Mark 11:1-14

The Triumphal Entry

11:1 Now ¹  as they approached Jerusalem, ²  near Bethphage ³  and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, ⁴  Jesus ⁵  sent two of his disciples 11:2 and said to them, “Go to the village ahead of you. ⁶  As soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there that has never been ridden. ⁷  Untie it and bring it here. 11:3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it ⁸  and will send it back here soon.’” 11:4 So ⁹  they went and found a colt tied at a door, outside in the street, and untied it. 11:5 Some people standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 11:6 They replied as Jesus had told them, and the bystanders ¹⁰  let them go. 11:7 Then ¹¹  they brought the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks ¹²  on it, and he sat on it. ¹³  11:8 Many spread their cloaks on the road and others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 11:9 Both those who went ahead and those who followed kept shouting, “Hosanna! ¹⁴  Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁵  11:10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” 11:11 Then ¹⁶  Jesus ¹⁷  entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. And after looking around at everything, he went out to Bethany with the twelve since it was already late.

Cursing of the Fig Tree

11:12 Now ¹⁸  the next day, as they went out from Bethany, he was hungry. 11:13 After noticing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, he went to see if he could find any fruit ¹⁹  on it. When he came to it he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 11:14 He said to it, ²⁰  “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. ²¹ 

[11:1]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[11:1]  ² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[11:1]  ³ sn The exact location of the village of Bethphage is not known. Most put it on the southeast side of the Mount of Olives and northwest of Bethany, about 1.5 miles (3 km) east of Jerusalem.

[11:1]  ⁴ sn “Mountain” in English generally denotes a higher elevation than it often does in reference to places in Palestine. The Mount of Olives is really a ridge running north to south about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) long, east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley. Its central elevation is about 30 meters (100 ft) higher than Jerusalem. It was named for the large number of olive trees which grew on it.

[11:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:2]  ⁶ tn Grk “the village lying before you” (BDAG 530 s.v. κατέναντι 2.b).

[11:2]  ⁷ tn Grk “a colt tied there on which no one of men has ever sat.”

[11:3]  ⁸ sn The custom called angaria allowed the impressment of animals for service to a significant figure.

[11:4]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[11:6]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the people mentioned in v. 5) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:7]  ¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[11:7]  ¹² tn Grk “garments”; but this refers in context to their outer cloaks. The action is like 2 Kgs 9:13.

[11:7]  ¹³ sn See Zech 9:9, a prophecy fulfilled here (cf. Matt 21:5; John 12:15.

[11:9]  ¹⁴ tn The expression ῾Ωσαννά (Jwsanna, literally in Hebrew, “O Lord, save”) in the quotation from Ps 118:25-26 was probably by this time a familiar liturgical expression of praise, on the order of “Hail to the king,” although both the underlying Aramaic and Hebrew expressions meant “O Lord, save us.” The introductory ὡσαννά is followed by the words of Ps 118:25, εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου (euloghmeno" Jo ercomeno" en onomati kuriou), although in the Fourth Gospel the author adds for good measure καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ (kai Jo basileu" tou Israhl). In words familiar to every Jew, the author is indicating that at this point every messianic expectation is now at the point of realization. It is clear from the words of the psalm shouted by the crowd that Jesus is being proclaimed as messianic king. See E. Lohse, TDNT 9:682-84.

[11:9]  ¹⁵ sn A quotation from Ps 118:25-26.

[11:11]  ¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to indicate the transition from the previous narrative.

[11:11]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:12]  ¹⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[11:13]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “anything.”

[11:14]  ²⁰ tn Grk “And answering, he said to it.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant and has not been translated.

[11:14]  ²¹ sn Mark 11:12-14. The incident of the cursing of the fig tree occurs before he enters the temple for a third time (11:27ff) and is questioned at length by the religious leaders (11:27-12:40). It appears that Mark records the incident as a portent of what is going to happen to the leadership in Jerusalem who were supposed to have borne spiritual fruit but have been found by Messiah at his coming to be barren. The fact that the nation as a whole is indicted is made explicit in chapter 13:1-37 where Jesus speaks of Jerusalem’s destruction and his second coming.