Text:

Instead of splagchnistheis ‘moved with pity’ a few manuscripts and versions read orgistheis ‘moved with anger.’ This reading has been adopted as original by Kilpatrick, Turner, Taylor and Manson. Turner’s comments aptly summarize the arguments in favor of orgistheis: (1) it is the more difficult reading; (2) Matthew and Luke have nothing corresponding to either ‘moved with pity’ or ‘moved with anger’ but there is nothing to explain why they would omit ‘moved with pity’; they further omit embrimēsamenos ‘sternly urged’ in v. 43 (as well as met’ orges ‘with anger’ in 3.5); and (3) embrimēsamenos ‘sternly urged’ in v. 43 shows that there is indignation on the part of Jesus. There are various explanations for the anger of Jesus, e.g. (1) indignation at the disease or the evil power which caused the disease and (2) anger at the doubt placed on Jesus’ willingness to cure the leper. The observation has been made that no reason is actually given, but there can be no doubt that there was anger and irritation on the part of Jesus toward the man; embrimēsamenos ‘sternly urged’ and exebalen ‘drove him out’ in v. 43 clearly reveal that Jesus was angry with the man. The suggestion is made that perhaps the man approached Jesus as the Messiah.

Exegesis:

splagchnistheis (6.34; 8.2; 9.22) ‘moved with pity’: the verb is derived from splagchnon, whose plural splagchna ‘the inward parts’ included heart, liver, lungs, etc., as the seat of emotion (the same as heart in current English). The verb splagchnizomai ‘have pity,’ ‘feel sympathy,’ first appears in Biblical Greek. The participle in this verse is causal, ‘because he was moved with pity he extended his hand….’

ekteinas (3.5) ‘stretching out,’ ‘extending,’ ‘reaching out.’

hēpsato (3.10; 5.27, 28, 30, 31; 6.56; 7.33; 8.22; 10.13) ‘he touched’: the verb haptomai literally means ‘fasten to,’ ‘cling to,’ ‘take hold of.’

Translation:

Probably either in verse 40 or 41 it will be necessary to substitute ‘Jesus’ for one of the third person singular pronouns (e.g. in Southern Subanen), since otherwise the reference can become obscure, especially for the slow reader or for one who begins a section at verse 40.

Moved with pity is often paralleled by a figurative expression in other languages, e.g. ‘to see someone with sorrow’ (Piro) and ‘to suffer with someone’ (Huastec), and ‘one’s mind to be as it were out of one’ (Balinese). The dependent expression may, of course, be made coordinate in some languages, e.g. ‘he pitied the man and stretched out his hand.’

Touched him, perhaps no more than with the fingers, but this was what others would not do, in view of the unclean state of the man.

The translation of I will should be as closely related as possible to the corresponding expression in 1.40 ‘if you will.’ In some languages it is simply ‘I desire to do so.’

Be clean involves two difficulties: (1) the use of a verb meaning ‘to clean’ when speaking of a disease such as leprosy (see 1.40), and (2) the passive form of the verb in an imperative mode, a form for which many languages have no close equivalent. In some languages the nearest approximation is ‘I make you well,’ ‘I heal you now,’ or ‘now you are well’ (Sayula Popoluca).

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .