Mark 7:9

7:9 He also said to them, “You neatly reject the commandment of God in order to set up ¹  your tradition.

Mark 15:46

15:46 After Joseph ²  bought a linen cloth ³  and took down the body, he wrapped it in the linen and placed it in a tomb cut out of the rock. ⁴  Then ⁵  he rolled a stone across the entrance ⁶  of the tomb.

Mark 4:17

4:17 But ⁷  they have no root in themselves and do not endure. ⁸  Then, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away.

[7:9]  ¹ tc The translation here follows the reading στήσητε (sthshte, “set up”) found in D W Θ Ë¹ 28 565 2542 it sy^s,p Cyp. The majority of mss here read τηρήσητε (thrhsete; א A L ˹³ 33 Ï co) or τηρῆτε (thrhte; B 2427), both translated “keep.” It is hard to know which reading is best: On the one hand, τηρήσητε/τηρῆτε has much stronger external support, but στήσητε is a more difficult reading. What makes “keep” suspect is that it appears in two different forms, suggesting independent alterations of a difficult reading. Further, scribes may have been influenced by the preceding “commandment of God” to change the text toward “keep” (TCGNT 81), a common enough expression (cf. Matt 19:17; John 14:15; 1 Tim 6:1; 1 John 5:3; Rev 14:12). Thus, the more difficult reading is “set up.” Also, the more natural opposite of “reject” (ἀθεῖτε [aqeite], literally “you set aside”) is “set up.” However, the Western reading may have been influenced by Exod 6:4 or Heb 10:9, but this likelihood seems remote. Thus, “set up” is more likely to be the original wording of Mark here.

[15:46]  ² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Joseph of Arimathea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:46]  ³ tn The term σινδών (sindwn) can refer to a linen cloth used either for clothing or for burial.

[15:46]  ⁴ tn That is, cut or carved into an outcropping of natural rock, resulting in a cave-like structure (see L&N 19.25).

[15:46]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:46]  ⁶ tn Or “to the door,” “against the door.”

[4:17]  ³ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[4:17]  ⁴ tn Grk “are temporary.”