SIL Translator’s Notes on Mark 2008 – Page 4

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 1:27

Paragraph 1:27–28

This paragraph indicates that the people in the synagogue were amazed when the unclean spirit left. They were amazed that Jesus had the authority to cause unclean spirits to obey him.

1:27a

All the people were amazed: In some languages it may be natural to say what amazed the people here. For example:

All the people were amazed at/by this
-or-
This miracle that Jesus had done amazed all the people
-or-
The people all thought, “He certainly has special/great power!”

See the General Comment on 1:27a–b at the end of 1:27b for ways to translate the relationship between 1:27a and 1:27b.

All the people: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as All the people is literally “all” or “everyone.” It refers to all the people in the synagogue who had just seen Jesus cause the evil spirit to leave the man.

amazed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as amazed also means “astonished,” “shocked,” or “stunned.” It is not the same Greek word as the one used in 1:22a, but it has a similar meaning. There may be a idiom in your language to express the people’s shock and amazement. For example:

[All who were there] widened their eyes
-or-
[The people all] had their mouths open

1:27b

began to ask one another: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as began to ask one another can mean “discussed with one another” or “debated with one another.” It does not only mean that the people asked each other questions. 1:27c gives the content of what the people asked or discussed with each other.

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

they discussed what had happened. They asked one another:
-or-
they asked one another, saying:

General Comment on 1:27a–b

In Greek, 1:27b begins with a word that introduces a result. In this context it indicates that the statement “began to ask one another” in 1:27b is the result of the people being amazed in 1:27a.

Here are some different ways this relationship may be expressed:

The people were all so amazed that (New International Version)
-or-
Everyone was stunned. They said to each other… (God’s Word)
-or-
Amazement gripped the audience, and they began to discuss what had happened. (New Living Translation)

Notice that in the God’s Word version, the result relationship is implied. In the New Living Translation, the word “and” implies “and so.” Translate this relationship in a way that is clear and natural in your language.

1:27c–d

A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits: There are two ways to understand how the phrase with authority relates to the context:

(1) The phrase with authority relates to “a new teaching.” It means that Jesus’ teaching had authority. For example:

It must be some new kind of powerful teaching! (Contemporary English Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Century Version, New Living Translation, Contemporary English Version)

(2) The phrase with authority relates to “He commands even the unclean spirits.” It means that Jesus commanded the unclean spirits with authority. For example:

This man has authority to give orders to the evil spirits (Good News Bible)

(Revised Standard Version, Good News Bible)

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

1:27c

What is this?: This is a rhetorical question. It expresses surprise. There are at least three ways to translate this rhetorical question:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

What sort of new teaching is this? (New Living Translation)
-or-
What is happening here? (New Century Version)

• As a statement or exclamation. For example:

This is amazing.
-or-
Wow! Amazing!

• As a tag question. For example:

This is amazing, isn’t it?

Some languages may have an idiom that expresses amazement. Use a natural way to express this type of amazement in your language.

A new teaching with authority!: The Berean Standard Bible translates the phrase A new teaching with authority as an exclamation that answers the rhetorical question. There is no verb in this exclamation. There are many other acceptable ways to translate this phrase. Here are some other possibilities:

• Combine the phrase with the rhetorical question at the beginning of 1:27c. For example, the New Living Translation says:

“What sort of new teaching is this?” they asked excitedly. “It has such authority!” (New Living Translation)

• Include some words to make the phrase into a sentence. For example, the God’s Word says:

This is a new teaching that has authority behind it! (God’s Word)

Translate in a way that will effectively express the people’s surprise at Jesus’ new and authoritative way of teaching.

A new teaching: The phrase A new teaching refers to the way Jesus taught. The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as new means that the people had never before seen or heard anyone teach that way. Jesus’ manner of teaching was different and amazing. (The Greek word kainos means “new” in quality, in other words, different, strange or remarkable. It is distinct from the Greek word neos, which means “new” in time (BAGD page 394, Cranfield page 81, Robertson page 261). Louw and Nida (page 645, #67.115) focus on the meaning “previously unknown.”) A new teaching does not imply that Jesus’ current teaching was different from his previous teaching.

with authority: The characteristic of Jesus’ teaching that made it “new” or “amazing” or “different” is that he taught with authority. He showed absolute certainty about the truth of what he taught. See the note on 1:22b for an explanation of authority in this context.

1:27d

He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him: In this sentence the people indicated that they were amazed that Jesus had such great authority. Their statement means that Jesus even had the power to command unclean spirits to leave the people whom they were possessing.

they obey Him: The phrase they obey Him implies that the unclean spirits were forced to obey Jesus. They had to do what he told them even though they did not want to.

In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit the content of Jesus’ command. For example:

He even orders unclean spirits to leave people, and the unclean spirits obey him.

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of the clauses in 1:27d. For example:

Even unclean spirits must obey him when he commands them to leave!

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 1:28

1:28

And: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And introduces what happened next as a result of the events of the previous verses. Some English versions leave this connection implied. In some languages it may be natural to indicate the connection in some way. Use a natural way in your language to express a concluding event that is the result of previous actions in the story.

the news about Jesus spread quickly through the whole region of Galilee: This sentence indicates that people kept telling others about what Jesus had done. Before long, people throughout the region or province of Galilee had heard about it. It did not take long for this to happen.

Here are some other ways to translate this sentence:

People spread the news about what Jesus had done, and soon people all over Galilee had heard about it.
-or-
The people who were there told others what had happened. Within a short time people in every part of Galilee learned about it.

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SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 1:29

Section 1:29–34

Jesus healed many people and expelled many evil spirits

In this section Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law from a fever. Then the people in the town of Capernaum brought many other sick people to him, and he healed them all. They also brought many people who were bothered by evil spirits, and he made the evil spirits leave them.

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

Jesus heals many people

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 8:14–17 and Luke 4:38–41.

Paragraph 1:29–31

The events in this paragraph happened soon after Jesus expelled the evil spirit in the synagogue (1:26) but before the events in 1:28. Jesus and his disciples left the synagogue before the news about him spread throughout Galilee.

In some languages, it may be necessary to make the order of the events clear. Here are some ways to do this:

• Use a word or form that indicates that they left the synagogue before the events in 1:28 happened. For example:

Meanwhile, Jesus and his disciples left the synagogue.

• Make the connection with 1:26 explicit here in 1:29. For example:

After Jesus had caused the evil spirit to leave, he and his disciples left the synagogue.

Use a natural way in your language to make the order of events clear.

1:29a

As soon as: In this context the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as As soon as means that after Jesus and his disciples left the synagogue, they went directly to the home of Simon and Andrew. Nothing else happened between these two events. The God’s Word has one way to express this meaning:

After they left the synagogue, they went directly to the house of Simon and Andrew. (God’s Word)

Jesus and His companions had left the synagogue: Here, the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Jesus and His companions had left is more literally “they had left.” There is a textual issue here:

(1) Some Greek manuscripts say they left. The pronoun they refers to Jesus and some of his disciples. For example, the New International Version has:

As soon as they left the synagogue (New International Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, New Living Translation, 1996 edition, New Century Version, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, Good News Bible)

(2) Some Greek manuscripts say he left. The pronoun “he” refers to Jesus. For example, the Revised Standard Version has:

And immediately he left the synagogue (Revised Standard Version)

(Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, English Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with most versions and Greek manuscripts. (The UBS4 (page 121) gives this a B rating, indicating that the text is almost certain.) It is clear from 1:29b that Jesus left the synagogue along with his disciples. (There is good reason to believe that some copyists chose the singular form of the verb in order to keep the focus on Jesus and to avoid the unclear reading “they came…with James and John.” (Metzger page 64 and EH page 31).)

In some languages it may be necessary to use a specific phrase to indicate that they refers to Jesus’ disciples. This may be especially needed if you have a section heading before 1:29. The Good News Bible has:

Jesus and his disciples, including James and John (Good News Bible)

1:29b

they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew: Mark probably included the phrase with James and John to help his readers understand that these two men accompanied Jesus when he went to Simon and Andrew’s house. (It is not clear in Greek whether Simon and Andrew were with Jesus in the synagogue or whether they were waiting for Jesus and the other disciples at their house. Most versions and scholars understand that all four disciples were with Jesus in the synagogue. That is certainly implied from the preceding paragraph.) Be careful not to imply that James and John also owned the house. In Greek the information about James and John comes at the end of this verse. In some languages it may be helpful to follow this order. For example:

…they went directly to the house of Simon and Andrew. James and John went with them. (God’s Word)
-or-
…they went over to Simon and Andrew’s home, and James and John were with them. (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

to the home of Simon and Andrew: The phrase the home of Simon and Andrew means “the home where Simon and Andrew lived.” Andrew also lived in the house with his older brother Simon and Simon’s wife and mother-in-law.

to: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to usually means “into.” Here it indicates that Jesus and his disciples “went into” the house. For example, the New Revised Standard Version says:

they entered the house (New Revised Standard Version)

It is implied that they first went to the house or arrived at the house. Use a way that is natural in your language to indicate that they went to the house and entered.

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SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 1:30

1:30a

This part of the verse gives background information. It directs the reader’s attention to Simon’s mother-in-law and provides the context for what Jesus did in 1:31a. Introduce this background information in a natural way in your language.

Simon’s mother-in-law: The phrase Simon’s mother-in-law refers to the mother of Simon’s wife. Use a natural term in your language for “wife’s mother.”

In some languages, certain kinship terms do not indicate whether the person is a man or a woman. If that is true in your language, you may have to specify that she was female. For example:

Simon’s female parent-in-law
-or-
the mother of Simon’s spouse

was sick in bed with a fever: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as was sick in bed with a fever is literally “was-lying-down having-a-fever.” It indicates that Simon’s mother-in-law was sick. She had a fever, so she was lying down.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

was lying down because she was sick with fever
-or-
was sick. She had a fever and was lying in her bed

In some cultures it may be unusual for the mother of a man’s wife to live in the same house as the married couple. If that is true in your culture, your readers may think that Jesus went to a different house to help the sick woman. You may need to say explicitly that she was in Simon’s house. For example:

Simon’s mother-in-law was lying down there in the house. She had a fever.

1:30b

and they promptly told Jesus about her: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and…promptly is more literally “and immediately” (see the Revised Standard Version). This is the same phrase that was used in 1:12. See the note on “at once” in 1:12. Here it indicates that the next action took place immediately after Jesus and his disciples entered the house. (Other instances of the Greek phrase (kai euthus) that is often translated as “immediately” have indicated a significant new event in the story, but that does not seem to be the function here. Nor does it seem reasonable to think that this phrase indicates surprise. That someone would tell Jesus about the situation hardly seems surprising. Logically, the traditional meaning “immediately” makes the most sense.) For example:

They told Jesus about her right away. (New Living Translation)
-or-
The first thing they did was to tell Jesus about her. (God’s Word)

The phrase about her in this context probably means “about her sickness.” In some languages it may be necessary to specify what they told Jesus about the woman. For example:

they promptly told Jesus that she was sick

In other languages this information is clear from the context, and it may be more natural to leave it implied. For example:

Without delay they told Jesus.

they … told Jesus about her: The text does not say to whom the pronoun they refers. If you must supply a subject, you may provide a general subject such as “some people.”

Here are some other ways to translate this:

Jesus was told about her
-or-
there were those who told Jesus about her
-or-
some of the people there told Jesus about her
-or-
Jesus heard about her

General Comment on 1:30a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to start this verse with 1:30b. 1:30a may be expressed as an indirect quote or a direct quote. For example:

30bPeople there told Jesus right away that 30aSimon’s mother-in-law had a fever and was lying down in her bed.
-or-
30bAs soon as they entered, there were people who said to Jesus, 30a“Simon’s wife’s mother has a fever. She is in her bed, lying down.”

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SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 1:31

1:31a

So: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So is a common connector that is often translated as “and,” as in the Revised Standard Version. It connects a sequence of events in a story. In this context the Berean Standard Bible uses So because it also introduces what Jesus did as a result of what the people told him. Connect this verse to 1:30 in a natural way in your language.

He went to her: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as went to is literally “having approached.” In this context it indicates that Jesus came and stood close to where the woman was lying.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

So Jesus approached the place where she was lying
-or-
He went to where the woman was

took her by the hand, and helped her up: The phrase took her by the hand, and helped her up means that Jesus grasped one of the woman’s hands in order to help her to sit or stand up.

took her by the hand: In some languages it is necessary to specify whether Jesus grasped the woman’s left hand or right hand. You may choose whatever one would be more appropriate in your language. The Greek text does not specify which hand.

helped her up: The phrase helped her up means that Jesus helped her to rise from a lying position. It is not clear whether he helped her to sit or to stand. If you need to specify one or the other, you should choose “stand.”

1:31b

The fever left her: The phrase The fever left her means that the woman’s body cooled and became normal again, and she was well. The context implies that she became well immediately. The phrase The fever left her may be expressed differently in some languages. For example:

she became healthy
-or-
her fever/body cooled

and she began to serve them: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as she began to serve them indicates that the woman served or passed food and drink to them. The Contemporary English Version says:

she served them a meal (Contemporary English Version)

A translation should not imply that she cooked food for them. 1:12b and 1:32a indicate that Jesus healed her on the Sabbath day, and the law of the Jews forbade people to cook food on that day. (A number of scholars comment that the woman prepared a meal, but the TRT (pages 15–16) reminds us of the importance of understanding an event in its historical context. According to the Jewish law, all food to be eaten on the Sabbath day had to be prepared the previous day.)

them: Here the pronoun them refers to Jesus and his disciples.

Paragraph 1:32–34

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SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 1:32

1:32a

That evening, after sunset: The phrase That evening, after sunset refers to early evening, shortly after the sun had set. There was a special reason why the people waited until sunset to bring the sick people to Jesus. The Sabbath, the Jewish rest day, ended at sunset. The Jewish law did not allow people to work on the Sabbath, and they considered it work to carry a sick person.

In many areas the reason that people waited until sunset will not be clear. If that is true in your language, you may want to indicate the reason in some way. For example:

• Translate the cultural meaning of sunset rather than the literal term. For example:

That evening, after the rest day had ended

• Provide a footnote. For example:

The Jewish law did not allow people to work on the Sabbath, and they considered it work to carry a sick person. So they waited until the Sabbath ended at sunset before bringing the sick people to Jesus.

1:32b

people: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as people is literally “they.” This word refers here to the people who lived in Capernaum. It does not refer specifically to the people who were in the house of Simon and Andrew.

Here is another way to say this:

people in the town brought to Jesus all the sick and those who had demons

brought to Jesus: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as brought indicates that people helped those who were sick to go to Jesus. They may have carried them or supported them as they walked. The form of the word here indicates that this action happened repeatedly. People started bringing the sick to Jesus after sunset and kept bringing them one after the other.

all who were sick and demon-possessed: The phrase all who were sick and demon-possessed refers to two kinds of people: those who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. The word all is a figure of speech here. It emphasizes that very many people were brought to Jesus. The New Living Translation translates it as:

many sick and demon-possessed people (New Living Translation)

demon-possessed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as demon-possessed indicates that demons controlled the people’s thoughts and actions. The word demon refers to the same type of spirit as the Greek terms that are often translated as “evil spirit” and “unclean spirit.”

So you may translate demon-possessed in the same way you translated “with an unclean spirit.” See the note on 1:23a.

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SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 1:33

1:33

the whole town: The phrase the whole town is a figure of speech that represents the people who lived in the town. It is also a hyperbole. It refers here to many or most people in the town. It does not literally mean “every person.”

The previous verse already said that all the sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. So the phrase the whole town refers to an even larger group of people that includes those who were not sick or bringing the sick. The meaning may be translated in various ways. For example:

In fact, the whole town (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
a huge crowd of people from all over Capernaum (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

gathered at the door: The phrase gathered at the door refers to the area outside the house in front of the door.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

gathered in front of the house (Good News Bible)
-or-
gathered in the yard of the house

Use a natural way in your language to refer to a large number of people who come and gather outside a house.

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SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 1:34

1:34a

And He healed many: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as many in this context refers to all the sick people who came to Jesus to be healed. In some languages a literal translation might imply that Jesus did not heal all the sick people who came to him. If that is true in your language, you will need to translate in a different way. For example:

And he healed the many sick people
-or-
Jesus healed great numbers of sick people (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)
-or-
Jesus healed all kinds of terrible diseases (Contemporary English Version)

healed: The word healed means “cured” or “made well.” In this context it indicates that Jesus cured people miraculously. He did not use medicine to cure them. In some languages there is no term that refers unambiguously to miraculous healing. If that is true in your language, you may be able to use a more general expression that is correctly understood in this context. For example:

caused to become well
-or-
helped

Make sure that the expression you use refers clearly to miraculous healing.

various diseases: The phrase various diseases indicates here that Jesus healed many kinds of sicknesses. It does not imply that each sick person had several different diseases.

1:34b

and drove out many demons: Jesus drove out demons by commanding the demons to leave. In some languages it may be necessary to translate this clause by using a direct quote. For example:

and commanded many demons, saying, “Leave(sing) that person.”

If you use a direct quote, you may need to decide whether to use a singular or plural form of a verb like “leave.” Jesus commanded many demons, but he probably commanded them one at a time. Use what is natural in your language for this kind of situation.

drove out: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as drove out is literally “cast/threw out.” In this context it means that Jesus caused many evil spirits to stop controlling people. He did this by commanding the evil spirits to leave, as 1:25b indicates.

Jewish people often spoke of evil spirits as being in someone. Different cultures have different ways of speaking about people being controlled by demons and being released from the control of demons. Use a natural expression for this in your language.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

sent the demons away
-or-
exorcized the evil spirits
-or-
freed people who were controlled by an evil spirit

many demons: There were many demons that were disturbing the people who came to Jesus. He expelled these demons from the people. The phrase many demons does not imply that Jesus did not expel some of the demons. In some languages it may be necessary to make this clear. For example:

the many demons
-or-
all the demons

For the word demons, see the note in 1:32b. See also evil spirit in the Glossary.

1:34c

But: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But is often translated as “and,” as in the Revised Standard Version. In this context it connects two things that Jesus did to the demons. He expelled the demons from people, and he would not let them speak. Connect these two clauses in a natural way in your language.

He would not allow the demons to speak: As in 1:34b, it may be more natural in some languages to express this clause as a direct quote. For example:

…he ordered them, “Be(sing) silent.”

If you use a direct quote here, you may need to decide whether to use a singular or plural form of the verb or pronoun. See the note in 1:34b.

Some languages use different commands for a person of higher status and lower status. If that is true in your language, you should use a form that is appropriate for a person of higher status giving orders to someone of lower status.

1:34d

because they knew who He was: The clause they knew who He was means in this context that the demons knew that Jesus was the Son of God and the Christ/Messiah. See 1:11 and 1:24. It does not mean that the demons merely knew that his name was Jesus or that he was Mary’s son. (Jesus did not want the demons to reveal who he was, because he did not want information about himself to be revealed by evil powers. He also did not want people to find out that he was the Messiah before he had accomplished what God wanted him to do.)

You should translate the phrase who He was in a general way if possible. If a general phrase is not possible or if people understand it to refer to Jesus’ name, you may use an expression similar to the one that you used in 1:24. For example:

they knew that he was the Son of God
-or-
they knew that he was the Christ/Messiah

General Comment on 1:34c–d

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of 1:34c and 1:34d. For example:

34d But because they knew who he was, 34che refused to allow the demons to speak. (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 2008

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 1:27

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 1:28

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 1:29

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 1:30

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 1:31

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 1:32

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 1:33

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 1:34

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