Markus 2:19

2:19 Jesus ¹  said to them, “The wedding guests ²  cannot fast while the bridegroom ³  is with them, can they? ⁴  As long as they have the bridegroom with them they do not fast.

Markus 4:21

The Parable of the Lamp

4:21 He also said to them, “A lamp ⁵  isn’t brought to be put under a basket ⁶  or under a bed, is it? Isn’t it to be placed on a lampstand?

Markus 6:48

6:48 He ⁷  saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. As the night was ending, ⁸  he came to them walking on the sea, ⁹  for ¹⁰  he wanted to pass by them. ¹¹ 

Markus 7:4

7:4 And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. They hold fast to many other traditions: the washing of cups, pots, kettles, and dining couches. ¹² ) ¹³ 

Markus 10:15

10:15 I tell you the truth, ¹⁴  whoever does not receive ¹⁵  the kingdom of God like a child ¹⁶  will never ¹⁷  enter it.”

Markus 11:24

11:24 For this reason I tell you, whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Markus 13:34

13:34 It is like a man going on a journey. He left his house and put his slaves ¹⁸  in charge, assigning ¹⁹  to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to stay alert.

Markus 14:15

14:15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”

Markus 14:21

14:21 For the Son of Man will go as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for him if he had never been born.”

Markus 14:44

14:44 (Now the betrayer ²⁰  had given them a sign, saying, “The one I kiss is the man. Arrest him and lead him away under guard.”) ²¹ 

[2:19]  ¹ tn Grk “And Jesus.”

[2:19]  ² tn Grk “sons of the wedding hall,” an idiom referring to wedding guests, or more specifically, friends of the bridegroom present at the wedding celebration (L&N 11.7).

[2:19]  ³ sn The expression while the bridegroom is with them is an allusion to messianic times (John 3:29; Isa 54:5-6; 62:4-5; 4 Ezra 2:15, 38).

[2:19]  ⁴ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “can they?”).

[4:21]  ⁵ sn The lamp is probably an ancient oil burning lamp or perhaps a candlestick. Jesus is comparing revelation to light, particularly the revelation of his ministry.

[4:21]  ⁶ tn Or “a bowl”; this refers to any container for dry material of about eight liters (two gallons) capacity. It could be translated “basket, box, bowl” (L&N 6.151).

[6:48]  ⁷ tn This verse is one complete sentence in the Greek text, but it has been broken into two sentences in English for clarity.

[6:48]  ⁸ tn Grk “about the fourth watch of the night,” between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.

[6:48]  ⁹ tn Or “on the lake.”

[6:48]  ¹⁰ tn The καί (kai) was translated so as to introduce a subordinate clause, i.e., with the use of “for.” See BDF §442.9.

[6:48]  ¹¹ sn The statement he wanted to pass by them is somewhat difficult to understand. There are at least two common interpretations: (1) it refers to the perspective of the disciples, that is, from their point of view it seemed that Jesus wanted to pass by them; or (2) it refers to a theophany and uses the language of the Greek Old Testament (LXX) when God “passed by” Moses at Sinai (cf. Exod 33:19, 22). According to the latter alternative, Jesus is “passing by” the disciples during their struggle, in order to assure them of his presence with them. See W L. Lane, Mark (NICNT), 236.

[7:4]  ¹² tc Several important witnesses (Ì^45vid א B L Δ 28* pc) lack “and dining couches” (καὶ κλινῶν, kai klinwn), while the majority of mss (A D W Θ Ë^1,13 33 Ï latt) have the reading. Although normally the shorter reading is to be preferred, especially when it is backed by excellent witnesses as in this case, there are some good reasons to consider καὶ κλινῶν as authentic: (1) Although the addition of κλινῶν could be seen as motivated by a general assimilation to the purity regulations in Lev 15 (as some have argued), there are three problems with such a supposition: (a) the word κλίνη (klinh) does not occur in the LXX of Lev 15; (b) nowhere in Lev 15 is the furniture washed or sprinkled; and (c) the context of Lev 15 is about sexual impurity, while the most recent evidence suggests that κλίνη in Mark 7:4, in keeping with the other terms used here, refers to a dining couch (cf. BDAG 549 s.v. κλίνη 2). Thus, it is difficult to see καὶ κλινῶν as a motivated reading. (2) κλίνη, though a relatively rare term in the NT, is in keeping with Markan usage (cf. Mark 4:21; 7:30). (3) The phrase could have been dropped accidentally, at least in some cases, via homoioteleuton. (4) The phrase may have been deliberately expunged by some scribes who thought the imagery of washing a dining couch quite odd. The longer reading, in this case, can thus be argued as the harder reading. On balance, even though a decision is difficult (especially because of the weighty external evidence for the shorter reading), it is preferable to retain καὶ κλινῶν in the text.

[7:4]  ¹³ sn Verses 3-4 represent parenthetical remarks by the author, giving background information.

[10:15]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[10:15]  ¹⁵ sn On receive see John 1:12.

[10:15]  ¹⁶ sn The point of the comparison receive the kingdom of God like a child has more to do with a child’s trusting spirit and willingness to be dependent and receive from others than any inherent humility the child might possess.

[10:15]  ¹⁷ tn The negation in Greek (οὐ μή, ou mh) is very strong here.

[13:34]  ¹⁸ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 10:44.

[13:34]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “giving.”

[14:44]  ²⁰ tn Grk “the one who betrays him.”

[14:44]  ²¹ sn This remark is parenthetical within the narrative and has thus been placed in parentheses.