translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: MRK

label: NET translator note

text: The genitive in the phrase τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ ( tou euangeliou Ihsou Cristou , “the gospel of Jesus Christ”) could be translated as either a subjective genitive (“the gospel which Jesus brings [or proclaims]”) or an objective genitive (“the gospel about Jesus Christ”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek , §§36-39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which Jesus proclaims is in fact the gospel about himself.


text: co Ir. This evidence runs deep into the 2nd century, is widespread, and is found in the most important Alexandrian, Western, and Caesarean witnesses. The “Isaiah” reading has a better external pedigree in every way. It has the support of the earliest and best witnesses from all the texttypes that matter. Moreover it is the harder reading, since the quotation in the first part of the verse appears to be from Exod 23:20 and Mal 3:1 , with the quotation from Isa 40:3 coming in the next verse. The reading of the later mss seems motivated by a desire to resolve this difficulty.


text: Or “desert.”


text: 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 ]).


text: Grk “And the whole Judean countryside.” Mark uses the Greek conjunction καί ( kai ) at numerous places in his Gospel to begin sentences and paragraphs. This practice is due to Semitic influence and reflects in many cases the use of the Hebrew ו ( vav ) which is used in OT narrative, much as it is here, to carry the narrative along. Because in contemporary English style it is not acceptable to begin every sentence with “and,” καί was often left untranslated or rendered as “now,” “so,” “then,” or “but” depending on the context. When left untranslated it has not been noted. When given an alternative translation, this is usually indicated by a note.


text: For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


text: Grk “they were being baptized by him.” The passive construction has been rendered as active in the translation for the sake of English style.


text: Grk “proclaimed, saying.” The participle λέγων ( legwn ) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.


text: Grk “of whom I am not worthy.” sn The humility of John is evident in the statement I am not worthy . This was considered one of the least worthy tasks of a slave, and John did not consider himself worthy to do even that for the one to come, despite the fact he himself was a prophet.


text: The term refers to the leather strap or thong used to bind a sandal. This is often viewed as a collective singular and translated as a plural, “the straps of his sandals,” but it may be more emphatic to retain the singular here.


text: Grk “And.” Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.


text: For location see Map1-D3 ; Map2-C2 ; Map3-D5 ; Map4-C1 ; Map5-G3 .


text: “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.


text: 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.


text: 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 .


text: 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 ).


text: Or “with you I am well pleased.” sn The allusions in the remarks of the text recall Ps 2:7 a; Isa 42:1 and either Isa 41:8 or, less likely, Gen 22:12,16 . God is marking out Jesus as his chosen one (the meaning of “[in you I take] great delight”), but it may well be that this was a private experience that only Jesus and John saw and heard (cf. John 1:32-33 ).


text: Grk “And he.”


text: Grk “were serving him,” “were ministering to him.”


text: Or “arrested,” “taken into custody” (see L&N 37.12).


text: 28* 33 565 579 892 2427 sa) is significantly stronger than that for the longer reading. There is little doubt, therefore, that the shorter reading is authentic.


text: The genitive in the phrase τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ θεοῦ ( to euangelion tou qeou , “the gospel of God”) could be translated as either a subjective genitive (“the gospel which God brings”) or an objective genitive (“the gospel about God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek , §§36-39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which God brings is in fact the gospel about himself.


text: Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.


text: The Greek term ἄνθρωπος ( anqrwpos ) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, thus “people.” sn The kind of fishing envisioned was net – not line – fishing (cf. v. 16 ; cf. also BDAG 55 s.v. ἀμφιβάλλω , ἀμφίβληστρον ) which involved a circular net that had heavy weights around its perimeter. The occupation of fisherman was labor-intensive. The imagery of using a lure and a line (and waiting for the fish to strike) is thus foreign to this text. Rather, the imagery of a fisherman involved much strain, long hours, and often little results. Jesus’ point may have been one or more of the following: the strenuousness of evangelism, the work ethic that it required, persistence and dedication to the task (often in spite of minimal results), the infinite value of the new “catch” (viz., people), and perhaps an eschatological theme of snatching people from judgment (cf. W. L. Lane, Mark [NICNT], 67). If this last motif is in view, then catching people is the opposite of catching fish: The fish would be caught, killed, cooked, and eaten; people would be caught so as to remove them from eternal destruction and to give them new life.


text: Or “a boat.” The phrase ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ ( en tw ploiw ) can either refer to a generic boat, some boat (as it seems to do in Matt 4:21 ); or it can refer to “their” boat, implying possession. Mark assumes a certain preunderstanding on the part of his readers about the first four disciples and hence the translation “their boat” is justified (cf. also v. 20 in which the “hired men” indicates that Zebedee’s family owned the boats).


text: Grk “And.” Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.


text: The Greek word εὐθύς ( euqus , often translated “immediately” or “right away”) has not been translated here. It sometimes occurs with a weakened, inferential use (BDAG 406 s.v. 2 ), not contributing significantly to the flow of the narrative. For further discussion, see R. J. Decker, Temporal Deixis of the Greek Verb in the Gospel of Mark with Reference to Verbal Aspect (SBG 10), 73-77.


text: Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Grk “They.”


text: Or “the scribes.” The traditional rendering of γραμματεύς ( grammateu" ) as “scribe” does not communicate much to the modern English reader, for whom the term might mean “professional copyist,” if it means anything at all. The people referred to here were recognized experts in the law of Moses and in traditional laws and regulations. Thus “expert in the law” comes closer to the meaning for the modern reader.


text: Grk “he cried out, saying.” The participle λέγων ( legwn ) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.


text: Grk “ What to us and to you?” This is an idiom meaning, “We have nothing to do with one another,” or “Why bother us!” The phrase τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί ( ti Jhmin kai soi ) is Semitic in origin, though it made its way into colloquial Greek (BDAG 275 s.v. ἐγώ ). The equivalent Hebrew expression in the OT had two basic meanings: (1) When one person was unjustly bothering another, the injured party could say “What to me and to you?” meaning, “What have I done to you that you should do this to me?” ( Judg 11:12 , 2 Chr 35:21 , 1 Kgs 17:18 ). (2) When someone was asked to get involved in a matter he felt was no business of his own, he could say to the one asking him, “What to me and to you?” meaning, “That is your business, how am I involved?” ( 2 Kgs 3:13 , Hos 14:8 ). Option (1) implies hostility, while option (2) merely implies disengagement. BDAG suggests the following as glosses for this expression: What have I to do with you? What have we in common? Leave me alone! Never mind! Hostility between Jesus and the demons is certainly to be understood in this context, hence the translation: “Leave me alone….” For a very similar expression see Lk 8:28 and (in a different context) John 2:4 .


text: Grk “And.” Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.


text: Grk “rebuked him, saying.” The participle λέγων ( legwn ) is redundant in English and has not been translated.


text: Grk “And.” Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.


text: Grk “And.” Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.


text: Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: The imperfect verb is taken ingressively here.


text: 700] 892 1241 [1424] pc ); codex D has “they knew him and he healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons,” reproducing exactly the first half of the verse. These first two longer readings are predictable expansions to an enticingly brief statement; the fact that there are significant variations on the word order and presence or absence of τόν argues against their authenticity as well. D’s reading is a palpable error of sight. The reading adopted in the translation is supported by א * A 0130 Ï lat. This support, though hardly overwhelming in itself, in combination with strong internal evidence, renders the shorter reading fairly certain.


text: The imperfect προσηύχετο ( proshuceto ) implies some duration to the prayer.


text: Grk “And he said to them.”


text: Grk “Because for this purpose I have come forth.”


text: Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.


text: This is a third class condition. The report portrays the leper making no presumptions about whether Jesus will heal him or not.


text: ) here read ὀργισθείς ( ojrgisqei" , “moved with anger”). It is more difficult to account for a change from “moved with compassion” to “moved with anger” than it is for a copyist to soften “moved with anger” to “moved with compassion,” making the decision quite difficult. B. M. Metzger ( TCGNT 65) suggests that “moved with anger” could have been prompted by 1:43 , “Jesus sent the man away with a very strong warning.” It also could have been prompted by the man’s seeming doubt about Jesus’ desire to heal him (v. 40 ). As well, it is difficult to explain why scribes would be prone to soften the text here but not in Mark 3:5 or 10:14 (where Jesus is also said to be angry or indignant). Thus, in light of diverse mss supporting “moved with compassion,” and at least a plausible explanation for ὀργισθείς as arising from the other reading, it is perhaps best to adopt σπλαγχνισθείς as the original reading. Nevertheless, a decision in this case is not easy. For the best arguments for ὀργισθείς , however, see M. A. Proctor, “The ‘Western’ Text of Mark 1:41 : A Case for the Angry Jesus” (Ph.D. diss., Baylor University, 1999).


text: Grk “him”; the referent (the man who was healed) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Grk “And after warning him, he immediately sent him away and told him.”


text: Or “as an indictment against them”; or “as proof to the people.” This phrase could be taken as referring to a positive witness to the priests, a negative testimony against them, or as a testimony to the community that the man had indeed been cured. In any case, the testimony shows that Jesus is healing and ministering to those in need.


text: Grk “he”; the referent (the man who was healed) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Grk “and”; καί ( kai ) often has a mildly contrastive force, as here.


text: The imperfect verb has been translated iteratively.