1:4 In the wilderness 1 John the baptizer 2 began preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 3
6:14 Now 7 King Herod 8 heard this, for Jesus’ 9 name had become known. Some 10 were saying, “John the baptizer 11 has been raised from the dead, and because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him.”
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 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
5 tn Grk “She said”; the referent (the girl’s mother) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn While Matthew and Luke consistently use the noun βαπτίστης (baptisths, “the Baptist”) to refer to John, as a kind of a title, Mark employs the substantival participle ὁ βαπτίζων (Jo baptizwn, “the one who baptizes, the baptizer”) to describe him (though twice he does use the noun [Mark 6:25; 8:28]).
7 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
8 sn Herod was technically not a king, but a tetrarch, a ruler with rank and authority lower than a king. A tetrarch ruled only with the approval of the Roman authorities. This was roughly equivalent to being governor of a region. In the NT, Herod, who ruled over Galilee, is called a king (Matt 14:9, Mark 6:14-29), reflecting popular usage rather than an official title.
9 tn Grk “his”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
11 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]).