Markus 4:21

The Parable of the Lamp

4:21 He also said to them, “A lamp ¹  isn’t brought to be put under a basket ²  or under a bed, is it? Isn’t it to be placed on a lampstand?

Markus 5:16

5:16 Those who had seen what had happened to the demon-possessed man reported it, and they also told about the pigs.

Markus 13:12

13:12 Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against ³  parents and have them put to death.

Markus 13:22

13:22 For false messiahs ⁴  and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, the elect.

Markus 14:60

14:60 Then ⁵  the high priest stood up before them ⁶  and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is this that they are testifying against you?”

Markus 15:21

The Crucifixion

15:21 The soldiers ⁷  forced ⁸  a passerby to carry his cross, ⁹  Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country ¹⁰  (he was the father of Alexander and Rufus).

[4:21]  ¹ 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]  ² 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).

[13:12]  ³ tn Or “will rebel against.”

[13:22]  ⁴ tn Or “false christs”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[14:60]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[14:60]  ⁶ tn Grk “in the middle.”

[15:21]  ⁷ tn Grk “They”; the referent (the soldiers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:21]  ⁸ tn Or “conscripted”; or “pressed into service.”

[15:21]  ⁹ sn Jesus was beaten severely with a whip before this (the prelude to crucifixion, known to the Romans as verberatio, mentioned in Matt 27:26; Mark 15:15; John 19:1), so he would have been weak from trauma and loss of blood. Apparently he was unable to bear the cross himself, so Simon was conscripted to help (in all probability this was only the crossbeam, called in Latin the patibulum, since the upright beam usually remained in the ground at the place of execution). Cyrene was located in North Africa where Tripoli is today. Nothing more is known about this Simon.

[15:21]  ¹⁰ tn Or perhaps, “was coming in from his field” outside the city (BDAG 15-16 s.v. ἀγρός 1).