Translation commentary on Mark 14:9

Exegesis:

hopou ean (cf. 6.10; 9.18; 14.14; cf. hopou an 6.56) ‘wherever,’ ‘wheresoever.’

kēruchthē (cf. 1.4) ‘be preached,’ ‘be proclaimed.’

to euaggelion (cf. 1.1) ‘the Gospel.’

holon ton kosmon (cf. 8.36) ‘the whole world,’ ‘all the world.’

kai ho epoiēsen hautē ‘what she did will also (be told)’: kai ‘and’ here means ‘also’ and should be included in translation.

mnēmosunon (only here in Mark) ‘memory,’ ‘memorial.’

Translation:

For truly as employed in this verse see 8.12.

Wherever may be translated in some instances as ‘in all the places that.’

The gospel is preached can be recast in the active form as ‘wherever they will preach the good news’ (Ekari).

Is preached, though present in form, must usually be translated by some form which can refer to the future.

Wherever and in the whole world may need to be more closely combined in some languages, e.g. ‘wherever in the whole world the good news is preached’ or ‘in all the places in the whole world in which the good news will be announced.’

Will be told can be rendered in an active form ‘people will tell.’

In memory of her may be recast as a verb phrase, e.g. ‘tell so that people will remember her’ or ‘tell so that her name shall be remembered’ (Tzeltal), in which ‘name’ can be employed as a kind of substitute for ‘reputation.’

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 .

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 14:9

14:9a

And truly I tell you: Jesus often used the words truly I tell you to introduce a statement that he wanted to emphasize. (The clause truly I tell you also occurs in Mark 3:28, 8:12, 9:1, 9:41, 10:15, 11:23, 12:43, 13:30, 14:18, 14:25, 14:30.) It indicates that the statement was important and totally reliable, and that people should listen carefully to it. In this context it introduces a promise that Jesus made about the woman.

In some languages you may need to translate the phrase differently in different contexts. Do not translate in a way that implies that Jesus had not been telling the truth at other times.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

I assure you (Good News Bible)
-or-
You can be confident of this
-or-
I can guarantee this truth (God’s Word)

14:9b

wherever the gospel is preached in all the world: Here in all the world refers to the whole earth. It implies specifically to all the places where people live throughout the world.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

in every place in the world where people tell the good news
-or-
in the whole world wherever the good news is proclaimed

the gospel is preached: The clause the gospel is preached is passive. In some languages it may be more natural to make it active and include a subject like “people” or “they.” You may also want to use the future tense since Jesus is telling about what will take place later on. For example:

people will preach/tell the good news about me

gospel: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gospel means “good news.” In Mark, this word refers to the good news about Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

good/sweet news
-or-
good news about Jesus Christ
-or-
good news from God
-or-
message/report that causes joy

Be sure that the term you choose does not refer only to a news report or to a story that is not true.

See how you translated this term in 1:1.

preached: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as preached means to publicly tell people something important. In Mark, it usually refers to speaking about God and his kingdom to a group or crowd of people. The word should not only refer to what a preacher does in church.

Here are some other ways to translate preach:

announced
-or-
proclaimed
-or-
told

14:9c

This part of the verse indicates that Jesus’ followers will preach the good news about him throughout the world. The good thing that the woman did for Jesus will be told as part of sharing that good news. People who hear the good news about Jesus will also hear about the woman and her good deed, and they will remember her.

what she has done will also be told: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as what she has done will also be told is passive. In some languages it may be more natural to make it active. For example:

they will also tell about what she has done

in memory of her: The phrase in memory of her gives the result of telling about the woman’s act. Many people will remember her.

Here is another way to translate this:

and people will remember her (New Century Version)

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