah 40:3 from the Septuagint. In the Hebrew original, the phrase division is 'A voice cries out: In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD' — the wilderness is where the road is built, not where the voice cries. The Septuagint and Mark connect 'in the wilderness' with the voice, which conveniently describes John's actual location. The Greek euthys ('straight') here is an adjective, different from the adverb euthys ('immediately') that will become Mark's signature word.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Isaiah 40:3 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The Greek egeneto Iōannēs ho baptizōn ('there appeared John the one baptizing') introduces John as a figure bursting onto the scene. Mark uses his characteristic participial style. The word metanoia ('repentance') means a fundamental change of mind and direction, corresponding to the Hebrew teshuvah ('return'). Aphesis hamartōn ('forgiveness/release of sins') uses aphesis, which carries the sense of release or liberation — as in releasing a prisoner or canceling a debt.

Translator Notes

1. The 'all' (pasa, pantes) is hyperbolic, a common Semitic literary device emphasizing the magnitude of the response. The imperfect tenses (exeporeueto, ebaptizonto) indicate ongoing, repeated action — the crowds kept coming and kept being baptized. Exomologoumenoi ('confessing') is a present participle indicating that confession accompanied the act of baptism.

Translator Notes

1. John's appearance deliberately echoes Elijah's description in 2 Kings 1:8 ('a man wearing a garment of hair with a leather belt around his waist'). Mark presents John as the returning Elijah prophesied in Malachi 4:5, a connection Jesus makes explicit later (9:13). Locusts were a permissible food under Levitical law (Leviticus 11:22) and remain part of the diet in some regions of the Middle East today.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes 2 Kings 1:8. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Malachi 4:5. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
4. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Leviticus 11:22. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Translator Notes

1. Untying sandals was a task considered too menial even for a Hebrew slave — a rabbinic tradition held that a disciple must do everything for his teacher except remove his sandals. John claims he is not even worthy of the task that was beneath a slave. The comparative ischyroteros ('more powerful') is emphatic — John is not describing a slight superiority but an incomparable difference in status and power.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The contrast between water and Spirit baptism is stark. The pronoun ego ('I') and autos ('he') are both emphatic in Greek, creating a sharp personal contrast. Mark omits 'and fire' found in Matthew 3:11 and Luke 3:16, focusing solely on the Spirit. The verb baptizō literally means 'to immerse, to dip' — the Spirit baptism implies being immersed in God's Spirit.

Translator Notes

1. Mark introduces Jesus abruptly — no birth narrative, no genealogy, no childhood. He simply arrives from the obscure village of Nazareth. The phrase en ekeinais tais hēmerais ('in those days') is a general temporal marker connecting Jesus's appearance to John's ministry. The preposition eis ('into') with the Jordan may suggest full immersion, though the preposition alone is not conclusive.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. This is the first occurrence of Mark's characteristic euthys ('immediately, at once'), which appears over forty times in this Gospel, creating a sense of urgency and rapid action. The Greek schizomenous ('being torn, split') is much more violent than 'opened' — it is the same root used for the tearing of the temple curtain at Jesus's death (15:38). Mark depicts not a gentle opening but a forceful rending of the barrier between heaven and earth. The vision is described as Jesus's experience — 'he saw' (eiden) — making it a personal revelation rather than a public spectacle in Mark's account.

Translator Notes

1. Mark's version addresses Jesus directly ('You are') rather than speaking about him in the third person ('This is') as in Matthew 3:17. The declaration combines Psalm 2:7 ('You are my Son') — a royal enthronement psalm — with Isaiah 42:1 ('my chosen one, in whom my soul delights') — the first Servant Song. Jesus is thus identified simultaneously as the Davidic king and the Suffering Servant, two strands that Mark's Gospel will weave together throughout. The Greek agapētos ('beloved') may also carry the sense of 'only' or 'unique,' echoing Genesis 22:2 where Isaac is called Abraham's 'beloved son.'
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Psalm 2:7. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Isaiah 42:1. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
4. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Genesis 22:2. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Translator Notes

1. The verb ekballei ('drives out, casts out, expels') is startlingly forceful — it is the same word Mark uses for casting out demons. The Spirit does not lead or guide Jesus into the wilderness; he is thrust there. Mark's use of the historical present tense (ekballei rather than the aorist) makes the action vivid and immediate. The wilderness (erēmos) connects to the wilderness motifs of Exodus and Isaiah 40.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Isaiah 40. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.

Translator Notes

1. Mark compresses what Matthew and Luke expand into three specific temptations into a single, vivid summary. The 'forty days' echoes Israel's forty years in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:2), Moses's forty days on Sinai (Exodus 34:28), and Elijah's forty-day journey to Horeb (1 Kings 19:8). The detail about wild animals (thēriōn) is unique to Mark and may evoke either danger or the Edenic peace of Isaiah 11:6-9 where the messianic figure restores harmony with the animal kingdom. The Greek peirazomenos can mean 'tempted' or 'tested' — we use 'tested' to capture the broader sense of being put to the proof.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Deuteronomy 8:2 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Exodus 34:28 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
4. [TCR Cross-Reference] References 1 Kings 19:8 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
5. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Isaiah 11:6-9 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek paradothēnai ('to be handed over, arrested') is the same verb used later for Jesus's own betrayal and arrest (14:10, 41). Mark subtly foreshadows that the fate of the forerunner will become the fate of the one he announced. The phrase 'good news of God' (euangelion tou theou) means the good news that comes from God, about God, or both — the genitive is intentionally ambiguous.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The Greek kairos ('time') denotes an appointed or decisive moment, distinct from chronos (ordinary sequential time). The perfect tense peplērōtai ('has been fulfilled') indicates a completed action with ongoing significance — the decisive moment has arrived and remains in effect. The perfect tense ēngiken ('has drawn near') similarly indicates that the kingdom has arrived at the threshold and remains there. The two imperatives — metanoeite ('repent') and pisteuete ('believe') — form the twofold human response to the kingdom's arrival.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek thalassa ('sea') is technically a lake (Lake Gennesaret/Kinneret), but the Gospels consistently call it a 'sea,' which reflects local usage. The verb amphiballontas ('casting a net') is a technical fishing term — casting a circular hand net. Mark introduces Simon without explanation, suggesting his audience already knew who Simon Peter was.

Translator Notes

1. The call narrative is remarkably brief — no prior conversation, no credentials, no negotiation. The metaphor 'fishers of people' (halieis anthrōpōn) draws on their existing vocation but transforms it. The plural anthrōpōn ('of people') is rendered inclusively rather than with the gendered 'of men,' since the Greek anthrōpos refers to human beings generally.

Translator Notes

1. The word euthys ('immediately') again emphasizes the instantaneous nature of the response. The verb aphentes ('leaving, abandoning') conveys a decisive break. The aorist tense ēkolouthēsan ('followed') marks the beginning of a new course of life. The cost of discipleship is implicit — nets represent livelihood, investment, and family trade.

Translator Notes

1. The verb katartizontas ('mending, preparing, making ready') suggests the brothers were repairing or preparing their nets for the next fishing trip — they were in the middle of their workday. James is named before John, likely indicating he was the elder brother.

Translator Notes

1. Again euthys ('immediately') underscores the urgency of Jesus's call and the decisiveness of the response. The mention of hired workers (misthōtōn) is unique to Mark and indicates that Zebedee's fishing business was substantial enough to employ laborers — James and John were not destitute. Their leaving is therefore a sacrifice of relative comfort, not desperation.

Translator Notes

1. Mark shifts to the historical present tense (eisporeuontai, 'they enter') for vivid narration, then back to the aorist. Capernaum (Kfar Nahum, 'village of Nahum') served as Jesus's base of operations in Galilee. The imperfect edidasken ('he was teaching') indicates ongoing or repeated action — he taught at length, not just a brief remark.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The Greek exeplēssonto ('were astonished, were struck out of their senses') is stronger than mild surprise — it conveys being overwhelmed or stunned. The scribes typically taught by citing prior rabbinic authorities ('Rabbi Hillel says... Rabbi Shammai says...'). Jesus taught on his own authority, without appealing to tradition. The noun exousia ('authority, power, right') implies both the right to speak and the power behind the words.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase 'in an unclean spirit' (en pneumati akathartō) describes the man as being under the spirit's domination — literally 'in' its sphere of influence. The unclean spirit's presence in the synagogue is jarring — the place of worship is invaded by the impure. Mark's use of euthys here connects the teaching about authority directly to the demonstration of that authority.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase ti hēmin kai soi ('what to us and to you?') is a Semitic idiom meaning 'what business do we have with each other?' or 'leave us alone.' The spirit alternates between plural ('us') and singular ('I know'), perhaps speaking for the entire demonic realm. The title 'Holy One of God' (ho hagios tou theou) demonstrates supernatural knowledge of Jesus's identity — a key element in Mark's messianic secret theme. The spirit's recognition contrasts sharply with human incomprehension throughout the Gospel.

Translator Notes

1. The verb epetimēsen ('rebuked') carries the force of a commanding reprimand. The imperative phimōthēti ('be muzzled, be silenced') is vivid — literally 'be muzzled' as one would muzzle an animal. Jesus's first miracle in Mark is an exorcism, establishing that his ministry is fundamentally a conflict with evil powers. The command to silence is the first instance of the messianic secret — Jesus does not want his identity proclaimed by demons.

Translator Notes

1. The verb sparaxan ('convulsed, tore at, threw into spasms') describes violent physical distress. The spirit's departure is not quiet or easy — it is violent and loud, demonstrating both the spirit's malice and Jesus's superior power. Despite the spirit's resistance, it cannot disobey Jesus's command.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek ethambēthēsan ('were amazed, alarmed, astonished') conveys not just wonder but a sense of alarm or awe — something unsettling has happened. The crowd links Jesus's teaching and his exorcism as two expressions of the same authority (exousia). The adjective kainē ('new') can mean new in kind (qualitatively unprecedented) rather than merely new in time — this is teaching unlike anything they have encountered.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek akoē ('report, news, fame, what is heard') literally means 'the hearing' — what people were saying and hearing about Jesus. Again euthys ('immediately') drives the narrative forward. The geographic scope — 'the whole surrounding region of Galilee' — shows how rapidly Jesus's reputation expanded.

Translator Notes

1. Again euthys marks the rapid transition. The four disciples just called now accompany Jesus. The house of Simon and Andrew in Capernaum becomes a base of operations. Archaeological excavations at Capernaum have identified a first-century house beneath the later 'Church of St. Peter' that tradition associates with this location.

Translator Notes

1. The detail that Simon had a mother-in-law presupposes he was married, a detail Paul confirms in 1 Corinthians 9:5. The verb katekeito ('was lying down') indicates she was bedridden. The impersonal 'they told him' reflects Mark's characteristic vagueness about who exactly is speaking.

Translator Notes

1. The verb ēgeiren ('raised') is the same verb used for resurrection throughout the New Testament. Mark may intend a double meaning — Jesus 'raises' Simon's mother-in-law from her sickbed, foreshadowing the greater raising to come. The verb diēkonei ('she was serving') uses the root from which 'deacon' comes; her immediate service demonstrates both complete healing and a model of discipleship as responsive service.

Translator Notes

1. The double time reference — 'evening' and 'after the sun had set' — is significant: the Sabbath ended at sundown, and only then could people carry the sick without violating Sabbath law. Mark shows the community's eagerness by noting they came as soon as they legally could. The distinction between those who are 'sick' (kakōs echontas, 'having it badly') and 'demon-possessed' (daimonizomenous) maintains two categories of affliction.

Translator Notes

1. Another Markan hyperbole — 'the whole town' (holē hē polis) creates a vivid image of the entire community crowding around the doorway of Simon's house. The periphrastic construction (ēn episynēgmenē) emphasizes the state of being gathered rather than the act of gathering — they were assembled and waiting.

Translator Notes

1. The shift from 'all' (v. 32) to 'many' (pollous) has been debated — does Mark mean he healed many but not all? More likely 'many' simply describes the large number healed from the large crowd brought. The silencing of demons (ouk ēphien lalein, 'he was not allowing them to speak') continues the messianic secret motif. The reason given — 'because they knew him' (hoti ēdeisan auton) — confirms that the demons possess supernatural knowledge of Jesus's identity that Jesus does not want publicly proclaimed at this stage.

Translator Notes

1. The piling up of temporal markers — prōi ('early morning'), ennycha ('while still night'), lian ('very') — emphasizes just how early Jesus rose. After the intense demands of the previous day, Jesus seeks solitude for prayer. Mark records Jesus praying at three key moments: here, at Gethsemane (14:32-42), and possibly by implication at other points. The imperfect prosēucheto ('he was praying') indicates extended, ongoing prayer, not a brief petition.

Translator Notes

1. The verb katediōxen ('pursued, hunted down, tracked') is much stronger than 'followed' — it implies an urgent, determined search. The KJV's 'followed after' is too gentle. Simon takes the initiative, already emerging as the leader and spokesman of the group.

Translator Notes

1. The disciples' report — 'everyone is looking for you' (pantes zētousin se) — reveals their expectation: the crowds want more miracles, and Jesus should return to meet the demand. The verb zēteō ('to seek, search for') is neutral here but will carry negative connotations later in Mark when opponents 'seek' to arrest Jesus.

Translator Notes

1. The word kōmopoleis ('market-towns') describes settlements larger than villages but smaller than cities — the small towns of rural Galilee. Jesus resists the pull of popular demand in Capernaum, insisting his mission extends beyond one location. The phrase eis touto gar exēlthon ('for this is why I came out') is ambiguous — 'came out' could mean from Capernaum, from his prayer retreat, or from God (a statement of divine mission). The ambiguity may be deliberate.

Translator Notes

1. This verse serves as a summary statement for Jesus's early Galilean ministry, linking proclamation and exorcism as the twin activities that characterize his mission. The synagogues were the natural venues for a traveling teacher, and their mention 'throughout all Galilee' indicates a comprehensive itinerant ministry.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek lepros traditionally rendered 'leper' covers a range of skin conditions described in Leviticus 13-14, not limited to modern Hansen's disease. 'Skin disease' is more accurate to the biblical category. The man's statement is remarkable — he does not doubt Jesus's power ('you can') but only questions his willingness ('if you are willing'). Kneeling (gonypetōn) expresses desperate supplication. Under Levitical law, a person with such a disease was ritually unclean and excluded from community life.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Leviticus 13-14 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek splanchnistheis ('moved with compassion') derives from splanchna ('intestines, bowels'), indicating a deep, visceral emotional response — compassion felt in the gut. Some manuscripts read orgistheis ('moved with anger') instead, which would describe anger at the disease or the system that ostracized the man. The SBLGNT follows the compassion reading. The physical touch is the most striking detail — by touching a ritually unclean person, Jesus would normally contract uncleanness himself. Instead, the cleanness flows in the opposite direction.

Translator Notes

1. The dual statement — the disease 'left' (apēlthen) and he 'was made clean' (ekatharisthē) — addresses both the physical condition and the ritual status. Healing and cleansing are distinct: the disease departs (medical), and the person is restored to cleanness (ritual/social). The word euthys again emphasizes the instantaneous nature of Jesus's healing power.

Translator Notes

1. The verb embrimēsamenos ('sternly warned, snorted with indignation') is a strong word that implies deep emotion — it is used of horses snorting. The intensity is puzzling: why such a forceful warning after a compassionate healing? Some scholars suggest Jesus was moved by anger at the disease, the social system that excluded the man, or the situation that would unfold if the healing became public. The verb exebalen ('sent away, cast out') is the same word used for casting out demons, adding to the forcefulness of the scene.

Translator Notes

1. The command to silence (the messianic secret) is combined with a command to obey the Levitical purification procedure of Leviticus 14:1-32. Jesus does not abolish the law but upholds it. The phrase eis martyrion autois ('as a testimony to them') is ambiguous — 'to them' could refer to the priests (as proof of healing), to the people (as evidence of God's power), or as a witness against the religious establishment. The double negative mēdeni mēden ('to no one, nothing') is emphatic — absolute silence is demanded.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Leviticus 14:1-32. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.

Translator Notes

1. The healed man's disobedience has ironic consequences — he does what Jesus commanded him not to do (proclaim the healing) and presumably neglects what Jesus commanded him to do (go to the priest). The verb diaphēmizein ('to spread abroad, make known far and wide') indicates enthusiastic, widespread broadcasting. The result inverts the leper's situation: the formerly excluded man now moves freely in society while Jesus, who touched the unclean, now remains outside in deserted places. Yet even in isolation, the crowds find him — the messianic secret cannot be contained.