Mark 1:6

1:6 John wore a garment made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ¹ 

Mark 1:22

1:22 The people there ²  were amazed by his teaching, because he taught them like one who had authority, ³  not like the experts in the law. ⁴ 

Mark 5:5

5:5 Each night and every day among the tombs and in the mountains, he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

Mark 5:21

Restoration and Healing

5:21 When Jesus had crossed again in a boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he was by the sea.

Mark 7:26

7:26 The woman was a Greek, of Syrophoenician origin. She ⁵  asked him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

Mark 14:1

The Plot Against Jesus

14:1 Two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the chief priests and the experts in the law ⁶  were trying to find a way ⁷  to arrest Jesus ⁸  by stealth and kill him.

Mark 15:39

15:39 Now when the centurion, ⁹  who stood in front of him, saw how he died, ¹⁰  he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”

Mark 15:41

15:41 When he was in Galilee, they had followed him and given him support. ¹¹  Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem ¹²  were there too.

[1:6]  ¹ sn John’s lifestyle was in stark contrast to many of the religious leaders of Jerusalem who lived in relative ease and luxury. While his clothing and diet were indicative of someone who lived in the desert, they also depicted him in his role as God’s prophet (cf. Zech 13:4); his appearance is similar to the Prophet Elijah (2 Kgs 1:8). Locusts and wild honey were a common diet in desert regions and locusts (dried insects) are listed in Lev 11:22 among the “clean” foods.

[1:22]  ² tn Grk “They.”

[1:22]  ³ sn Jesus’ teaching impressed the hearers with the directness of its claim; he taught with authority. A study of Jewish rabbinic interpretation shows that it was typical to cite a list of authorities to make one’s point. Apparently Jesus addressed the issues in terms of his own understanding.

[1:22]  ⁴ tn Or “the scribes.” The traditional rendering of γραμματεύς (grammateu") as “scribe” does not communicate much to the modern English reader, for whom the term might mean “professional copyist,” if it means anything at all. The people referred to here were recognized experts in the law of Moses and in traditional laws and regulations. Thus “expert in the law” comes closer to the meaning for the modern reader.

[7:26]  ³ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[14:1]  ⁴ tn Or “the chief priests and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.

[14:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “were seeking how.”

[14:1]  ⁶ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:39]  ⁵ sn A centurion was a noncommissioned officer in the Roman army or one of the auxiliary territorial armies, commanding a centuria of (nominally) 100 men. The responsibilities of centurions were broadly similar to modern junior officers, but there was a wide gap in social status between them and officers, and relatively few were promoted beyond the rank of senior centurion. The Roman troops stationed in Judea were auxiliaries, who would normally be rewarded with Roman citizenship after 25 years of service. Some of the centurions may have served originally in the Roman legions (regular army) and thus gained their citizenship at enlistment. Others may have inherited it, like Paul.

[15:39]  ⁶ tn Grk “the way he breathed his last”; or “the way he expired”; or “that he thus breathed no more.”

[15:41]  ⁶ tn Grk “and ministered to him.”

[15:41]  ⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.