Markus 6:14

The Death of John the Baptist

6:14 Now ¹  King Herod ²  heard this, for Jesus’ ³  name had become known. Some ⁴  were saying, “John the baptizer ⁵  has been raised from the dead, and because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him.”

Markus 9:18

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 ⁶  they were not able to do so.” ⁷ 

Markus 16:18

16:18 they will pick up snakes with their hands, and whatever poison they drink will not harm them; ⁸  they will place their hands on the sick and they will be well.”

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

² sn 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.

³ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

⁵ tn 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 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

⁷ tn The words “to do so” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity and stylistic reasons.

⁸ tn For further comment on the nature of this statement, whether it is a promise or prediction, see ExSyn 403-6.