1:4 In the wilderness 1 John the baptizer 2 began preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 3
1:9 Now 4 in those days Jesus came from Nazareth 5 in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River. 6
1:29 Now 7 as soon as they left the synagogue, 8 they entered Simon and Andrew’s house, with James and John.
1 tn Or “desert.”
2 tn While Matthew and Luke consistently use the noun βαπτίστης (baptisths, “[the] Baptist”) to refer to John, as a kind of a title, Mark prefers the substantival participle ὁ βαπτίζων (Jo baptizwn, “the one who baptizes, the baptizer”) to describe him (only twice does he use the noun [Mark 6:25; 8:28]).
3 sn A baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins was a call for preparation for the arrival of the Lord’s salvation. To participate in this baptism was a recognition of the need for God’s forgiveness with a sense that one needed to live differently as a response to it.
4 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
5 map For location see Map1-D3; Map2-C2; Map3-D5; Map4-C1; Map5-G3.
6 tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.
7 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
8 sn See the note on synagogue in 1:21.
9 tn Grk “to James, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of James.”
10 tn The imperfect tense verb is here rendered with an iterative force.
11 sn It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife. This was a violation of OT law (Lev 18:16; 20:21). In addition, both Herod Antipas and Herodias had each left marriages to enter into this union.
12 tn Grk “his”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.