Mark 15:24-28
15:24 Then 1 they crucified 2 him and divided his clothes, throwing dice 3 for them, to decide what each would take.
15:25 It was nine o’clock in the morning 4 when they crucified him.
15:26 The inscription 5 of the charge against him read, “The king of the Jews.”
15:27 And they crucified two outlaws with him, one on his right and one on his left.
15:28 [[EMPTY]] 6
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
2 sn See the note on Crucify in 15:13.
3 tn Grk “by throwing the lot” (probably by using marked pebbles or broken pieces of pottery). A modern equivalent, “throwing dice,” was chosen here because of its association with gambling. According to L&N 6.219 a term for “dice” is particularly appropriate.
sn An allusion to Ps 22:18.
4 tn Grk “It was the third hour.” This time would have been approximate, and could refer to the beginning of the process, some time before Jesus was lifted on the cross.
5 sn Mention of the inscription is an important detail, because the inscription would normally give the reason for the execution. It shows that Jesus was executed for claiming to be a king. It was also probably written with irony from the executioners’ point of view.
6 tc Most later mss add 15:28 “And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘He was counted with the lawless ones.’” Verse 28 is included in L Θ 083 0250 Ë1,13 33 Ï lat, but is lacking in important Alexandrian and Western mss and some others (א A B C D Ψ pc). The addition of the verse with its quotation from Isa 53:12 probably represents a scribal assimilation from Luke 22:37. It was almost certainly not an original part of Mark’s Gospel. The present translation follows NA27 in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.