7:31 Then 1 Jesus 2 went out again from the region of Tyre 3 and came through Sidon 4 to the Sea of Galilee in the region of the Decapolis. 5 7:32 They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking, and they asked him to place his hands on him. 7:33 After Jesus 6 took him aside privately, away from the crowd, he put his fingers in the man’s 7 ears, and after spitting, he touched his tongue. 8
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
2 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
4 map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
5 sn The Decapolis refers to a league of towns (originally consisting of ten; the Greek name literally means “ten towns”) whose region (except for Scythopolis) lay across the Jordan River.
6 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 tn Grk “his”; the referent (the deaf man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 sn After spitting, he touched his tongue. It was not uncommon in Judaism of the day to associate curative powers with a person’s saliva. The scene as a whole reflects Jesus’ willingness to get close to people and have physical contact with them where appropriate. See W. L. Lane, Mark (NICNT), 267 n. 78.