Translation commentary on Mark 3:33 – 3:35

Text:

In v. 33 instead of kai ‘and’ of all other modern editions of the Greek text, Textus Receptus and Soden have ē ‘or.’

In v. 34 the order of words in Textus Receptus is changed so as to make kuklō ‘in a circle’ modify periblepsamenos ‘looking,’ i.e. ‘looking around’; all modern editions of the Greek text follow the same word order as Nestle’s whereby kuklō modifies tous kathēmenous, i.e. ‘those seated in a circle.’

Exegesis:

apokritheis … legei ‘answering … he says’: there are some 15 instances of this construction throughout the gospel of Mark. A translation in English need only give the sense ‘he answered’ without reproducing both verbs in a literal form (cf. 1.7 and 1.24 for similar constructions).

periblepsamenos (cf. 3.5) ‘looking around (him).’

tous peri auton kuklō kathēmenous ‘those seated in a circle about him.’

kuklō (6.6, 36) is adverbial ‘round about,’ ‘around.’

ide (cf. 1.2) ‘see!’ ‘here.’

hos an poiēsē ‘he who does’: the subjunctive mode of the verb is required by the construction of the sentence; there is no idea, however, of doubt or futurity. The meaning is ‘whoever does,’ ‘he who does.’

thelēma (only here in Mark) ‘will.’

Translation:

The form of the question Who are my mother … is ambiguous from the standpoint of some languages which must distinguish between identificational questions and qualificational ones, i.e. ‘who are these…’ and ‘what sort of person are….’ Note, however, in languages which must translate this sentence as qualificational, one does not question the characteristics of Jesus’ mother and brothers, but asks what sort of characteristics of people make it possible for them to be recognized as ‘mother and brothers.’ The equivalent would be ‘Who are the sort of people who are my mother and my brothers?.’

The adverb here may be translated by a gesture-like word or phrase ‘these here’ or ‘right here.’

Does the will of God is often translated as ‘does what God wants him to do.’ In Huichol this is ‘follow Gods’ heart.’

In a number of languages brothers and sisters of the same mother are grouped under a single term, meaning siblings of the same maternal line. In such languages, e.g. Highland Totonac, Barrow Eskimo, Navajo, and Highland Puebla Nahuatl , it would be quite wrong to try to use two words just because Greek has two words, when a single word is the more accurate and satisfactory term. This same word can be employed for ‘brothers’ throughout this passage, beginning with verse 31.

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 3:34

3:34a

In some languages you may need a word that connects Jesus’ question with his next action (looking at the people around him) and his next speech. Use a natural connector if it is needed in your language for this context.

Looking at those seated in a circle around Him, He said: This part of the verse introduces an important statement that Jesus would make in 3:34b. He looked around at the people who were waiting for what he was about to say. This pause emphasized his statement to the people. Try to express this emphasis in a natural way in your language.

Looking at: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Looked at is literally “to look around at.”

those seated in a circle around Him: The words those seated in a circle around Him refers to a smaller group than the crowd in 3:32. The phrase in 3:32 did not include the words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as in a circle. You should probably make that clear by using a different expression here than you used in 3:32.

The group that Jesus indicated in 3:34 probably included his disciples and other people who believed in him and followed him. It did not include the teachers of the law from Jerusalem, whom Jesus called to him in 3:23a. In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit that this group was his followers. For example:

his followers seated in a circle around him

He said: The words He said introduce what Jesus said in 3:34b–35. In some languages it may be necessary to use an indirect quotation. See the General Comment on 3:34b–35 at the end of the notes for 3:35 for an example.

3:34b

Here are My mother and My brothers!: In Greek this part of the verse is literally, “Look! My mother and my brothers.” Jesus used these words to point out his disciples and other followers who were sitting there around him. He indicated that they were his mother and his brothers. Use a natural way to do this in your language.

Here: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Here is literally “see!” It is used to call attention to something and to emphasize a point. Translate it in a natural way in your language.

My mother and My brothers: Here Jesus used the words mother and brothers in a figurative way. Those who obey God (3:35) are like his family. He did not mean that all of his followers were literally from the same earthly family.

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