1
Ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις ⸂πάλιν πολλοῦ⸃ ὄχλου ὄντος καὶ μὴ ἐχόντων τί φάγωσιν, ⸀προσκαλεσάμενος τοὺς ⸀μαθητὰς λέγει αὐτοῖς·
In those days, there being again a great crowd with nothing to eat, calling the disciples to himself he says to them,
Again — the writer marks this as a second feeding, not a retelling of the first.
pronoun himself = Jesus
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun them = the disciples
2
Σπλαγχνίζομαι ἐπὶ τὸν ὄχλον ὅτι ἤδη ἡμέραι τρεῖς προσμένουσίν μοι καὶ οὐκ ἔχουσιν τί φάγωσιν·
“I am moved with compassion for the crowd, because they have stayed with me three days already and have nothing to eat;
Moved with compassion is the verb of 6:34, built on the word for the inward parts.
pronoun I = Jesus
pronoun they = the crowd
pronoun me = Jesus
3
καὶ ἐὰν ἀπολύσω αὐτοὺς νήστεις εἰς οἶκον αὐτῶν, ἐκλυθήσονται ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ· ⸂καί τινες⸃ αὐτῶν ⸀ἀπὸ μακρόθεν ⸀ἥκασιν.
and if I send them away fasting to their homes, they will give out on the way — and some of them have come from far off.”
Give out (ἐκλύομαι, eklyomai) is to be undone from weakness.
pronoun I = Jesus
pronoun them = the crowd
pronoun their = the crowd
pronoun they = the crowd
4
καὶ ἀπεκρίθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ⸀ὅτι Πόθεν τούτους δυνήσεταί τις ὧδε χορτάσαι ἄρτων ἐπ’ ἐρημίας;
And his disciples answered him, “From where will anyone be able to satisfy these people with loaves, here in a desolate place?”
The disciples ask the same question as at 6:37, after the first feeding.
pronoun his = Jesus
pronoun him = Jesus
5
καὶ ⸀ἠρώτα αὐτούς· Πόσους ἔχετε ἄρτους; οἱ δὲ εἶπαν· Ἑπτά.
And he was asking them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”
Seven — the number will be asked back at verse 20.
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun them = the disciples
pronoun you = the disciples
pronoun they = the disciples
6
καὶ ⸀παραγγέλλει τῷ ὄχλῳ ἀναπεσεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· καὶ λαβὼν τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἄρτους εὐχαριστήσας ἔκλασεν καὶ ἐδίδου τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ ἵνα ⸀παρατιθῶσιν καὶ παρέθηκαν τῷ ὄχλῳ.
And he charges the crowd to recline on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, giving thanks, he broke them and was giving them to his disciples to set before them, and they set them before the crowd.
Giving thanks (εὐχαριστέω, eucharisteō) is a different verb from blessing in verse 7; this edition keeps them apart.
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun them = the seven loaves — “to set before them” is the crowd
pronoun his = Jesus
pronoun they = the disciples
7
καὶ εἶχον ἰχθύδια ὀλίγα· καὶ εὐλογήσας ⸀αὐτὰ εἶπεν ⸂καὶ ταῦτα παρατιθέναι⸃.
And they had a few small fish; and blessing them, he said to set these before them also.
Blessing here, giving thanks in verse 6 — the two verbs stand in one scene.
pronoun they = the disciples
pronoun them = the small fish
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun these = the small fish
8
⸂καὶ ἔφαγον⸃ καὶ ἐχορτάσθησαν, καὶ ἦραν περισσεύματα κλασμάτων ἑπτὰ σπυρίδας.
And they ate and were satisfied, and they took up what was left over of the pieces — seven baskets.
Baskets here is σπυρίς (spyris), not the hamper of 6:43. The two numbers and the two words are both kept.
pronoun they = the crowd — “they took up what was left over” is the disciples
9
ἦσαν ⸀δὲ ὡς τετρακισχίλιοι. καὶ ἀπέλυσεν αὐτούς.
And they were about four thousand. And he sent them away.
Four thousand — the word for people is not the “males” of 6:44.
pronoun they = the crowd
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun them = the crowd
10
καὶ ⸀εὐθὺς ἐμβὰς εἰς τὸ πλοῖον μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ ἦλθεν εἰς τὰ μέρη Δαλμανουθά.
And at once, getting into the boat with his disciples, he came into the district of Dalmanoutha.
Dalmanoutha is named once in all four Gospels and its place is not known.
first here Dalmanoutha Δαλμανουθά Dalmanoutha
pronoun his = Jesus
pronoun he = Jesus
11
Καὶ ἐξῆλθον οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ ἤρξαντο συζητεῖν αὐτῷ, ζητοῦντες παρ’ αὐτοῦ σημεῖον ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, πειράζοντες αὐτόν.
And the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, testing him.
Testing is the verb used of Satan at 1:13.
first here Pharisee Φαρισαῖος Pharisaios
pronoun him = Jesus — every “him” here is Jesus
12
καὶ ἀναστενάξας τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ λέγει· Τί ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη ⸂ζητεῖ σημεῖον⸃; ἀμὴν λέγω ⸀ὑμῖν, εἰ δοθήσεται τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ σημεῖον.
And groaning deeply in his spirit he says, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen I say to you: if a sign shall be given to this generation —.”
If a sign shall be given — the Greek is an oath-form broken off, and the sentence is left unfinished as the text has it. It means: no sign will be given.
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun his = Jesus
pronoun I = Jesus
pronoun you = the Pharisees
Why this rendering
Mark.8.12 Hypothesis
Syntactic observation
εἰ δοθήσεται τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ σημεῖον — the sentence ends inside a condition. After if a sign shall be given to this generation there is no apodosis. This is the Hebrew oath-formula transplanted: the curse-clause of if I do this, may I be cursed is swallowed, and the bare protasis works as emphatic denial — no sign whatever. The εἰ εἰσελεύσονται of Hebrews 3:11, 4:3, 4:5, quoting Psalm 95:11, is the same shape. The opening ἀναστενάξας, groaning deeply, occurs only here in the four Gospels and is sibling to ἐστέναξεν at 7:34 — a groan doubled across two adjacent scenes. Of the editions compared, only the Vulgate (si dabitur) and the Hebrew NT (אִם) keep the oath form; the modern versions compared either flatten it to no sign will be given (KRV, KJV, ESV, and the rest) or paraphrase (MSG). SBLGNT marks a variant in this verse (⸂ζητεῖ σημεῖον⸃; ⸀ὑμῖν,).
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “Amen I say to you: if a sign shall be given to this generation —.”
Basis Leaves the oath broken off. The fracture is the gesture of the oath.
“No sign will be given to this generation.”
Basis Resolves the sense into a plain statement.
Rejected The sense is right but the form is gone — that Jesus spoke in the idiom of an oath vanishes from the translation. The groan and the oath are one gesture.
Lost in translation
the idiom of the oath Even with the broken protasis kept, that this is a Semitic oath with its curse swallowed does not reach an English reader unaided. The layer crosses only with the analysis.
Survives in · Vulgata Clementina / Delitzsch Hebrew NT (1877) / this edition — 9 of the nine carry it (this language among them)
13
καὶ ἀφεὶς αὐτοὺς ⸂πάλιν ἐμβὰς⸃ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸ πέραν.
And leaving them, getting in again, he went away to the other side.
He leaves without answering — the only such exit in this book.
pronoun them = the Pharisees
pronoun he = Jesus
14
Καὶ ἐπελάθοντο λαβεῖν ἄρτους, καὶ εἰ μὴ ἕνα ἄρτον οὐκ εἶχον μεθ’ ἑαυτῶν ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ.
And they forgot to take loaves, and except for one loaf they had none with them in the boat.
One loaf — the writer counts it, having just told of two feedings.
pronoun they = the disciples
15
καὶ διεστέλλετο αὐτοῖς λέγων· Ὁρᾶτε, βλέπετε ἀπὸ τῆς ζύμης τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ τῆς ζύμης Ἡρῴδου.
And he was strictly ordering them, saying, “Open your eyes; watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
Leaven of Herod — the manuscripts differ, and some read “of the Herodians”.
first here Herod Ἡρῴδης Hērōdēs
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun them = the disciples
pronoun your = the disciples
16
καὶ διελογίζοντο πρὸς ⸀ἀλλήλους ὅτι ἄρτους οὐκ ⸀ἔχουσιν.
And they were arguing with one another that they have no loaves.
They hear a saying about leaven as a complaint about bread.
pronoun they = the disciples
17
καὶ ⸀γνοὺς λέγει αὐτοῖς· Τί διαλογίζεσθε ὅτι ἄρτους οὐκ ἔχετε; οὔπω νοεῖτε οὐδὲ συνίετε; ⸀πεπωρωμένην ἔχετε τὴν καρδίαν ὑμῶν;
And knowing it he says to them, “Why do you argue that you have no loaves? Do you not yet perceive, nor understand? Is your heart hardened?
Is your heart hardened? — the callus-word of 3:5 and 6:52, put to the disciples as a question.
pronoun it = what they were arguing
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun them = the disciples
pronoun you = the disciples — every “you” here is the disciples
pronoun your = the disciples
Why this rendering
Mark.8.17 Observation
Syntactic observation
Four questions in a row — why do you argue, do you not yet perceive, do you not understand, is your heart hardened — running into the eyes-and-ears questions of v.18. πεπωρωμένην is the perfect passive participle of πωρόω, to callous over, from πῶρος, stone. Perfect tense: not hardening now, but hardened already and standing so. πωρόω occurs exactly twice in Mark — 6:52, the disciples right after the loaves (ἦν αὐτῶν ἡ καρδία πεπωρωμένη), and here at 8:17, the disciples inside another conversation about loaves — both times of the disciples' καρδία. For the opponents the noun πώρωσις is used at 3:5: the hardness of the outsiders becomes, across two loaf-scenes, the hardness of the disciples. The ἔχετε construction asks about a state possessed. SBLGNT marks a variant in this verse (⸀γνοὺς ⸀πεπωρωμένην).
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “Is your heart hardened?”
Basis Keeps the perfect as a standing state and ties it to 6:52 with the same word.
“Are your minds dull?”
Basis Generalises the hardness into dullness.
Rejected The picture of πωρόω — a surface calloused over, past feeling — is lost, and the verbal link to 6:52 is cut.
Lost in translation
the physicality of πῶρος The medical picture — flesh turning stone, callus, calculus — does not fully cross even in hardened.
this edition — none of the nine carries it (measured)
18
ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχοντες οὐ βλέπετε καὶ ὦτα ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε; καὶ οὐ μνημονεύετε
Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?
Having eyes … having ears repeats the words of 4:12, now said to the twelve.
pronoun you = the disciples — every “you” here is the disciples
19
ὅτε τοὺς πέντε ἄρτους ἔκλασα εἰς τοὺς πεντακισχιλίους, πόσους κοφίνους ⸂κλασμάτων πλήρεις⸃ ἤρατε; λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Δώδεκα.
When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many hampers full of pieces did you take up?” They say to him, “Twelve.”
Hampers — the basket-word of 6:43 is asked back with the number that belongs to it.
pronoun I = Jesus
pronoun you = the disciples
pronoun They = the disciples
pronoun him = Jesus
20
ὅτε ⸀καὶ τοὺς ἑπτὰ εἰς τοὺς τετρακισχιλίους, πόσων σπυρίδων πληρώματα κλασμάτων ἤρατε; ⸂καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ⸃· Ἑπτά.
“When the seven for the four thousand, the fillings of how many baskets of pieces did you take up?” And they say to him, “Seven.”
Baskets — the other basket-word, with the other number. The two feedings are held apart by the words themselves.
pronoun you = the disciples
pronoun they = the disciples
pronoun him = Jesus
21
καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς· ⸀Οὔπω συνίετε;
And he was saying to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
The exchange ends on a question, and this book does not answer it.
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun them = the disciples
pronoun you = the disciples
22
Καὶ ⸀ἔρχονται εἰς Βηθσαϊδάν. καὶ φέρουσιν αὐτῷ τυφλὸν καὶ παρακαλοῦσιν αὐτὸν ἵνα αὐτοῦ ἅψηται.
And they come to Bethsaida. And they bring to him a blind man, and beg him to touch him.
This healing stands only in this book, and it is the only one done in two steps.
first here Bethsaida Βηθσαϊδάν Bēthsaidan
pronoun they = Jesus and the disciples — “they bring to him” is the people of the place
pronoun him = Jesus — “to touch him” is the blind man
23
καὶ ἐπιλαβόμενος τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ τυφλοῦ ⸀ἐξήνεγκεν αὐτὸν ἔξω τῆς κώμης, καὶ πτύσας εἰς τὰ ὄμματα αὐτοῦ, ἐπιθεὶς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῷ, ἐπηρώτα αὐτόν· Εἴ τι ⸀βλέπεις;
And taking hold of the blind man's hand, he brought him outside the village; and spitting into his eyes, laying his hands on him, he was asking him, “Do you see anything?”
Outside the village — as with the deaf man at 7:33, he is taken away from the crowd first.
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun him = the blind man — every “him” here is the blind man
pronoun his = the blind man — “laying his hands” is Jesus
pronoun you = the blind man
24
καὶ ἀναβλέψας ἔλεγεν· Βλέπω τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὅτι ὡς δένδρα ὁρῶ περιπατοῦντας.
And looking up he was saying, “I see the men — like trees I see them, walking.”
Like trees I see them, walking — the half-healing is recorded, and no explanation is given.
pronoun he = the blind man
pronoun I = the blind man
pronoun them = the men
Why this rendering
Mark.8.24 Observation
Syntactic observation
The middle of the only healing in the four Gospels (John and Mark) that proceeds in two stages — commonly held to be without parallel in the gospels at large, though that lies outside our collation and is not claimed here. The sentence spoken by half-opened eyes is itself half-resolved syntax — it starts Βλέπω τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, I see the men, and then inside the ὅτι-clause ὡς δένδρα, ὁρῶ, περιπατοῦντας pile up: like trees, I see, walking. The object τοὺς ἀνθρώπους is pulled forward out of the ὅτι-clause (prolepsis), and two verbs of seeing share one sentence. Across three verses the seeing-verbs come six times: βλέπεις (23), ἀναβλέψας, βλέπω, ὁρῶ (24), διέβλεψεν, ἐνέβλεπεν (25). The adverb τηλαυγῶς in v.25, far-shiningly clear, occurs nowhere else in the four Gospels. That this pericope (8:22-26) immediately precedes Peter's confession (8:27-30) — a confession that then refuses the passion and proves half-sighted — is a standard observation of Markan scholarship.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “I see the men — like trees I see them, walking.”
Basis Leaves the tangle tangled. The stumbling sentence is the record of half-opened sight.
“I see people; they look like trees walking around.”
Basis Straightens the syntax into a tidy comparison.
Rejected The more fluent the sentence, the more fully the sight seems restored. This man's speech still stumbles — and the stumble is what calls for the second touch in v.25.
Lost in translation
the layers of the seeing-verbs βλέπω, ὁράω, ἀναβλέπω, διαβλέπω, ἐμβλέπω — five grains of seeing fold into two or three words in English.
Survives in · this edition — 4 of the nine carry it (not this language)
25
εἶτα πάλιν ⸀ἐπέθηκεν τὰς χεῖρας ἐπὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ⸂διέβλεψεν καὶ ἀπεκατέστη καὶ ἐνέβλεπεν⸃ τηλαυγῶς ⸀ἅπαντα.
Then again he laid his hands upon his eyes; and he saw distinctly, and was restored, and was seeing everything far and clear.
Was restored is the verb of the withered hand at 3:5.
pronoun he = Jesus — the second and third “he” are the blind man
pronoun his = Jesus — “upon his eyes” is the blind man
26
καὶ ἀπέστειλεν αὐτὸν ⸀εἰς οἶκον αὐτοῦ λέγων· Μηδὲ εἰς τὴν κώμην ⸀εἰσέλθῃς.
And he sent him away to his house, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”
Do not even enter the village — the silencing extends to the place itself.
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun him = the man
pronoun his = the man
27
Καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰς κώμας Καισαρείας τῆς Φιλίππου· καὶ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ἐπηρώτα τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ λέγων αὐτοῖς· Τίνα με λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι;
And Jesus and his disciples went out into the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he was asking his disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”
On the way — this book puts the turning point of its story on a road.
first here Jesus Ἰησοῦς Iēsous
first here Caesarea Καισάρεια Kaisareia
first here Philippi Φίλιππος Philippos
pronoun his = Jesus — both times
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun them = the disciples
pronoun I = Jesus
28
οἱ δὲ ⸂εἶπαν αὐτῷ λέγοντες⸃ ⸀ὅτι Ἰωάννην τὸν βαπτιστήν, καὶ ἄλλοι Ἠλίαν, ἄλλοι δὲ ⸂ὅτι εἷς⸃ τῶν προφητῶν.
And they told him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but others, one of the prophets.”
The three guesses of 6:14–15 come back word for word.
first here John Ἰωάννης Iōannēs
first here Elijah Ἠλίας Ēlias
pronoun they = the disciples
pronoun him = Jesus
29
καὶ αὐτὸς ⸂ἐπηρώτα αὐτούς⸃· Ὑμεῖς δὲ τίνα με λέγετε εἶναι; ⸀ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Πέτρος λέγει αὐτῷ· Σὺ εἶ ὁ χριστός.
And he was asking them, “But you — who do you say that I am?” Answering, Peter says to him, “You are the Christ.”
But you stands emphatically in Greek. Christ renders χριστός (christos), anointed — the Greek for Messiah.
first here Peter Πέτρος Petros
first here Christ Χριστός Christos
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun them = the disciples
pronoun you = the disciples
pronoun I = Jesus
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun You = Jesus
30
καὶ ἐπετίμησεν αὐτοῖς ἵνα μηδενὶ λέγωσιν περὶ αὐτοῦ.
And he rebuked them, that they should tell no one about him.
He rebuked them uses the verb spoken to demons at 1:25 and to the sea at 4:39.
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun them = the disciples
pronoun they = the disciples
pronoun him = Jesus
31
Καὶ ἤρξατο διδάσκειν αὐτοὺς ὅτι δεῖ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πολλὰ παθεῖν καὶ ἀποδοκιμασθῆναι ⸀ὑπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ τῶν ἀρχιερέων καὶ τῶν γραμματέων καὶ ἀποκτανθῆναι καὶ μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἀναστῆναι·
And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise.
Must (δεῖ, dei) — the necessity is stated and not explained. After three days is this book's phrase; Matthew 16:21 has “on the third day”.
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun them = the disciples
32
καὶ παρρησίᾳ τὸν λόγον ἐλάλει. καὶ προσλαβόμενος ⸂ὁ Πέτρος αὐτὸν⸃ ἤρξατο ἐπιτιμᾶν αὐτῷ.
And he was speaking the word openly. And Peter, taking him aside, began to rebuke him.
Openly — the thing that was to be kept secret is now said plainly.
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun him = Jesus — both times
33
ὁ δὲ ἐπιστραφεὶς καὶ ἰδὼν τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ ἐπετίμησεν ⸀Πέτρῳ ⸂καὶ λέγει⸃· Ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, Σατανᾶ, ὅτι οὐ φρονεῖς τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
But he, turning around and seeing his disciples, rebuked Peter, and says, “Go behind me, Satan, because you are not thinking the things of God but the things of men.”
Go behind me uses the same word as “come behind me” in verse 34 — the call and the rebuke share it.
first here Satan Σατανᾶς Satanas
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun his = Jesus
pronoun me = Jesus
pronoun you = Peter
Why this rendering
Mark.8.33 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου — go behind me. In the very next verse the same ὀπίσω μου defines discipleship: Εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν, if anyone wants to come behind me. And the first call (1:17) was Δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου, come behind me. In Mark, behind me is not the direction of banishment but the disciple's place — in v.32 Peter had taken Jesus aside, προσλαβόμενος, blocking the road from in front. The command of v.33 reverses that arrangement: not in front, but behind, where a follower walks. The verbs answer each other exactly — at v.30 Jesus ἐπετίμησεν, charging silence; at v.32 Peter begins ἐπιτιμᾶν; at v.33 Jesus ἐπετίμησεν Peter. One verb, three times, changing direction within a single paragraph. φρονεῖς τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, to think the things of God — an idiom of siding, of the set of the mind. SBLGNT marks a variant in this verse (⸀Πέτρῳ ⸂καὶ λέγει⸃·).
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “Go behind me, Satan” — with v.34's “come behind me” in the same words
Basis Renders ὀπίσω μου identically in 33 and 34, so the rebuke audibly echoes the vocabulary of the call.
“Get away from me, Satan” / v.34 “to be my follower”
Basis Naturalises 33 as expulsion and 34 with a general verb.
Rejected Splitting the two verses into different words erases the echo — that the command Peter hears is the very specification of the disciple's place, sent back to position rather than driven away, becomes unreadable in translation.
Lost in translation
the shock of the vocative Σατανᾶ The mouth that just confessed the Christ (v.29) is addressed as Satan six verses later. The drop survives in any translation; that of Mark's six occurrences of Σατανᾶς (1:13, 3:23 twice, 3:26, 4:15, 8:33) this is the only vocative aimed at a human being is visible only to a reader who counts.
this edition — none of the nine carries it (measured)
34
Καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος τὸν ὄχλον σὺν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ⸂Εἴ τις⸃ θέλει ὀπίσω μου ⸀ἐλθεῖν, ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι.
And calling the crowd to himself with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to come behind me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Deny (ἀπαρνέομαι, aparneomai) is the verb used of Peter at 14:30. Cross names the beam a condemned man carried.
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun himself = Jesus — “let him deny himself” is anyone who follows
pronoun his = Jesus — “take up his cross” is anyone who follows
pronoun them = the crowd and the disciples
pronoun me = Jesus — both times
pronoun him = anyone who wants to come behind me
35
ὃς γὰρ ⸀ἐὰν θέλῃ τὴν ⸂ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ⸃ σῶσαι ἀπολέσει αὐτήν· ὃς δ’ ἂν ⸀ἀπολέσει τὴν ⸄ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ⸅ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ καὶ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ⸀σώσει αὐτήν.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever will lose his life because of me and of the gospel will save it.
Life here is ψυχή (psychē), the life a person lives — the same word as “life” in verses 36 and 37.
pronoun his = whoever wants to save it — both times
pronoun it = his life — every “it” here is the same
pronoun me = Jesus
Why this rendering
Mark.8.35 Observation
Syntactic observation
ψυχή comes four times in vv.35-37 — twice in 35 (the life one tries to save, the life one loses), once in 36 (the thing weighed against the whole world), once in 37 (the thing without an exchange-price). The skeleton of the paradox is a chiasm: whoever would save — will lose (σῶσαι—ἀπολέσει); whoever loses — will save (ἀπολέσει—σώσει). And the paragraph stands on the fact that all four are the same word — the word read as life in v.35 turns out heavier than the whole world in vv.36-37; the word itself does not change. In the second relative clause ἀπολέσει is future indicative after ἄν, not subjunctive (SBLGNT prints it with a ⸀ mark) — the grammatical wobble of spoken Koine left standing in the text. The pair ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ καὶ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, because of me and of the gospel, returns at 10:29. SBLGNT marks a variant in this verse (⸀ἐὰν ⸂ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ⸃ ⸀ἀπολέσει ⸄ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ⸅ ⸀σώσει).
Rendering options · 2
Adopted life all four times — “…and forfeit his life … what can a man give in exchange for his life?”
Basis One word carries the paradox, so one rendering holds it. The weight of vv.36-37 is left to the context to build.
life in v.35, soul in vv.36-37 — “…and forfeit his soul…”
Basis Reads vv.36-37 as speaking of more than life, and raises the word.
Rejected Change the word and vv.35 and 36-37 split into different subjects. The force of the original is that one word bears both weights — split, the paradox becomes a homily.
Lost in translation
the range of ψυχή Breath, life, self, soul in one body of a word. Fix it as life and the pricelessness of v.37 narrows; raise it to soul and the dying and living of v.35 turns abstract. Either choice keeps half.
Survives in · this edition — 9 of the nine carry it (this language among them)
36
τί γὰρ ⸀ὠφελεῖ ⸀ἄνθρωπον ⸂κερδῆσαι τὸν κόσμον ὅλον καὶ ζημιωθῆναι⸃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ;
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?
Forfeit (ζημιόω, zēmioō) is a word for suffering loss or a fine.
pronoun his = a man
37
⸂τί γὰρ⸃ ⸀δοῖ ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ;
For what could a man give in exchange for his life?
In exchange renders ἀντάλλαγμα (antallagma), the price given in a swap.
pronoun his = a man
38
ὃς γὰρ ἐὰν ἐπαισχυνθῇ με καὶ τοὺς ἐμοὺς λόγους ἐν τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ τῇ μοιχαλίδι καὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ, καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπαισχυνθήσεται αὐτὸν ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων τῶν ἁγίων.
For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Ashamed stands twice — of him, and of the one who was ashamed.
pronoun me = Jesus
pronoun my = Jesus
pronoun him = whoever is ashamed
pronoun he = the Son of Man
pronoun his = the Son of Man