Mark 11:9-11
Context11:9 Both those who went ahead and those who followed kept shouting, “Hosanna! 1 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! 2 11:10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” 11:11 Then 3 Jesus 4 entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. And after looking around at everything, he went out to Bethany with the twelve since it was already late.
1 tn The expression ῾Ωσαννά (Jwsanna, literally in Hebrew, “O Lord, save”) in the quotation from Ps 118:25-26 was probably by this time a familiar liturgical expression of praise, on the order of “Hail to the king,” although both the underlying Aramaic and Hebrew expressions meant “O Lord, save us.” The introductory ὡσαννά is followed by the words of Ps 118:25, εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου (euloghmeno" Jo ercomeno" en onomati kuriou), although in the Fourth Gospel the author adds for good measure καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ (kai Jo basileu" tou Israhl). In words familiar to every Jew, the author is indicating that at this point every messianic expectation is now at the point of realization. It is clear from the words of the psalm shouted by the crowd that Jesus is being proclaimed as messianic king. See E. Lohse, TDNT 9:682-84.
sn Hosanna is an Aramaic expression that literally means, “help, I pray,” or “save, I pray.” By Jesus’ time it had become a strictly liturgical formula of praise, however, and was used as an exclamation of praise to God.
2 sn A quotation from Ps 118:25-26.
3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to indicate the transition from the previous narrative.
4 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.