8:34 Then 6 Jesus 7 called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to become my follower, 8 he must deny 9 himself, take up his cross, 10 and follow me.
1 tn The Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, thus “people.”
2 tn Grk “proclaimed, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
3 tn Grk “of whom I am not worthy.”
4 tn 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.
3 tn Grk “people’s.”
4 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
5 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn Grk “to follow after me.”
7 tn This translation better expresses the force of the Greek third person imperative than the traditional “let him deny,” which could be understood as merely permissive.
8 sn To bear the cross means to accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following him. Discipleship involves a death that is like a crucifixion; see Gal 6:14.