Translation commentary on Mark 7:11

Exegesis:

korban (only here in the N.T.; cf. korbanas Mt. 27.16) ‘a gift’: the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew karban ‘offering.’ The word indicates a gift consecrated to God which could not, therefore, be used for any other purpose. As Black points out, the meaning is not that such things really had been dedicated as an offering to God but were to be considered as such.

ho ean ex emou ōphelēthēs ‘that of mine which might have been of benefit to you.’

ōpheleō (cf. 5.26) ‘profit,’ ‘benefit,’ in the passive, as here, ‘be benefited,’ ‘be helped.’ The construction in the Greek is somewhat difficult, but the sense is clear: literally, ‘that of mine, in regard to which you might have been benefited.’ The verb is accented as a subjunctive form by all editions of the Greek text, with the exception of Nestle and Kilpatrick, who accent it as an indicative form.

Translation:

There are several structural problems involved in this verse and in what immediately follows: (1) the included direct discourse consisting of essentially three layers: the two introduced by words of speaking and the explanatory parenthesis, (2) the condition contrary to fact: what you would have gained (but did not), and (3) the shift of subjects in the conditional sentence, i.e. ‘If a man…, then you….’ The double discourse can not be avoided, but in some languages it may be clearer to shift the second one into an indirect form, e.g. ‘tells his father or his mother that what they would have gained from him….’

What you would have gained from me is Corban is variously translated, e.g. ‘that which I would have given to you is Corban’ (Copainalá Zoque), ‘I have now dedicated to God all I could have helped you with’ (Central Mazahua), ‘that which should really have been my help for you’ (Batak Toba), ‘what you could have gotten from me is Corban’ (Southern Subanen), ‘everything that is mine that could have helped you is Corban’ (Tabasco Chontal), ‘earlier I could have given you this gift, but I am not able to do this now, for it is Corban,’ a rather paraphrastic means of indicating a contrary-to-fact situation (Chicahuaxtla Triqui).

That is, given to God should be treated as parenthetical and introduced in the regular manner as all such explanatory additions, e.g. ‘as we say, I give it to God’ (Copainalá Zoque).

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 7:11

7:11–12

In the Berean Standard Bible, 7:11–12 forms one long sentence. It follows the Greek structure and includes a quotation within a quotation within Jesus’ words. In many languages it will be impossible to use these embedded quotations. See the General Comment on 7:11–12 at the end of 7:12 for ways to restructure these verses.

7:11a

But you say: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But you say contrasts with “Moses said” in 7:10. Jesus emphasized that Moses taught God’s commands, but the Pharisees and teachers of the law taught human traditions. Not only did they abandon God’s laws, they also taught people to do the same thing.

In many languages it will be difficult to translate 7:11b–7:12 as the content of the verb say. It may be more natural to introduce their teaching in a more general way. For example:

Your teaching is quite different.
-or-
You teach/say the opposite.

What the Pharisees and teachers of the law were saying is stated in 7:12. They were forbidding people to help their parents. In some languages, forbidding or not permitting something is referred to as something that is done rather than said. So in those languages you may need to translate this as:

But this is what you do.

you: The pronoun you is emphatic in the Greek text. It refers to the Pharisees.

7:11b

if a man says to his father or mother: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as if introduces a condition. The Pharisees and teachers of the law said that if people said these words, they did not have to obey God’s law.

a man: The words a man refer to anyone. For example, the God’s Word says:

If a person

7:11c

Whatever you would have received from me: The Greek phrase the Berean Standard Bible translates as Whatever you would have received from me is literally “whatever by me you might have benefited.”

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Anything I have which might have been used for your benefit (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Whatever help you would have received from me (NET Bible)
-or-
if people have something they could use to help their father or mother (Good News Bible)

Whatever you would have received: The phrase Whatever you would have received refers to practical help such as money or food. It also refers to any other gift that would make life easier for the person’s parents.

Corban: The word that the Berean Standard Bible transliterates as Corban is a Hebrew word. It refers to “something set aside as a gift for God.” Therefore, other people could not use it.

According to Jewish tradition, a Jew could announce that something was Corban or dedicated to God. When he did that, the person to whom he announced it would not be allowed to use that thing. Even though the thing belonged to God, the Jew did not have to give that thing as an offering. He could keep it for himself. Jesus knew that the Pharisees and teachers of the law did this for a selfish reason. They did it in order to keep things for themselves and avoid caring for their parents.

You can translate Corban in two ways.

• Transliterate the word Corban. For example, the Good News Bible says:

This is Corban.

• Do not include the word Corban and just make the meaning clear. For example, the New Living Translation says:

For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.

If you do this you will not have to translate 7:11d separately.

7:11d

that is, a gift devoted to God: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as that is, a gift devoted to God is literally “which is a gift/offering.” This phrase is in parentheses in the Berean Standard Bible. This shows that Mark wrote these words to explain the meaning of “Corban.” You should make this clear in a way that is natural in your language.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

that is, a gift for God (NET Bible)
-or-
that is, an offering to God (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
which means, it belongs to God (Good News Bible)

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