Mark 6:1-22

Context

Rejection at Nazareth

6:1 Now¹ Jesus left that place and came to his hometown,² and his disciples followed him. 6:2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue.³ Many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did he get these ideas?⁴ And what is this wisdom that has been given to him? What are these miracles that are done through his hands? 6:3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son⁵ of Mary⁶ and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” And so they took offense at him. 6:4 Then⁷ Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, and among his relatives, and in his own house.” 6:5 He was not able to do a miracle there, except to lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6:6 And he was amazed because of their unbelief. Then⁸ he went around among the villages and taught.

Sending Out the Twelve Apostles

6:7 Jesus⁹ called the twelve and began to send them out two by two. He gave them authority over the unclean spirits.¹⁰ 6:8 He instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff¹¹ – no bread, no bag,¹² no money in their belts – 6:9 and to put on sandals but not to wear two tunics.¹³ 6:10 He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there¹⁴ until you leave the area. 6:11 If a place will not welcome you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off¹⁵ your feet as a testimony against them.” 6:12 So¹⁶ they went out and preached that all should repent. 6:13 They cast out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

The Death of John the Baptist

6:14 Now¹⁷ King Herod¹⁸ heard this, for Jesus’¹⁹ name had become known. Some²⁰ were saying, “John the baptizer²¹ has been raised from the dead, and because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him.” 6:15 Others said, “He is Elijah.” Others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets from the past.” 6:16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised!” 6:17 For Herod himself had sent men, arrested John, and bound him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod²² had married her. 6:18 For John had repeatedly told²³ Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”²⁴ 6:19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against him and wanted to kill him. But²⁵ she could not 6:20 because Herod stood in awe of²⁶ John and protected him, since he knew that John²⁷ was a righteous and holy man. When Herod²⁸ heard him, he was thoroughly baffled,²⁹ and yet³⁰ he liked to listen to John.³¹

6:21 But³² a suitable day³³ came, when Herod gave a banquet on his birthday for his court officials, military commanders, and leaders of Galilee. 6:22 When his daughter Herodias³⁴ came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.”

[6:1] ¹tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[6:1] ²sn Jesus’ hometown (where he spent his childhood years) was Nazareth, about 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Capernaum.

[6:2] ³sn See the note on synagogue in 1:21. Jesus undoubtedly took the opportunity on this occasion to speak about his person and mission, and the relation of both to OT fulfillment.

[6:2] ⁴tn Or “this teaching”; Grk “these things.” The response of the people centers upon the content of Jesus’ teaching, so the phrase “these ideas” was supplied in the text to make this clear.

[6:3] ⁵tc Evidently because of the possible offensiveness of designating Jesus a carpenter, several mss ([Ì^45vid] Ë¹³ 33^vid [565 579] 700 [2542] pc it vg^mss) harmonize the words “carpenter, the son” to the parallel passage in Matt 13:55, “the son of the carpenter.” Almost all the rest of the mss read “the carpenter, the son.” Since the explicit designation of Jesus as a carpenter is the more difficult reading, and is much better attested, it is most likely correct.

[6:3] ⁶sn The reference to Jesus as the carpenter is probably derogatory, indicating that they knew Jesus only as a common laborer like themselves. The reference to him as the son of Mary (even though Jesus’ father was probably dead by this point) appears to be somewhat derogatory, for a man was not regarded as his mother’s son in Jewish usage unless an insult was intended (cf. Judg 11:1-2; John 6:42; 8:41; 9:29).

[6:4] ⁷tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[6:6] ⁸tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[6:7] ⁹tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:7] ¹⁰sn The phrase unclean spirits refers to evil spirits.

[6:8] ¹¹sn Neither Matt 10:9-10 nor Luke 9:3 allow for a staff. It might be that Matthew and Luke mean not taking an extra staff, or that the expression is merely rhetorical for “traveling light,” which has been rendered in two slightly different ways.

[6:8] ¹²tn Or “no traveler’s bag”; or possibly “no beggar’s bag” (L&N 6.145; BDAG 811 s.v. πήρα).

[6:9] ¹³tn Or “shirts” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment (χιτών, citwn) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a “tunic” was any more than they would be familiar with a “chiton.” On the other hand, attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “Shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.

[6:10] ¹⁴sn Jesus telling his disciples to stay there in one house contrasts with the practice of religious philosophers in the ancient world who went from house to house begging.

[6:11] ¹⁵sn To shake the dust off represented shaking off the uncleanness from one’s feet; see Luke 10:11; Acts 13:51; 18:6. It was a sign of rejection.

[6:12] ¹⁶tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[6:14] ¹⁷tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[6:14] ¹⁸sn Herod was technically not a king, but a tetrarch, a ruler with rank and authority lower than a king. A tetrarch ruled only with the approval of the Roman authorities. This was roughly equivalent to being governor of a region. In the NT, Herod, who ruled over Galilee, is called a king (Matt 14:9, Mark 6:14-29), reflecting popular usage rather than an official title.

[6:14] ¹⁹tn Grk “his”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:14] ²⁰tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[6:14] ²¹tn While Matthew and Luke consistently use the noun βαπτίστης (baptisths, “the Baptist”) to refer to John, as a kind of a title, Mark prefers the substantival participle ὁ βαπτίζων (Jo baptizwn, “the one who baptizes, the baptizer”) to describe him (only twice does he use the noun [Mark 6:25; 8:28]).

[6:17] ²²tn Grk “he”; here it is necessary to specify the referent as “Herod,” since the nearest previous antecedent in the translation is Philip.

[6:18] ²³tn The imperfect tense verb is here rendered with an iterative force.

[6:18] ²⁴sn 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.

[6:19] ²⁵tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[6:20] ²⁶tn Grk “was fearing,” “was respecting”; the imperfect tense connotes an ongoing fear or respect for John.

[6:20] ²⁷tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:20] ²⁸tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:20] ²⁹tc In place of ἠπόρει (hporei, “he was baffled”) the majority of mss (A C D Ë¹ 33 Ï lat sy) have ἐποίει (epoiei, “he did”; cf. KJV’s “he did many things.”) The best mss (א B L [W] Θ 2427 co) support the reading followed in the translation. The variation may be no more than a simple case of confusion of letters, since the two readings look very much alike. The verb ποιέω (poiew, “I do”) certainly occurs more frequently than ἀπορέω (aporew, “I am at a loss”), so a scribe would be more likely to write a more familiar word. Further, even though the reading ἐποίει is the harder reading in terms of the sense, it is virtually nonsensical here, rendering it most likely an unintentional corruption.

[6:20] ³⁰tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “and yet” to indicate the concessive nature of the final clause.

[6:20] ³¹tn Grk “him”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:21] ³²tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[6:21] ³³tn Grk “a day of opportunity”; cf. BDAG 407 s.v. εὔκαιρος, “in our lit. only pert. to time than is considered a favorable occasion for some event or circumstance, well-timed, suitable.”

[6:22] ³⁴tc Behind “his daughter Herodias” is a most difficult textual problem. The reading adopted in the translation, τῆς θυγατρὸς αὐτοῦ ῾Ηρῳδιάδος (th" qugatro" aujtou Jerwdiado"), is supported by א B D L Δ 565 pc; it is also the most difficult reading internally since it describes Herodias as Herod’s daughter. Other readings are less awkward, but they do not have adequate external support. The reading τῆς θυγατρὸς αὐτῆς τῆς ῾Ηρῳδιάδος (th" qugatro" auth" th" &erwdiado", “the daughter of Herodias herself”) is supported by A C (W) Θ Ë¹³ 33 Ï, but this is also grammatically awkward. The easiest reading, τῆς θυγατρὸς τῆς ῾Ηρῳδιάδος (“the daughter of Herodias”) is supported by Ë¹ pc, but this reading probably arose from an accidental omission of αὐτῆς in the previous reading. The reading τῆς θυγατρὸς αὐτοῦ ῾Ηρῳδιάδος, despite its historical difficulties, is most likely original due to external attestation and the fact that it most likely gave rise to the other readings as scribes sought to correct it.