Mark 14:52

14:52 but he ran off naked, ¹  leaving his linen cloth behind.

Mark 14:51

14:51 A young man was following him, wearing only a linen cloth. They tried to arrest him,

Mark 15:46

15:46 After Joseph ²  bought a linen cloth ³  and took down the body, he wrapped it in the linen and placed it in a tomb cut out of the rock. ⁴  Then ⁵  he rolled a stone across the entrance ⁶  of the tomb.

¹ sn The statement he ran off naked is probably a reference to Mark himself, traditionally assumed to be the author of this Gospel. Why he was wearing only an outer garment and not the customary tunic as well is not mentioned. W. L. Lane, Mark (NICNT), 527-28, says that Mark probably mentioned this episode so as to make it clear that “all fled, leaving Jesus alone in the custody of the police.”

² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Joseph of Arimathea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn The term σινδών (sindwn) can refer to a linen cloth used either for clothing or for burial.

⁴ tn That is, cut or carved into an outcropping of natural rock, resulting in a cave-like structure (see L&N 19.25).

⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

⁶ tn Or “to the door,” “against the door.”