1sn By the time Mark wrote, the word gospel had become a technical term referring to the preaching about Jesus Christ and God's saving power accomplished through him for all who believe (cf. Rom 1:16).
2tn The genitive in the phrase τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ (tou euangeliou Ihsou Cristou, "the gospel of Jesus Christ") could be translated as either a subjective genitive ("the gospel which Jesus brings [or proclaims]") or an objective genitive ("the gospel about Jesus Christ"). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which Jesus proclaims is in fact the gospel about himself.
3tc א* Θ 28 l2211 pc sams Or lack υἱοῦ θεοῦ (Juiou qeou, "son of God"), while virtually all the rest of the witnesses have the words (A Ë1,13 33 Ï also have τοῦ [tou] before θεοῦ), so the evidence seems to argue for the authenticity of the words. Most likely, the words were omitted by accident in some witnesses, since the last four words of v. 1, in uncial script, would have looked like this: iu_c_r_u_u_u_q_u_. With all the successive upsilons an accidental deletion is likely. Further, the inclusion of υἱοῦ θεοῦ here finds its complement in 15:39, where the centurion claims that Jesus was υἱὸς θεοῦ (Juios qeou, "son of God"). Even though א is in general one of the best NT mss, its testimony is not quite as preeminent in this situation. There are several other instances in which it breaks up chains of genitives ending in ου (cf., e.g., Acts 28:31; Col 2:2; Heb 12:2; Rev 12:14; 15:7; 22:1), showing that there is a significantly higher possibility of accidental scribal omission in a case like this. This christological inclusio parallels both Matthew ("Immanuel…God with us" in 1:23/"I am with you" in 28:20) and John ("the Word was God" in 1:1/"My Lord and my God" in 20:28), probably reflecting nascent christological development and articulation.
sn The first verse of Mark's Gospel appears to function as a title: The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is not certain, however, whether Mark intended it to refer to the entire Gospel, to the ministry of John the Baptist, or through the use of the term beginning (ἀρχή, arch) to allude to Genesis 1:1 (in the Greek Bible, LXX). The most likely option is that the statement as a whole is an allusion to Genesis 1:1 and that Mark is saying that with the "good news" of the coming of Christ, God is commencing a "new beginning."
4tc Instead of "in Isaiah the prophet" the majority of mss read "in the prophets" (A W Ë13 Ï Irlat). Except for Irenaeus (2nd century), the earliest evidence for this is thus from the 5th (or possibly late 4th) century (W A). The difficulty of Irenaeus is that he wrote in Greek but has been preserved largely in Latin. His Greek remains have "in Isaiah the prophet." Only the later Latin translation has "in the prophets." The KJV reading is thus in harmony with the majority of late mss. On the other hand, the witnesses for "in Isaiah the prophet" (either with the article before Isaiah or not) are early and geographically widespread: א B D L Δ Θ Ë1 33 565 700 892 1241 2427 al syp co Ir. This evidence runs deep into the 2nd century, is widespread, and is found in the most important Alexandrian, Western, and Caesarean witnesses. The "Isaiah" reading has a better external pedigree in every way. It has the support of the earliest and best witnesses from all the texttypes that matter. Moreover it is the harder reading, since the quotation in the first part of the verse appears to be from Exod 23:20 and Mal 3:1, with the quotation from Isa 40:3 coming in the next verse. The reading of the later mss seems motivated by a desire to resolve this difficulty.
5sn The opening lines of the quotation are from Exod 23:20; Mal 3:1. Here is the forerunner who points the way to the arrival of God's salvation. His job is to prepare and guide the people, as the cloud did for Israel in the desert.
6sn This call to "make his paths straight" in this context is probably an allusion to preparation through repentance.
7sn A quotation from Isa 40:3.
8tn Or "desert."
9tn 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]).
10sn A baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins was a call for preparation for the arrival of the Lord's salvation. To participate in this baptism was a recognition of the need for God's forgiveness with a sense that one needed to live differently as a response to it.
11tn Grk "And the whole Judean countryside." Mark uses the Greek conjunction καί (kai) at numerous places in his Gospel to begin sentences and paragraphs. This practice is due to Semitic influence and reflects in many cases the use of the Hebrew ו (vav) which is used in OT narrative, much as it is here, to carry the narrative along. Because in contemporary English style it is not acceptable to begin every sentence with "and," καί was often left untranslated or rendered as "now," "so," "then," or "but" depending on the context. When left untranslated it has not been noted. When given an alternative translation, this is usually indicated by a note.
12map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
13tn Grk "they were being baptized by him." The passive construction has been rendered as active in the translation for the sake of English style.
14sn John's lifestyle was in stark contrast to many of the religious leaders of Jerusalem who lived in relative ease and luxury. While his clothing and diet were indicative of someone who lived in the desert, they also depicted him in his role as God's prophet (cf. Zech 13:4); his appearance is similar to the Prophet Elijah (2 Kgs 1:8). Locusts and wild honey were a common diet in desert regions and locusts (dried insects) are listed in Lev 11:22 among the "clean" foods.
15tn Grk "proclaimed, saying." The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
16tn Grk "of whom I am not worthy."
sn The humility of John is evident in the statement I am not worthy. This was considered one of the least worthy tasks of a slave, and John did not consider himself worthy to do even that for the one to come, despite the fact he himself was a prophet.
17tn The term refers to the leather strap or thong used to bind a sandal. This is often viewed as a collective singular and translated as a plural, "the straps of his sandals," but it may be more emphatic to retain the singular here.
18tn Grk "And." Here καί (kai) has been translated as "now" to indicate the transition to a new topic.
19map For location see Map1-D3; Map2-C2; Map3-D5; Map4-C1; Map5-G3.
20tn "River" is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.
21tn Grk "and immediately coming up out of the water, he saw." The present participle has been translated temporally, with the subject (Jesus) specified for clarity.
22tn Or "sky." The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated "sky" or "heaven," depending on the context. The same word is used in v. 11.
23sn The phrase like a dove is a descriptive comparison. The Spirit is not a dove, but descended like one in some sort of bodily representation.
24tn 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).
25tn Or "with you I am well pleased."
sn The allusions in the remarks of the text recall Ps 2:7a; Isa 42:1 and either Isa 41:8 or, less likely, Gen 22:12,16. God is marking out Jesus as his chosen one (the meaning of "[in you I take] great delight"), but it may well be that this was a private experience that only Jesus and John saw and heard (cf. John 1:32-33).
26sn The forty days may allude to the experience of Moses (Exod 34:28), Elijah (1 Kgs 19:8, 15), or David and Goliath (1 Sam 17:16).
27tn Grk "And he."
28tn Grk "were serving him," "were ministering to him."
29tn Or "arrested," "taken into custody" (see L&N 37.12).
30tc Most witnesses, especially later ones (A D W Ï lat), have τῆς βασιλείας (ths basileias) between τὸ εὐαγγέλιον (to euangelion) and τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou): "the gospel of the kingdom of God." On the one hand, it is perhaps possible that τῆς βασιλείας was omitted to conform the expression to that which is found in the epistles (cf. Rom 1:1; 15:16; 2 Cor 11:7; 1 Thess 2:2, 8, 9; 1 Pet 4:17). On the other hand, this expression, "the gospel of God," occurs nowhere else in the Gospels, while "the gospel of the kingdom" is a Matthean expression (Matt 4:23; 9:35; 24:14), and "kingdom of God" is pervasive in the synoptic Gospels (occurring over 50 times). Scribes would thus be more prone to add τῆς βασιλείας than to omit it. Further, the external support for the shorter reading (א B L Θ Ë1,13 28* 33 565 579 892 2427 sa) is significantly stronger than that for the longer reading. There is little doubt, therefore, that the shorter reading is authentic.
31tn The genitive in the phrase τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ θεοῦ (to euangelion tou qeou, "the gospel of God") could be translated as either a subjective genitive ("the gospel which God brings") or an objective genitive ("the gospel about God"). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which God brings is in fact the gospel about himself.
32tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
33sn The kingdom of God is a reference to the sovereign activity of God as he rules over his creation and brings his plans to realization.
34sn This is a parenthetical comment by the author.
35tn The Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, thus "people."
sn The kind of fishing envisioned was net – not line – fishing (cf. v. 16; cf. also BDAG 55 s.v. ἀμφιβάλλω, ἀμφίβληστρον) which involved a circular net that had heavy weights around its perimeter. The occupation of fisherman was labor-intensive. The imagery of using a lure and a line (and waiting for the fish to strike) is thus foreign to this text. Rather, the imagery of a fisherman involved much strain, long hours, and often little results. Jesus' point may have been one or more of the following: the strenuousness of evangelism, the work ethic that it required, persistence and dedication to the task (often in spite of minimal results), the infinite value of the new "catch" (viz., people), and perhaps an eschatological theme of snatching people from judgment (cf. W. L. Lane, Mark [NICNT], 67). If this last motif is in view, then catching people is the opposite of catching fish: The fish would be caught, killed, cooked, and eaten; people would be caught so as to remove them from eternal destruction and to give them new life.
36sn The expression followed him pictures discipleship, which means that to learn from Jesus is to follow him as the guiding priority of one's life.
37tn Or "a boat." The phrase ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ (en tw ploiw) can either refer to a generic boat, some boat (as it seems to do in Matt 4:21); or it can refer to "their" boat, implying possession. Mark assumes a certain preunderstanding on the part of his readers about the first four disciples and hence the translation "their boat" is justified (cf. also v. 20 in which the "hired men" indicates that Zebedee's family owned the boats).
38tn Grk "And." Here καί (kai) has been translated as "then" to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
39sn Capernaum was a town located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region, and it became the hub of operations for Jesus' Galilean ministry.
map For location see Map1-D2; Map2-C3; Map3-B2.
40tn The Greek word εὐθύς (euqus, often translated "immediately" or "right away") has not been translated here. It sometimes occurs with a weakened, inferential use (BDAG 406 s.v. 2), not contributing significantly to the flow of the narrative. For further discussion, see R. J. Decker, Temporal Deixis of the Greek Verb in the Gospel of Mark with Reference to Verbal Aspect (SBG 10), 73-77.
41tn Grk "he"; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
42sn The synagogue was a place for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though its origin is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present. (See the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2.) First came the law, then the prophets, then someone was asked to speak on the texts. Jesus undoubtedly took the opportunity on this occasion to speak about his person and mission, and its relationship to Old Testament fulfillment.
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