1:11a

a voice came from heaven: The word voice is used figuratively here. It refers to the person who spoke in heaven. In this context, the voice was the voice of God. God spoke from heaven. The words in 1:11b are what God said to Jesus.

If it is not clear or natural to say a voice came from heaven in your language, here are some other ways to translate this clause:

a voice spoke from heaven
-or-
they heard a voice speaking from heaven
-or-
God spoke from heaven and said to Jesus…

heaven: Here the word heaven refers to the place where God lives. In some languages, you may need to use a different word than the word you used for “heaven” in 1:10b.

1:11b

You are My beloved Son: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as You are My beloved Son is literally “You are my son the loved-one.” The words “the loved-one” indicate that Jesus was God the Father’s dear Son. Be sure that it is clear in your translation that the word You refers to Jesus.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

You are my Son, the Beloved (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
You are my own dear Son. (Good News Bible)
-or-
You are my Son. I love you.

Son: The Bible uses the title Son to express the fact that Jesus has the same nature as God. The title also indicates that the relationship between God and Jesus, his Son, is similar in some way to the relationship of human fathers and sons. God does not have a physical body, and he did not create/produce Jesus in the way that a human father produces a son. Jesus existed eternally as the Son with his Father.

Even though this use of the word Son may be difficult for your readers to understand, it is important to use this title. You may wish to include a footnote in your translation about this title. See the note on “Son of God” in 1:1.

in You I am well pleased: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as in You I am well pleased means, “I am delighted with you” or “I am very pleased/satisfied with you.” Jesus caused God to feel pleasure and delight. A translation should not imply sexual pleasure.

Here are some other ways to express this meaning:

You make me very happy/pleased.
-or-
I have delight in you.

© 2008 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

1:13a

and He was there for forty days, being tempted by Satan: The phrase for forty days indicates the time period during which Jesus was tempted by Satan.

The verb being tempted is passive. In some languages it may be natural to use an active verb. For example:

He stayed there for forty days while Satan tempted him.

tempted: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as tempted has more than one meaning. Scholars differ about what it means in this context:

(1) It means “to try to cause someone to sin,” that is, “to entice/encourage someone to do what is wrong.” For example, the New International Version says:

being tempted by Satan (New International Version, 2011 edition)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, Good News Bible, Revised English Bible, New American Standard Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation, New Century Version, NET Bible, English Standard Version)

(2) It means “to test.” For example, the Contemporary English Version says:

while Satan tested him (Contemporary English Version)

(Contemporary English Version, New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most English versions and scholars.

In some languages, a statement such as “Satan tempted Jesus” implies that Jesus yielded to the temptation. If that is true in your language, you may need to make clear that Satan only tried to cause Jesus to sin. For example:

Satan tried to tempt him.

Satan: The word Satan is the Hebrew name of the chief or leader of all the evil spirits. In Hebrew his name means “enemy.” He is the enemy of God and God’s people. Here are some ways to translate Satan:

• Use a local name or idiom that refers to the chief of all demons.

• Use a descriptive phrase such as:

the chief/leader of the evil spirits
-or-
the spirit enemy of God

• Transliterate the name Satan. If this word is not already known in your area, you may also want to add a descriptive phrase. For example:

Satanas, the ruler of demons
-or-
Shaitan

If you transliterate Satan or borrow a word from another language, be sure that it communicates the biblical meaning to people in your culture. It is important to check this in each biblical context.

Try to use a term that will be acceptable to churches in the area. It is suggested that you also add a footnote or glossary entry that further explains who Satan is. For example:

Satan is the leader of all the evil spirits or demons. Once he was an angel in heaven, but he rebelled against God. God expelled him from heaven, and now he tempts people on earth. Here are other names for Satan that are used in the Bible: “Beelzebul,” “the Devil,” “the Evil One,” “the Enemy,” and “the Tempter.”

1:13b

He was with the wild animals: The phrase He was with the wild animals implies that no other people lived in this place where Jesus had gone. Jesus was in a desolate, uninhabited area where only wild animals lived.

He: The pronoun He refers to Jesus. In some languages it may be necessary to make it explicit that He refers to Jesus rather than to Satan.

1:13c

This part of the verse tells another fact about the time when Jesus was in the wilderness. Angels were helping him. This help contrasted with the difficulties that Mark mentioned in 1:13a–b, so the Good News Bible uses a connector that shows contrast:

Wild animals were there also, but angels came and helped him. (Good News Bible)

However, your translation should not imply that wild beasts would have harmed Jesus if the angels had not helped him. Connect this part of the verse to the context in a natural way in your language.

the angels ministered to Him: This is the first time that angels are mentioned in the book of Mark. In some languages, it may be necessary to introduce them in some way before saying that they attended Jesus. For example:

and there were angels who took care of him
-or-
and some angels came and gave him what he needed

the angels: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as angels means “messengers.” It refers here to spirit beings who serve God. Sometimes God sends an angel to give a message to human beings. He also sends angels to serve him in other ways. Some ways to translate this term are:

• Use a descriptive word or phrase. For example:

messengers from God/heaven
-or-
good/holy spirit-beings

• Use a local term that fits the biblical meaning.

• In some areas the churches may already be using a borrowed term or a transliterated word for “angel.” If you use this term, be sure that it fits the biblical meaning. If some people do not understand the right meaning from it, you may need to indicate the meaning in some way. For example:

an angelos messenger from God
-or-
a sacred angelos spirit

Be sure that your term for “angel” is different from your terms for “prophet” and “apostle.” See angel, Meaning 1, in the Glossary for a chart that shows the differences in these three terms.

ministered to Him: In this context, the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as ministered to Him means “served him.” It indicates that angels helped him in various ways.

According to Matthew 4:11, the angels came after Satan had finished tempting Jesus. However, the verb form here in Mark indicates that the angels helped Jesus over a period of time or perhaps at various times. Your translation should have that meaning.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

took care of him (New Living Translation)
-or-
helped him (Good News Bible)

© 2008 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

Section 1:14–15

Jesus began to preach to people

In this section Mark told how Jesus began to preach in Galilee after Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness.

It is good to translate the section before you decide what heading to use for it. Here is another idea for this section heading:

The beginning of Jesus’ work

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 4:12–17; Luke 4:14–15; John 1:43a.

Paragraph 1:14–15

1:14a

After the arrest of John: Mark assumed that his readers already knew the time when John was put in prison. The purpose of the clause is to help the readers know the approximate time when the next event happened.

In some languages it may be confusing to start a new section of a story in this way. If that is true in your language, you may need to present the information in a different order. You may need to first state that John was put in prison, then indicate that Jesus went into Galilee after that. For example:

When some time went by, John was arrested and put in prison. After that, Jesus went into Galilee…

In other languages you may need to change the order of the clauses in this verse. See the General Comment on 1:14a–b for a suggestion.

After: Jesus went to Galilee After John had been put in prison. We do not know how much time passed between John’s imprisonment and Jesus’ trip to Galilee. You should use a general time expression if possible.

the arrest of John: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as arrest indicates that John was taken to government authorities for punishment.

Here is another way to translate the word, as the Revised Standard Version has done:

John was arrested (Revised Standard Version)

The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the arrest is passive and can be translated more literally as “was delivered over.” In some languages, you may need to use an active verb and supply the person who put John in prison. Mark 6:14–29 indicates that King Herod was the ruler who caused John to be put in prison.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

Later on, after King Herod had put John in prison…
-or-
After Herod had caused his men to put John in prison

You may also want to include a footnote mentioning Mark 6:14–29. A sample footnote is:

The story about when John the Baptizer was put in prison and killed is found in Mark 6:14–29.

John: The name John refers to John the Baptist. If this will not be clear to your readers, you may use the same title as you did in 1:4a.

1:14b

Jesus went: Mark 1:9 indicates that Jesus came from Galilee, so in some languages, it may be more natural to say here that Jesus returned to Galilee.

into Galilee: If you identified Galilee in 1:9a as a region/province, you may not have to make that information explicit again here. Consider whether it is natural in your language to mention this again.

proclaimed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as proclaimed is the same word that is translated as “preaching” in 1:4b. It means to publicly tell people something important. The verb form used here implies that Jesus preached the good news repeatedly as he traveled from place to place in Galilee.

Here are some other ways to translate proclaimed in this context:

announced
-or-
told people

the gospel of God: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the gospel here is the same word that was translated as “gospel” in 1:1. The phrase gospel of God means the “gospel from God.” (There is a textual issue in 1:14b: (1) Some Greek manuscripts have the gospel of God. For example, the Revised Standard Version says: “preaching the gospel of God” (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Bible, Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, English Standard Version, NET Bible, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation, Contemporary English Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, New Century Version). (2) Some Greek manuscripts have the gospel of the kingdom of God. For example, the King James Version says: “preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God” (King James Version). It is recommended that you follow option (1).)

General Comment on 1:14a–b

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of the information in this verse. For example:

14aAfter that, 14bJesus went to Galilee and told people Good News that came from God. 14a(At that time John had already been put in prison.) 14bIn his preaching Jesus said….

© 2008 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

1:15a

This verse quotes words that Jesus said as he preached. See the note on “he said” below.

The time is fulfilled: The clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as The time is fulfilled indicates that the time that God had appointed and chosen for the Messiah to begin his work had arrived.

Here are some other ways to say this:

The right time has come (Good News Bible)
-or-
The appointed/designated time is here

This clause is passive. In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit that God was the one who decided the time. For example:

The time that God designated has arrived
-or-
Now is the time that God chose

In some languages it might be more natural to use the word “day” instead of time with the verbs “arrived” or “has come.” Use word combinations that are natural in your language.

He said: In Greek, the phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as He said is literally, “and saying.” It identifies Jesus as the speaker. Use a natural way in your language to identify the speaker of a quote. In Greek the phrase occurs at the beginning of 1:15a. Place this information wherever it is natural in your language.

1:15b

the kingdom of God: The phrase kingdom of God refers to God’s activity of ruling and caring for his people as their king. It does not refer to a land or country that he rules over. It refers to the relationship that he has with his people. He leads, protects, and cares for them. They obey, trust, and submit to him as their king.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

• As a noun. For example:

God’s rule/reign
-or-
God’s kingship
-or-
God’s chieftaincy
-or-
God’s government

• As a verbal expression:

God rules his people
-or-
God cares for his people as King

See also kingdom of God, Context 3, in the Glossary.

is near: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as is near is literally “has approached.” Here it probably indicates that God was establishing his rule in a new way in this world. (There is disagreement among the scholars as to whether this phrase means near spatially (i.e., already here, in the person of Jesus) or near in time (God will soon rule over people through the ministry that the Messiah is just beginning). No versions unambiguously follow the first interpretation. In the context of the preceding words “The time has come,” it seems more likely that “near” is a temporal expression rather than a spatial one. However, it also seems likely that “near” does not rule out the idea that God’s rule was already beginning through Jesus’ work.)

Here are some other ways the entire clause may be translated:

God has established his chieftaincy here and now.
-or-
God has come as King for his people.

1:15c

Repent and believe in the gospel: This statement is a command that is based on the fact that God’s rule is near. In some languages this relationship is indicated with a connector like “so” or “therefore.” Use a natural way in your language to indicate the relationship.

Repent: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Repent means for a person “to change his mind, heart, or will.” In the Bible, it refers specifically to changing the mind and heart about sin and about God. When a person repents, he is sorry for his past sins. He decides to stop sinning and obey God.

Here are some other ways to translate Repent in this context:

Change your thinking/mind/heart
-or-
Reject your sins to live/be for God

In some languages, you may have an idiom for this type of change. For example:

Turn from sin to God
-or-
Leave your sinning behind

See how you translated the word “repentance” at 1:4c.

believe in the gospel: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as believe in the gospel means “to accept that the gospel is true.” In this context the gospel is the statement in 1:15b that the kingdom of God is near.

believe: The word believe here implies that the person who believes will act on the good news by committing himself to God.

In some languages it may be good to use more than one verb to express this type of belief. For example:

believe and trust in this gospel
-or-
believe and act on this gospel

See believe, meaning 1, in the Glossary.

the gospel: In this context, the phrase the gospel probably refers to the statement that Jesus had just made about the kingdom of God being near. It also refers to the “gospel of God” in 1:14b.

Here are some ways to specify this:

his gospel
-or-
this good news

© 2008 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

Section 1:16–20

Jesus chose his first four disciples

The previous section indicated that Jesus went to Galilee and was preaching in various places in that region. This section describes two events that happened near Lake Galilee during that time.

The Notes has two paragraphs for these events. In 1:16–18 Jesus chose his first two disciples. In 1:19–20 he chose his next two disciples. In some languages it may be more natural to tell about these two events in one paragraph. Make natural paragraphs for your language.

For information on the word “disciples,” see the note in 2:15b.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.

Here are some other ideas for section headings:

Jesus’ first disciples
-or-
Jesus chose his first disciples

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 4:18–22 and Luke 5:1–11.

Paragraph 1:16–18

1:16a

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee: This clause introduces the next event and tells where it happened. The previous section told what Jesus was doing over a period of time. Because of that, it may be helpful here to indicate that the event in this paragraph happened on a particular day. For example, the New Living Translation, 1996 edition says:

One day as Jesus was walking along the shores of the Sea of Galilee (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

beside: The word beside indicates that Jesus was walking along the shore. Use a natural word in your language to refer to the land close to the edge of a lake.

the Sea of Galilee: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Sea of Galilee refers to an inland lake that had fresh water. Use an appropriate word in your language for this type of lake. For example:

Lake Galilee (Contemporary English Version)

Lake Galilee was about 21 kilometers long and 11 kilometers wide (13.1 miles long and 6.9 miles wide). If your language has different words for “lake” based on its size, this information may help you decide which word to use.

If lakes are not known in your area, consider using a descriptive phrase. For example:

wide pond
-or-
broad pool

1:16b

Simon: This is the first time that Simon is mentioned in the book of Mark. Jesus later named him “Peter” (3:16b). You may wish to add a footnote about that here. For example:

Simon was also called Peter (see Mark 3:16).

and his brother Andrew: Andrew was Simon’s brother. The text does not indicate whether he was the older brother or the younger brother. However, most scholars believe that Peter was the older brother. It is also likely that Peter and Andrew had the same father and mother. Use the appropriate term in your language to refer to this relationship.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

the brother/sibling-pair, Simon and Andrew
-or-
Simon and Andrew, his younger sibling

1:16c

casting a net: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as casting a net refers to throwing a net into the water to catch fish. The person who casts the net may stand either on shore or in a boat.

In some languages it may be difficult to translate the idea of throwing a net into the water. Do not use a phrase that implies that the brothers were throwing their nets away. In some languages it may be good to use a more general expression. For example:

catching fish with a net (Good News Bible)
-or-
fishing with a net (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

net: The type of net that was used in this context was made of string or thread. The string was knotted together to form a circle and small weights were attached to the edges to make it sink quickly. It was small enough for one man to handle.

into the sea: In areas where people are familiar with net fishing, it may not be necessary to include the words into the sea. If that is true in your language, you may leave the information implicit.

1:16d

for they were fishermen: This clause explains the reason that Simon and Andrew were fishing with a net. The reason is because they were fishermen.

fishermen: The word fishermen refers to men who catch fish and sell them to earn a living. That is their work or occupation. If your translation of “casting a net” in 1:16c used a phrase like “to catch fish,” you may be able to use a more general expression here. For example:

because that was their work

© 2008 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

1:17a

Come, follow Me: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Come, follow Me is literally “Come after me.” Jesus said this to invite Simon and Andrew to go with him and become his disciples. Jesus did not simply want them to walk along behind him. He wanted them to be with him and learn from him. In some languages you may need to indicate this explicitly. For example:

Come, be my disciples (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

See disciple in the Glossary for information on how to translate it.

Jesus said: The Berean Standard Bible has placed the phrase Jesus said in the middle of what Jesus was saying. In the Greek text it comes before Jesus’ words. In some languages, the phrase Jesus said would occur after his words in 1:17b. You should place this phrase wherever it is most natural in your language.

1:17b

I will make you fishers of men: This statement is a figure of speech. It indicates that Jesus would train the disciples to gain people for the kingdom of God. This work of gaining people contrasted with their work of gaining fish.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

I will teach you how to catch people instead of fish. (God’s Word)
-or-
I will show you how to fish for people! (New Living Translation)

In some languages an expression like “catch people” may imply a wrong meaning. It may imply that they were going to gather people to do forced labor or that they were going to catch criminals. In other languages it may not be possible to use a phrase like “fish for people.”

If that is true in your language, here are some other ways to translate it:

I will teach you how to bring in people instead of fish (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
You have been gaining fish, but now I will show you how to gain people to believe in me.
-or-
Your work has been to catch fish. But now I will teach you to do the work of bringing people to me.

If a literal translation of 1:17b is well known in a major language version in your area, you may want to mention this literal wording in a footnote. For example:

Here is a more literal translation of these words: “I will teach you to fish for people.”

make you: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as make you is literally “make you to become.” It means “teach or train you” to do a different kind of work. It does not imply that Jesus would force them to change their work.

men: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as men refers to people in general. It does not refer only to males.

General Comment on 1:17a–b

In some languages it may be more natural to reorder the parts of 1:17a–b. For example:

17aHe said to them, “17bUntil now your(dual) work has been to catch fish. 17aCome(dual) with me and become(dual) my disciples 17band then I will teach you(dual) to do the work of persuading people to believe in me.”

© 2008 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.