Mark 2:3

2:3 Some people ¹  came bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. ² 

Mark 8:9

8:9 There were about four thousand ³  who ate. ⁴  Then he dismissed them. ⁵ 

Mark 8:20

8:20 “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?” They replied, ⁶  “Seven.”

Mark 13:27

13:27 Then he will send angels and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. ⁷ 

Mark 11:15

Cleansing the Temple

11:15 Then ⁸  they came to Jerusalem. ⁹  Jesus ¹⁰  entered the temple area ¹¹  and began to drive out those who were selling and buying in the temple courts. ¹²  He turned over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves,

[2:3]  ¹ tn Grk “they”; the referent (some unnamed people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:3]  ² tn The redundancy in this verse is characteristic of the author’s rougher style.

[8:9]  ³ sn The parallel in Matt 15:32-39 notes that the four thousand were only men, a point not made explicit in Mark.

[8:9]  ⁴ tn The words “who ate” are not in the Greek text but have been supplied for clarity.

[8:9]  ⁵ sn Mark 8:1-10. Many commentators, on the basis of similarities between this account of the feeding of the multitude (8:1-10) and that in 6:30-44, have argued that there is only one event referred to in both passages. While there are similarities in language and in the response of the disciples, there are also noticeable differences, including the different number present on each occasion (i.e., 5,000 in chap. 6 and 4,000 here). In the final analysis, the fact that Jesus refers to two distinct feedings in 8:18-20 settles the issue; this passage represents another very similar incident to that recorded in 6:30-44.

[8:20]  ⁵ tc ‡ A difficult textual problem is found here, involving three different variants: καὶ λέγουσιν (kai legousin) is found in א pc; οἱ δὲ εἶπον (Joi de eipon) is the reading of Ì⁴⁵ A D W Θ Ë^1,13 33 Ï it; and καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ (kai legousin autw) is supported by B C L (Δ 579 892) 2427 pc. The first two variants would not be translated differently; the third reading, however, would add “to him” after “they replied.” What complicates the issue is that the external evidence is fairly evenly split between the second and third readings, though the first reading is in agreement with the second reading in lacking the dative pronoun. Indeed, another layout of the problem here could treat this as two distinct problems: καὶ λέγουσιν vs. οἱ δὲ εἶπον and αὐτῷ vs. omission of the word. In this second arrangement of the problem, the reading without the pronoun has slightly stronger support (Ì⁴⁵ א A D W Θ Ë^1,13 33 Ï it). Internally, Mark never elsewhere uses the form εἶπον for the third person plural indicative form of this verb (it is always εἶπαν [eipan]). And although only one other time in Mark is the object lacking after λέγουσιν (6:38), it is a similar context (viz., the disciples’ response before Jesus feeds the 5000). Very tentatively, the reading that is followed here is καὶ λέγουσιν. NA²⁷ puts αὐτῷ in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.

[13:27]  ⁷ tn Or “of the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.

[11:15]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[11:15]  ¹⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[11:15]  ¹¹ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:15]  ¹² tn Grk “the temple.”

[11:15]  ¹³ tn Grk “the temple.”