1
Καὶ πάλιν ἤρξατο διδάσκειν παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν. καὶ ⸀συνάγεται πρὸς αὐτὸν ὄχλος ⸀πλεῖστος, ὥστε αὐτὸν ⸂εἰς πλοῖον ἐμβάντα⸃ καθῆσθαι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος πρὸς τὴν θάλασσαν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ⸀ἦσαν.
And again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very great crowd gathers to him, so that he got into a boat and sat on the sea, and the whole crowd was on the land facing the sea.
2
καὶ ἐδίδασκεν αὐτοὺς ἐν παραβολαῖς πολλά καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ διδαχῇ αὐτοῦ·
And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he was saying to them:
3
Ἀκούετε. ἰδοὺ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ ⸀σπείρων σπεῖραι.
“Hear! See, the sower went out to sow.
4
καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ σπείρειν ὃ μὲν ἔπεσεν παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ ἦλθεν τὰ πετεινὰ καὶ κατέφαγεν αὐτό.
And it came to be in the sowing that some fell beside the way, and the birds came and devoured it.
5
⸂καὶ ἄλλο⸃ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸ πετρῶδες ⸀ὅπου οὐκ εἶχεν γῆν πολλήν, καὶ ⸀εὐθὺς ἐξανέτειλεν διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος γῆς·
And other seed fell on the rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and at once it sprang up because it had no depth of soil;
6
⸂καὶ ὅτε ἀνέτειλεν ὁ ἥλιος⸃ ⸀ἐκαυματίσθη καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ῥίζαν ἐξηράνθη.
and when the sun rose it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered.
7
καὶ ἄλλο ἔπεσεν εἰς τὰς ἀκάνθας, καὶ ἀνέβησαν αἱ ἄκανθαι καὶ συνέπνιξαν αὐτό, καὶ καρπὸν οὐκ ἔδωκεν.
And other seed fell into the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it gave no fruit.
8
καὶ ⸀ἄλλα ἔπεσεν εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν καλήν, καὶ ἐδίδου καρπὸν ἀναβαίνοντα καὶ ⸀αὐξανόμενα, καὶ ἔφερεν ⸂ἓν τριάκοντα καὶ ἓν ἑξήκοντα καὶ ἓν⸃ ἑκατόν.
And other seeds fell into the good earth, and coming up and growing they were giving fruit, and bearing thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
9
καὶ ἔλεγεν· ⸂Ὃς ἔχει⸃ ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω.
And he was saying, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Why this rendering
Mark.4.9 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω — infinitive then imperative: whoever has ears to hear, let him hear. ἀκούω stands ten times in this chapter (vv.3, 9, 12, 15, 16, 18, 20, 23, 24, 33) — the whole parable discourse rests on hearing. The first word of v.3 is Ἀκούετε, hear — the sower opens on hear and closes on let him hear at v.9. The sentence recurs at v.23. SBLGNT marks a variant in this verse (⸂Ὃς ἔχει⸃).
Rendering options · 2
Adopted He who has ears to hear, let him hear
Basis Keeps the doubled verb.
Whoever has ears should listen carefully
Basis Unpacks the repetition into emphasis.
Rejected Ear, to hear, let him hear — the triple repetition is the sentence's shape. Unpacked, the verse drops out of the ἀκούω thread that runs the chapter.
Lost in translation
the tenfold thread of ἀκούω The parable opens on hear, the interpretation sorts four kinds of hearers, and the close is as they were able to hear. Varying the word breaks the thread.
Survives in · 개역한글 / KJV / NASB / ESV / VULG / ELB / SYNOD
10
⸂Καὶ ὅτε⸃ ἐγένετο κατὰ μόνας, ⸀ἠρώτων αὐτὸν οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν σὺν τοῖς δώδεκα ⸂τὰς παραβολάς⸃.
And when he came to be alone, those around him with the twelve were asking him about the parables.
11
καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς· Ὑμῖν ⸂τὸ μυστήριον δέδοται⸃ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ θεοῦ· ἐκείνοις δὲ τοῖς ἔξω ἐν παραβολαῖς τὰ πάντα γίνεται,
And he was saying to them, “To you the mystery of the kingdom of God stands given; but to those outside all things come to be in parables,
Why this rendering
Mark.4.11 Observation
Syntactic observation
μυστήριον occurs **only here in Mark.** And it is singular — the parallels in Matthew (13:11) and Luke (8:10) make it plural. δέδοται is perfect passive — it stands given, the agent hidden, a divine passive. τοῖς ἔξω, those outside, takes up the ἔξω where his mother and brothers stood at 3:31–32. And παραβολαῖς with γίνεται — all things come to be in parables, not merely are spoken in them. SBLGNT marks a variant in this verse (⸂τὸ δέδοται⸃).
Rendering options · 2
Adopted To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God
Basis Keeps the singular and the perfect passive.
to you it is granted to know the mysteries
Basis Follows Matthew and Luke with a plural and supplied knowing.
Rejected Mark has a singular and no knowing: what is given is not knowledge but the mystery itself. Pulling toward the parallels erases Mark's grain.
Lost in translation
the singular μυστήριον Not several secrets but one mystery stands given. The plural tradition (KJV, mysteries) came from the Matthean parallel.
Survives in · 개역한글 / NASB / ESV / NET / NIV2011 / ELB
12
ἵνα βλέποντες βλέπωσι καὶ μὴ ἴδωσιν, καὶ ἀκούοντες ἀκούωσι καὶ μὴ συνιῶσιν, μήποτε ἐπιστρέψωσιν καὶ ἀφεθῇ ⸀αὐτοῖς.
so that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest they turn and it be forgiven them.”
Why this rendering
Mark.4.12 Observation
Syntactic observation
Two cognate doublings — βλέποντες βλέπωσι, seeing they may see, and ἀκούοντες ἀκούωσι, hearing they may hear — the Greek trace of the Hebrew infinitive absolute (Isaiah 6:9). And the first verb is βλέπω while the negated one is ἴδωσιν (ὁράω) — **the βλέπω/ὁράω distinction met at John 20:1–8 divides here too**: they look and do not see. The conjunction is **ἵνα, in order that** — he speaks in parables so that seeing they may not see. Matthew's parallel (13:13) softens it to ὅτι, because. And μήποτε runs on: lest they turn and it be forgiven them. Among the hardest sentences in the New Testament. SBLGNT marks a variant in this verse (⸀αὐτοῖς.).
Rendering options · 2
Adopted so that seeing they may see and not perceive
Basis Keeps ἵνα as purpose and the doublings as they stand.
because seeing they do not see
Basis Follows Matthew, rendering it as cause.
Rejected Mark wrote ἵνα. Turning the hard purpose — that parables also conceal — into a cause is what Matthew already did; doing it while translating Mark erases the difference between the Gospels.
Lost in translation
the hardness of ἵνα The theological hardness of in order that has been variously softened. The Mark/Matthew difference (ἵνα/ὅτι) shows only with the books side by side.
Survives in · 개역한글 / KJV / NASB / ESV / VULG / ELB / SYNOD
13
Καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· Οὐκ οἴδατε τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην, καὶ πῶς πάσας τὰς παραβολὰς γνώσεσθε;
And he says to them, “Do you not know this parable? Then how will you know all the parables?
14
ὁ σπείρων τὸν λόγον σπείρει.
The sower sows the word.
15
οὗτοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ὅπου σπείρεται ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὅταν ἀκούσωσιν ⸀εὐθὺς ἔρχεται ὁ Σατανᾶς καὶ αἴρει τὸν λόγον τὸν ἐσπαρμένον ⸂εἰς αὐτούς⸃.
And these are the ones beside the way where the word is sown: when they hear, at once Satan comes and takes away the word sown into them.
16
καὶ οὗτοί εἰσιν ⸀ὁμοίως οἱ ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη σπειρόμενοι, οἳ ὅταν ἀκούσωσιν τὸν λόγον ⸀εὐθὺς μετὰ χαρᾶς λαμβάνουσιν αὐτόν,
And these likewise are the ones sown on the rocky ground: when they hear the word, at once they receive it with joy,
17
καὶ οὐκ ἔχουσιν ῥίζαν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἀλλὰ πρόσκαιροί εἰσιν, εἶτα γενομένης θλίψεως ἢ διωγμοῦ διὰ τὸν λόγον ⸀εὐθὺς σκανδαλίζονται.
and they have no root in themselves but last only a time; then, affliction or persecution coming because of the word, at once they are caused to stumble.
18
καὶ ⸀ἄλλοι εἰσὶν οἱ εἰς τὰς ἀκάνθας σπειρόμενοι· ⸂οὗτοί εἰσιν⸃ οἱ τὸν λόγον ⸀ἀκούσαντες,
And others are the ones sown into the thorns: these are the ones who heard the word,
19
καὶ αἱ μέριμναι τοῦ ⸀αἰῶνος καὶ ἡ ἀπάτη τοῦ πλούτου καὶ αἱ περὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἐπιθυμίαι εἰσπορευόμεναι συμπνίγουσιν τὸν λόγον, καὶ ἄκαρπος γίνεται.
and the cares of the age and the deceit of riches and the desires for the other things, coming in, choke the word, and it becomes fruitless.
20
καὶ ⸀ἐκεῖνοί εἰσιν οἱ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τὴν καλὴν σπαρέντες, οἵτινες ἀκούουσιν τὸν λόγον καὶ παραδέχονται καὶ καρποφοροῦσιν ⸂ἓν τριάκοντα καὶ ἓν ἑξήκοντα καὶ ἓν⸃ ἑκατόν.
And those are the ones sown on the good earth: they hear the word and welcome it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
21
Καὶ ἔλεγεν ⸀αὐτοῖς· Μήτι ⸂ἔρχεται ὁ λύχνος⸃ ἵνα ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον τεθῇ ἢ ὑπὸ τὴν κλίνην, οὐχ ἵνα ἐπὶ τὴν λυχνίαν ⸀τεθῇ;
And he was saying to them, “Does the lamp come in order to be put under the modios or under the bed? Is it not in order to be put on the lampstand?
22
οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ⸀κρυπτὸν ἐὰν μὴ ⸀ἵνα φανερωθῇ, οὐδὲ ἐγένετο ἀπόκρυφον ἀλλ’ ἵνα ⸂ἔλθῃ εἰς φανερόν⸃.
For there is nothing hidden except that it may be made manifest, nor did anything become concealed but that it might come into the open.
23
εἴ τις ἔχει ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω.
If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24
καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς· Βλέπετε τί ἀκούετε. ἐν ᾧ μέτρῳ μετρεῖτε μετρηθήσεται ὑμῖν καὶ προστεθήσεται ⸀ὑμῖν.
And he was saying to them, “Watch what you hear. With the measure you measure it will be measured to you, and it will be added to you.
25
ὃς γὰρ ⸀ἔχει, δοθήσεται αὐτῷ· καὶ ὃς οὐκ ἔχει, καὶ ⸀ὃ ἔχει ἀρθήσεται ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ.
For whoever has, it will be given to him; and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”
26
Καὶ ἔλεγεν· Οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ⸀ὡς ἄνθρωπος βάλῃ τὸν σπόρον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς
And he was saying, “So is the kingdom of God: as a man throws the seed on the earth,
27
καὶ καθεύδῃ καὶ ἐγείρηται νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν, καὶ ὁ σπόρος ⸀βλαστᾷ καὶ μηκύνηται ὡς οὐκ οἶδεν αὐτός.
and sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and lengthens — how, he himself does not know.
28
⸀αὐτομάτη ἡ γῆ καρποφορεῖ, πρῶτον χόρτον, ⸂εἶτα στάχυν, εἶτα⸃ ⸂πλήρης σῖτον⸃ ἐν τῷ στάχυϊ.
Of itself the earth bears fruit: first a blade, then a head, then full grain in the head.
29
ὅταν δὲ ⸀παραδοῖ ὁ καρπός, ⸀εὐθὺς ἀποστέλλει τὸ δρέπανον, ὅτι παρέστηκεν ὁ θερισμός.
And when the fruit yields itself, at once he sends the sickle, because the harvest stands ready.”
30
Καὶ ἔλεγεν· ⸀Πῶς ὁμοιώσωμεν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἢ ἐν ⸀τίνι ⸂αὐτὴν παραβολῇ θῶμεν⸃;
And he was saying, “How shall we liken the kingdom of God, or in what parable shall we set it?
31
ὡς ⸀κόκκῳ σινάπεως, ὃς ὅταν σπαρῇ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ⸂μικρότερον ὂν⸃ πάντων τῶν ⸀σπερμάτων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς—
As a grain of mustard, which, when it is sown on the earth, is smaller than all the seeds on the earth —
32
καὶ ὅταν σπαρῇ, ἀναβαίνει καὶ γίνεται ⸂μεῖζον πάντων τῶν λαχάνων⸃ καὶ ποιεῖ κλάδους μεγάλους, ὥστε δύνασθαι ὑπὸ τὴν σκιὰν αὐτοῦ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνοῦν.
and when it is sown, it comes up and becomes greater than all the garden plants and makes great branches, so that the birds of the sky can nest under its shade.”
33
Καὶ τοιαύταις παραβολαῖς πολλαῖς ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς τὸν λόγον, καθὼς ἠδύναντο ἀκούειν·
And with many such parables he was speaking the word to them, as they were able to hear;
34
χωρὶς δὲ παραβολῆς οὐκ ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς, κατ’ ἰδίαν δὲ τοῖς ⸂ἰδίοις μαθηταῖς⸃ ἐπέλυεν πάντα.
and without a parable he did not speak to them, but privately to his own disciples he was unfolding everything.
35
Καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ὀψίας γενομένης· Διέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πέραν.
And he says to them on that day, when evening had come, “Let us cross over to the other side.”
36
καὶ ἀφέντες τὸν ὄχλον παραλαμβάνουσιν αὐτὸν ὡς ἦν ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ, καὶ ἄλλα ⸀πλοῖα ἦν μετ’ αὐτοῦ.
And leaving the crowd, they take him along, as he was, in the boat; and other boats were with him.
37
καὶ γίνεται λαῖλαψ ⸂μεγάλη ἀνέμου⸃, ⸂καὶ τὰ⸃ κύματα ἐπέβαλλεν εἰς τὸ πλοῖον, ὥστε ⸂ἤδη γεμίζεσθαι τὸ πλοῖον⸃.
And a great windstorm comes to be, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.
38
καὶ ⸂αὐτὸς ἦν⸃ ⸀ἐν τῇ πρύμνῃ ἐπὶ τὸ προσκεφάλαιον καθεύδων· καὶ ⸀ἐγείρουσιν αὐτὸν καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Διδάσκαλε, οὐ μέλει σοι ὅτι ἀπολλύμεθα;
And he himself was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. And they wake him and say to him, “Teacher, is it no care to you that we are perishing?”
39
καὶ διεγερθεὶς ἐπετίμησεν τῷ ἀνέμῳ καὶ εἶπεν τῇ θαλάσσῃ· Σιώπα, πεφίμωσο. καὶ ἐκόπασεν ὁ ἄνεμος, καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη μεγάλη.
And being roused he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Be silent — be muzzled, and stay so.” And the wind dropped, and there came a great calm.
Why this rendering
Mark.4.39 Observation
Syntactic observation
πεφίμωσο is the **perfect passive imperative** of φιμόω — be muzzled, and stay so. A rare form; perfect imperatives are few in the New Testament. **φιμόω is the verb of Φιμώθητι said to the demon at 1:25, and ἐπετίμησεν, rebuked, is also the verb of 1:25.** Mark narrates the storm with the two verbs of exorcism — the sea is rebuked and muzzled. And γαλήνη μεγάλη, a great calm, answers λαῖλαψ μεγάλη, a great storm, at v.37 — the great storm becomes a great calm.
Rendering options · 2
Peace, be still
Basis Renders as a gentle pair.
Rejected Be still erases the muzzle in φιμόω. It is the verb rendered at 1:25 to the demon, and only kindred rendering keeps the exorcism register. The perfect's and-stay-so also vanishes.
Adopted And being roused he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Be silent — be muzzled, and stay so.” And the wind dropped, and there came a great calm.
Basis Keeps φιμόω in the register of 1:25 and carries the perfect's persistence.
Lost in translation
the transplanted exorcism language Rebuke and muzzle — the two verbs used on the demon at 1:25 are used on wind and sea. Mark treats the storm as a personal adversary; be still turns it into the calming of weather.
Survives in · YLT / NET / ELB
40
καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Τί δειλοί ἐστε; ⸀οὔπω ἔχετε πίστιν;
And he said to them, “Why are you cowardly? Do you not yet have faith?”
41
καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν, καὶ ἔλεγον πρὸς ἀλλήλους· Τίς ἄρα οὗτός ἐστιν ὅτι καὶ ὁ ἄνεμος καὶ ἡ θάλασσα ⸀ὑπακούει αὐτῷ;
And they feared a great fear, and were saying to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Why this rendering
Mark.4.41 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον — **a cognate accusative**: they feared a fear. And μέγαν attaches — the third great of the passage (great storm v.37, great calm v.39, great fear v.41). The order of the narrative places the fear not in the storm but **after the calm.** ὑπακούει is singular — wind and sea together taken by one verb — and it is the verb by which the unclean spirits obey at 1:27. SBLGNT marks a variant in this verse (⸀ὑπακούει).
Rendering options · 2
Adopted And they feared a great fear, and were saying to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Basis Keeps the cognate accusative and ὑπακούω as at 1:27.
And they were terrified
Basis Unpacks the cognate accusative into an adverb.
Rejected The last step of the μέγας staircase (storm, calm, fear) disappears, and the weight of the doubling — that the one who stilled the storm is more fearful than the storm — flattens.
Lost in translation
the three steps of μέγας Great storm (37), great calm (39), great fear (41) — three verses bound by one adjective. Unpacking the last into terribly shortens the staircase to two.
Survives in · YLT / KJV / VULG / SYNOD