Text -- Mark 11:1-8 (NET)

The Triumphal Entry

11:1 Now as they approached Jerusalem, near Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples 11:2 and said to them, “Go to the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 11:3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here soon.’” 11:4 So they went and found a colt tied at a door, outside in the street, and untied it. 11:5 Some people standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 11:6 They replied as Jesus had told them, and the bystanders let them go. 11:7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 11:8 Many spread their cloaks on the road and others spread branches they had cut in the fields.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Mar 11:1

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

³ sn The exact location of the village of Bethphage is not known. Most put it on the southeast side of the Mount of Olives and northwest of Bethany, about 1.5 miles (3 km) east of Jerusalem.

⁴ sn “Mountain” in English generally denotes a higher elevation than it often does in reference to places in Palestine. The Mount of Olives is really a ridge running north to south about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) long, east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley. Its central elevation is about 30 meters (100 ft) higher than Jerusalem. It was named for the large number of olive trees which grew on it.

⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

NET Notes: Mar 11:2

¹ tn Grk “the village lying before you” (BDAG 530 s.v. κατέναντι 2.b).

² tn Grk “a colt tied there on which no one of men has ever sat.”

NET Notes: Mar 11:3

¹ sn The custom called angaria allowed the impressment of animals for service to a significant figure.

NET Notes: Mar 11:4

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

NET Notes: Mar 11:6

¹ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the people mentioned in v. 5) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

NET Notes: Mar 11:7

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

² tn Grk “garments”; but this refers in context to their outer cloaks. The action is like 2 Kgs 9:13.

³ sn See Zech 9:9, a prophecy fulfilled here (cf. Matt 21:5; John 12:15.