4:26 He also said, “The kingdom of God is like someone who spreads seed on the ground.
4:30 He also asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to present it?
7:17 Now 11 when Jesus 12 had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable.
1 tn The pleonastic pronoun οὗτος (Jouto", “this one”) which precedes this verb has not been translated.
2 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.
4 tn Grk “met him from the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.” When this is converted to normal English word order (“a man met him from the tombs with an unclean spirit”) it sounds as if “with an unclean spirit” modifies “the tombs.” Likewise, “a man with an unclean spirit from the tombs met him” implies that the unclean spirit came from the tombs, while the Greek text is clear that it is the man who had the unclean spirit who came from the tombs. To make this clear a second verb, “came,” is supplied in English: “came from the tombs and met him.”
3 tn Grk “and,” though such paratactic structure is rather awkward in English.
4 sn This group probably includes outside or even professional mourners, not just family, because a large group seems to be present.
4 tn The imperfect tense verb is here rendered with an iterative force.
5 sn It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife. This was a violation of OT law (Lev 18:16; 20:21). In addition, both Herod Antipas and Herodias had each left marriages to enter into this union.
5 tc The translation here follows the reading στήσητε (sthshte, “set up”) found in D W Θ Ë1 28 565 2542 it sys,p Cyp. The majority of
6 tn Grk “nullifying.” This participle shows the results of the Pharisees’ command.
7 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
8 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tc A few witnesses (Ë13 28 579 pc) read κάμιλον (kamilon, “rope”) for κάμηλον (kamhlon, “camel”), either through accidental misreading of the text or intentionally so as to soften Jesus’ words.
9 sn The referent of the eye of a needle is a sewing needle. (The gate in Jerusalem known as “The Needle’s Eye” was built during the middle ages and was not in existence in Jesus’ day.) Jesus was speaking rhetorically to point out that apart from God’s intervention, salvation is impossible (v. 27).
9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
10 sn Most of the roofs in the NT were flat roofs made of pounded dirt, sometimes mixed with lime or stones, supported by heavy wooden beams. They generally had an easy means of access, either a sturdy wooden ladder or stone stairway, sometimes on the outside of the house.
11 sn The nature of the judgment coming upon them will be so quick and devastating that one will not have time to come down or go inside to take anything out of his house. It is best just to escape as quickly as possible.
11 sn An allusion to Isa 13:10, 34:4 (LXX); Joel 2:10. The heavens were seen as the abode of heavenly forces, so their shaking indicates distress in the spiritual realm. Although some take the powers as a reference to bodies in the heavens (like stars and planets, “the heavenly bodies,” NIV) this is not as likely.
12 tn Grk “they.”
13 sn An allusion to Dan 7:13. Here is Jesus returning with full judging authority.
13 tn The word “expensive” is not in the Greek text but has been included to suggest a connection to the lengthy phrase “costly aromatic oil from pure nard” occurring earlier in v. 3. The author of Mark shortened this long phrase to just one word in Greek when repeated here, and the phrase “expensive ointment” used in the translation is intended as an abbreviated paraphrase.