1:40 Now 9 a leper 10 came to him and fell to his knees, asking for help. “If 11 you are willing, you can make me clean,” he said.
3:7 Then 12 Jesus went away with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him. 13 And from Judea, 3:8 Jerusalem, 14 Idumea, beyond the Jordan River, 15 and around Tyre 16 and Sidon 17 a great multitude came to him when they heard about the things he had done.
5:21 When Jesus had crossed again in a boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he was by the sea.
6:35 When it was already late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is an isolated place 34 and it is already very late.
9:2 Six days later 41 Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John and led them alone up a high mountain privately. And he was transfigured before them, 42
10:35 Then 55 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”
11:27 They came again to Jerusalem. 61 While Jesus 62 was walking in the temple courts, 63 the chief priests, the experts in the law, 64 and the elders came up to him
13:1 Now 65 as Jesus 66 was going out of the temple courts, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look at these tremendous stones and buildings!” 67 13:2 Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another. 68 All will be torn down!” 69
13:3 So 70 while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, 71 and Andrew asked him privately,
15:16 So 82 the soldiers led him into the palace (that is, the governor’s residence) 83 and called together the whole cohort. 84
16:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought aromatic spices 90 so that they might go and anoint him.
1 tn Grk “and immediately coming up out of the water, he saw.” The present participle has been translated temporally, with the subject (Jesus) specified for clarity.
2 tn Or “sky.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The same word is used in v. 11.
3 sn The phrase like a dove is a descriptive comparison. The Spirit is not a dove, but descended like one in some sort of bodily representation.
4 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
5 sn Note how the author distinguishes healing from exorcism here, implying that the two are not identical.
6 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
7 sn Why Jesus would not permit the demons to speak is much discussed. Two possibilities are (1) the mere source of the testimony (demonic) and (2) that the title, with its political implications, may have had elements that Jesus wished to avoid until the full nature of his mission was clarified.
8 tc The
9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
10 sn The ancient term for leprosy covers a wider array of conditions than what we call leprosy today. A leper was totally ostracized from society until he was declared cured (Lev 13:45-46).
11 tn This is a third class condition. The report portrays the leper making no presumptions about whether Jesus will heal him or not.
12 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
13 tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
14 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
15 tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity. The region referred to here is sometimes known as Transjordan (i.e., “across the Jordan”).
16 map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
17 sn These last two locations, Tyre and Sidon, represented an expansion outside of traditional Jewish territory. Jesus’ reputation continued to expand into new regions.
map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
18 tn Grk “And he.”
19 sn The term apostles is rare in the gospels, found only here and Mark 6:30, Matt 10:2, and six more times in Luke (6:13; 9:10; 11:49; 17:5; 22:14; 24:10).
20 tc The phrase “whom he named apostles” is lacking in the majority of
21 tn Grk “Behold my mother and my brothers.”
22 tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
23 sn What he has will be taken from him. The meaning is that the one who accepts Jesus’ teaching concerning his person and the kingdom will receive a share in the kingdom now and even more in the future, but for the one who rejects Jesus’ words, the opportunity that that person presently possesses with respect to the kingdom will someday be taken away forever.
24 sn Jesus’ authority over creation raised a question for the disciples about who he was exactly (Who then is this?). This verse shows that the disciples followed Jesus even though they did not know all about him yet.
25 sn This section in Mark (4:35-5:43) contains four miracles: (1) the calming of the storm; (2) the exorcism of the demon-possessed man; (3) the giving of life to Jairus’ daughter; (4) the healing of the woman hemorrhaging for twelve years. All these miracles demonstrate Jesus’ right to proclaim the kingdom message and his sovereign authority over forces, directly or indirectly, hostile to the kingdom. The last three may have been brought together to show that Jesus had power over all defilement, since contact with graves, blood, or a corpse was regarded under Jewish law as causing a state of ritual uncleanness.
26 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
27 sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.
28 tn Grk “met him from the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.” When this is converted to normal English word order (“a man met him from the tombs with an unclean spirit”) it sounds as if “with an unclean spirit” modifies “the tombs.” Likewise, “a man with an unclean spirit from the tombs met him” implies that the unclean spirit came from the tombs, while the Greek text is clear that it is the man who had the unclean spirit who came from the tombs. To make this clear a second verb, “came,” is supplied in English: “came from the tombs and met him.”
29 tn Grk “be,” that is, “remain.” In this context that would involve accompanying Jesus as he went on his way.
30 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate the conclusion of the episode in the narrative.
31 sn The Decapolis refers to a league of towns (originally consisting of ten; the Greek name literally means “ten towns”) whose region (except for Scythopolis) lay across the Jordan River.
32 sn Note that the man could not separate what God had done from the one through whom God had done it (what Jesus had done for him). This man was called to witness to God’s goodness at home.
33 tn Grk “he”; here it is necessary to specify the referent as “Herod,” since the nearest previous antecedent in the translation is Philip.
34 tn Or “a desert” (meaning a deserted or desolate area with sparse vegetation).
35 tn Grk “he spoke with them, and said to them.”
36 tn Grk “eat bread.”
37 sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.
38 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
39 tn Grk “his”; the referent (the deaf man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
40 sn After spitting, he touched his tongue. It was not uncommon in Judaism of the day to associate curative powers with a person’s saliva. The scene as a whole reflects Jesus’ willingness to get close to people and have physical contact with them where appropriate. See W. L. Lane, Mark (NICNT), 267 n. 78.
41 tn Grk “And after six days.”
42 sn In 1st century Judaism and in the NT, there was the belief that the righteous get new, glorified bodies in order to enter heaven (1 Cor 15:42-49; 2 Cor 5:1-10). This transformation means the righteous will share the glory of God. One recalls the way Moses shared the Lord’s glory after his visit to the mountain in Exod 34. So the disciples saw Jesus transfigured, and they were getting a sneak preview of the great glory that Jesus would have (only his glory is more inherent to him as one who shares in the rule of the kingdom).
43 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
44 sn This cloud is the cloud of God’s presence and the voice is his as well.
45 tn Grk “And there came a cloud, surrounding them.”
46 tn Grk “my beloved Son,” or “my Son, the beloved [one].” The force of ἀγαπητός (agaphtos) is often “pertaining to one who is the only one of his or her class, but at the same time is particularly loved and cherished” (L&N 58.53; cf. also BDAG 7 s.v. 1).
47 sn The expression listen to him comes from Deut 18:15 and makes two points: 1) Jesus is a prophet like Moses, a leader-prophet, and 2) they have much yet to learn from him.
48 tn Grk “And answering, he said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant, but the phrasing of the sentence was modified slightly to make it clearer in English.
49 tn Grk “O.” The marker of direct address, ὦ (w), is functionally equivalent to a vocative and is represented in the translation by “you.”
50 tn Or “faithless.”
sn The rebuke for lack of faith has OT roots: Num 14:27; Deut 32:5, 30; Isa 59:8.
51 tn Grk “how long.”
52 tn Or “put up with.” See Num 11:12; Isa 46:4.
53 sn The pronouns you…you are plural, indicating that Jesus is speaking to a group rather than an individual.
54 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the boy) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
55 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
56 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
57 tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said to him.” The participle ἀποκριθείς is redundant and has not been translated.
58 tn Or “Master”; Grk ῥαββουνί (rabbouni).
59 tn Grk “that I may see [again].” The phrase can be rendered as an imperative of request, “Please, give me sight.” Since the man is not noted as having been blind from birth (as the man in John 9 was) it is likely the request is to receive back the sight he once had.
60 tn Although the Greek subjunctive mood, formally required in a subordinate clause introduced by ἵνα ({ina), is traditionally translated by an English subjunctive (e.g., “may,” so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV), changes in the use of the subjunctive in English now result in most readers understanding such a statement as indicating permission (“may” = “has permission to”) or as indicating uncertainty (“may” = “might” or “may or may not”). Thus a number of more recent translations render such instances by an English future tense (“will,” so TEV, CEV, NLT, NASB 1995 update). That approach has been followed here.
61 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
62 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
63 tn Grk “the temple.”
64 tn Or “the chief priests, the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
65 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
66 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
67 sn The Jerusalem temple was widely admired around the world. See Josephus, Ant. 15.11 [15.380-425]; J. W. 5.5 [5.184-227] and Tacitus, History 5.8, who called it “immensely opulent.” Josephus compared it to a beautiful snowcapped mountain.
68 sn With the statement not one stone will be left on another Jesus predicted the total destruction of the temple, something that did occur in
69 tn Grk “not one stone will be left here on another which will not be thrown down.”
70 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
71 tn Grk “and James and John,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
72 sn Since women usually carried these jars, it would have been no problem for the two disciples (Luke 22:8 states that they were Peter and John) to recognize the man Jesus was referring to.
73 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
74 tn Grk “because their eyes were weighed down,” an idiom for becoming extremely or excessively sleepy (L&N 23.69).
75 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
76 sn The guards would have been the guards of the chief priests who had accompanied Judas to arrest Jesus.
77 tn Grk “questioned him and said to him.”
78 tn Or “the Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
sn See the note on Christ in 8:29.
79 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
80 tn The Greek term φραγελλόω (fragellow) refers to flogging. BDAG 1064 s.v. states, “flog, scourge, a punishment inflicted on slaves and provincials after a sentence of death had been pronounced on them. So in the case of Jesus before the crucifixion…Mt 27:26; Mk 15:15.”
sn A Roman flogging (traditionally, “scourging”) was an excruciating punishment. The victim was stripped of his clothes and bound to a post with his hands fastened above him (or sometimes he was thrown to the ground). Guards standing on either side of the victim would incessantly beat him with a whip (flagellum) made out of leather with pieces of lead and bone inserted into its ends. While the Jews only allowed 39 lashes, the Romans had no such limit; many people who received such a beating died as a result. See C. Schneider, TDNT, 4:515-19.
81 tn Or “delivered him up.”
82 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “So” to indicate that the soldiers’ action is in response to Pilate’s condemnation of the prisoner in v. 15.
83 tn Grk “(that is, the praetorium).”
sn The governor’s residence (Grk “praetorium”) was the Roman governor’s official residence. The one in Jerusalem may have been Herod’s palace in the western part of the city, or the fortress Antonia northwest of the temple area.
84 sn A Roman cohort was a tenth of a legion, about 500-600 soldiers.
85 tn Or “with the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22. Only “chief priests” is in the nominative case; this sentence structure attempts to capture this emphasis.
86 tn Grk “Mocking him, the chief priests…said among themselves.”
87 sn A centurion was a noncommissioned officer in the Roman army or one of the auxiliary territorial armies, commanding a centuria of (nominally) 100 men. The responsibilities of centurions were broadly similar to modern junior officers, but there was a wide gap in social status between them and officers, and relatively few were promoted beyond the rank of senior centurion. The Roman troops stationed in Judea were auxiliaries, who would normally be rewarded with Roman citizenship after 25 years of service. Some of the centurions may have served originally in the Roman legions (regular army) and thus gained their citizenship at enlistment. Others may have inherited it, like Paul.
88 tn Grk “the way he breathed his last”; or “the way he expired”; or “that he thus breathed no more.”
89 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
90 tn On this term see BDAG 140 s.v. ἄρωμα. The Jews did not practice embalming, so these materials were used to cover the stench of decay and slow decomposition.
sn Spices were used not to preserve the body, but as an act of love, and to mask the growing stench of a corpse.