Mark 9:1-39

9:1 And he said to them, “I tell you the truth, ¹  there are some standing here who will not ²  experience ³  death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.” ⁴ 

The Transfiguration

9:2 Six days later ⁵  Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John and led them alone up a high mountain privately. And he was transfigured before them, ⁶  9:3 and his clothes became radiantly white, more so than any launderer in the world could bleach them. 9:4 Then Elijah appeared before them along with Moses, ⁷  and they were talking with Jesus. 9:5 So ⁸  Peter said to Jesus, ⁹  “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters ¹⁰  – one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 9:6 (For they were afraid, and he did not know what to say.) ¹¹  9:7 Then ¹²  a cloud ¹³  overshadowed them, ¹⁴  and a voice came from the cloud, “This is my one dear Son. ¹⁵  Listen to him!” ¹⁶  9:8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more except Jesus.

9:9 As they were coming down from the mountain, he gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 9:10 They kept this statement to themselves, discussing what this rising from the dead meant.

9:11 Then ¹⁷  they asked him, ¹⁸  “Why do the experts in the law ¹⁹  say that Elijah must come first?” 9:12 He said to them, “Elijah does indeed come first, and restores all things. And why is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be despised? 9:13 But I tell you that Elijah has certainly come, and they did to him whatever they wanted, just as it is written about him.”

The Disciples’ Failure to Heal

9:14 When they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and experts in the law ²⁰  arguing with them. 9:15 When the whole crowd saw him, they were amazed and ran ²¹  at once and greeted him. 9:16 He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 9:17 A member of the crowd said to him, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that makes him mute. 9:18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to cast it out, but ²²  they were not able to do so.” ²³  9:19 He answered them, ²⁴  “You ²⁵  unbelieving ²⁶  generation! How much longer ²⁷  must I be with you? How much longer must I endure ²⁸  you? ²⁹  Bring him to me.” 9:20 So they brought the boy ³⁰  to him. When the spirit saw him, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He ³¹  fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 9:21 Jesus ³²  asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 9:22 It has often thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if you are able to do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 9:23 Then Jesus said to him, “‘If you are able?’ ³³  All things are possible for the one who believes.” 9:24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

9:25 Now when Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked ³⁴  the unclean spirit, ³⁵  saying to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 9:26 It shrieked, threw him into terrible convulsions, and came out. The boy ³⁶  looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He is dead!” 9:27 But Jesus gently took his hand and raised him to his feet, and he stood up.

9:28 Then, ³⁷  after he went into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we cast it out?” 9:29 He told them, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” ³⁸ 

Second Prediction of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection

9:30 They went out from there and passed through Galilee. But ³⁹  Jesus ⁴⁰  did not want anyone to know, 9:31 for he was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men. ⁴¹  They ⁴²  will kill him, ⁴³  and after three days he will rise.” ⁴⁴  9:32 But they did not understand this statement and were afraid to ask him.

Questions About the Greatest

9:33 Then ⁴⁵  they came to Capernaum. ⁴⁶  After Jesus ⁴⁷  was inside the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 9:34 But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 9:35 After he sat down, he called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 9:36 He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, 9:37 “Whoever welcomes ⁴⁸  one of these little children ⁴⁹  in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

On Jesus’ Side

9:38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he was not following us.” 9:39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, because no one who does a miracle in my name will be able soon afterward to say anything bad about me.

[9:1]  ¹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[9:1]  ² tn The Greek negative here (οὐ μή, ou mh) is the strongest possible.

[9:1]  ³ tn Grk “will not taste.” Here the Greek verb does not mean “sample a small amount” (as a typical English reader might infer from the word “taste”), but “experience something cognitively or emotionally; come to know something” (cf. BDAG 195 s.v. γεύομαι 2).

[9:1]  ⁴ sn Several suggestions have been made as to the referent for the phrase the kingdom of God come with power: (1) the transfiguration itself, which immediately follows in the narrative; (2) Jesus’ resurrection and ascension; (3) the coming of the Spirit; (4) Jesus’ second coming and the establishment of the kingdom. The reference to after six days in 9:2 seems to indicate that Mark had the transfiguration in mind insofar as it was a substantial prefiguring of the consummation of the kingdom (although this interpretation is not without its problems). As such, the transfiguration was a tremendous confirmation to the disciples that even though Jesus had just finished speaking of his death (8:31; 9:31; 10:33), he was nonetheless the promised Messiah and things were proceeding according to God’s plan.

[9:2]  ⁵ tn Grk “And after six days.”

[9:2]  ⁶ sn In 1st century Judaism and in the NT, there was the belief that the righteous get new, glorified bodies in order to enter heaven (1 Cor 15:42-49; 2 Cor 5:1-10). This transformation means the righteous will share the glory of God. One recalls the way Moses shared the Lord’s glory after his visit to the mountain in Exod 34. So the disciples saw Jesus transfigured, and they were getting a sneak preview of the great glory that Jesus would have (only his glory is more inherent to him as one who shares in the rule of the kingdom).

[9:4]  ⁷ sn Commentators and scholars discuss why Moses and Elijah are present. The most likely explanation is that Moses represents the prophetic office (Acts 3:18-22) and Elijah pictures the presence of the last days (Mal 4:5-6), the prophet of the eschaton (the end times).

[9:5]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[9:5]  ⁹ tn Grk “And answering, Peter said to Jesus.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant and has not been translated.

[9:5]  ¹⁰ tn Or “dwellings,” “booths” (referring to the temporary booths constructed in the celebration of the feast of Tabernacles).

[9:6]  ¹¹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[9:7]  ¹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[9:7]  ¹³ sn This cloud is the cloud of God’s presence and the voice is his as well.

[9:7]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “And there came a cloud, surrounding them.”

[9:7]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “my beloved Son,” or “my Son, the beloved [one].” The force of ἀγαπητός (agaphtos) is often “pertaining to one who is the only one of his or her class, but at the same time is particularly loved and cherished” (L&N 58.53; cf. also BDAG 7 s.v. 1).

[9:7]  ¹⁶ sn The expression listen to him comes from Deut 18:15 and makes two points: 1) Jesus is a prophet like Moses, a leader-prophet, and 2) they have much yet to learn from him.

[9:11]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[9:11]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “And they were asking him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated.

[9:11]  ¹⁹ tn Or “Why do the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.

[9:14]  ²⁰ tn Or “and scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.

[9:15]  ²¹ tn Grk The participle προστρέχοντες (prostrecontes) has been translated as a finite verb to make the sequence of events clear in English.

[9:18]  ²² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[9:18]  ²³ tn The words “to do so” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity and stylistic reasons.

[9:19]  ²⁴ tn Grk “And answering, he said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant, but the phrasing of the sentence was modified slightly to make it clearer in English.

[9:19]  ²⁵ tn Grk “O.” The marker of direct address, ὦ (w), is functionally equivalent to a vocative and is represented in the translation by “you.”

[9:19]  ²⁶ tn Or “faithless.”

[9:19]  ²⁷ tn Grk “how long.”

[9:19]  ²⁸ tn Or “put up with.” See Num 11:12; Isa 46:4.

[9:19]  ²⁹ sn The pronouns you…you are plural, indicating that Jesus is speaking to a group rather than an individual.

[9:20]  ³⁰ tn Grk “him.”

[9:20]  ³¹ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[9:21]  ³² tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:23]  ³³ tc Most mss (A C³ Ψ 33 Ï) have τὸ εἰ δύνασαι πιστεῦσαι (to ei dunasai pisteusai, “if you are able to believe”), instead of τὸ εἰ δύνῃ (to ei dunh, “if you are able”; supported by א B C* L N* Δ Ë¹ 579 892 pc). Others have εἰ δύνῃ (or δυνάσαι) πιστεῦσαι (“if you are able to believe”; so D K Θ Ë¹³ 28 565 al), while still others have τοῦτο εἰ δύνῃ (touto ei dunh, “if you can [do] this”; so [Ì⁴⁵] W). The reading that best explains the rise of the others is τὸ εἰ δύνῃ. The neuter article indicates that the Lord is now quoting the boy’s father who, in v. 22, says εἴ τι δύνῃ (ei ti dunh, “if you are able to do anything”). The article is thus used anaphorically (see ExSyn 238). However, scribes could easily have overlooked this idiom and would consequently read τὸ εἰ δύνῃ as the protasis of a conditional clause of the Lord’s statement. As such, it would almost demand the infinitive πιστεῦσαι, producing the reading τὸ εἰ δύνασαι πιστεῦσαι (“if you are able to believe, all things are possible…”). But the article here seems to be meaningless, prompting other scribes to modify the text still further. Some dropped the nonsensical article, while others turned it into the demonstrative τοῦτο and dropped the infinitive. It is clear that scribes had difficulty with the original wording here, and made adjustments in various directions. What might not be so clear is the exact genealogy of the descent of all the readings. However, τὸ εἰ δύνῃ is both a hard saying, best explains the rise of the other readings, and is supported by the best witnesses. It thus rightly deserves to be considered authentic.

[9:25]  ³⁴ tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).

[9:25]  ³⁵ sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.

[9:26]  ³⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the boy) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[9:28]  ³⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[9:29]  ³⁸ tc Most witnesses, even early and excellent ones (Ì^45vid א² A C D L W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat co), have “and fasting” (καὶ νηστείᾳ, kai nhsteia) after “prayer” here. But this seems to be a motivated reading, due to the early church’s emphasis on fasting (TCGNT 85; cf., e.g., 2 Clem. 16:4; Pol. Phil 7:2; Did. 1:3; 7:4). That the most important witnesses (א* B), as well as a few others (0274 2427 k), lack καὶ νηστείᾳ, when a good reason for the omission is difficult to find, argues strongly for the shorter reading.

[9:30]  ³⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[9:30]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:31]  ⁴¹ tn The plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) is considered by some to be used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NRSV, “into human hands”; CEV, “to people”). However, because this can be taken as a specific reference to the group responsible for Jesus’ arrest, where it is unlikely women were present (cf. Matt 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:2-12), the word “men” has been retained in the translation. There may also be a slight wordplay with “the Son of Man” earlier in the verse.

[9:31]  ⁴² tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[9:31]  ⁴³ tn Grk “They will kill him, and being killed, after…” The redundancy in the statement has been removed in the translation.

[9:31]  ⁴⁴ sn They will kill him and after three days he will rise. See the note at the end of Mark 8:30 regarding the passion predictions.

[9:33]  ⁴⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[9:33]  ⁴⁶ map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.

[9:33]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:37]  ⁴⁸ tn This verb, δέχομαι (decomai), is a term of hospitality (L&N 34.53).

[9:37]  ⁴⁹ sn Children were very insignificant in ancient culture, so this child would be the perfect object lesson to counter the disciples’ selfish ambitions.