Latest Posts on Christs Words

2008-08-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

Mar 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which you have delivered: and many such like things do you.
Alternative: Canceling God's word by your transmission of orders that you teach and things such as this that you do.

Continuing Christ's theme that religious leaders can cancel God's intent by how they interpret it, the point of this verse is that leaders teach both in word and deed. It is not just their teaching, but, in this case, how people see them serving their own self-interest. Christ often repeats statements to emphasize the three overlapping realms--physical, mental, and emotional--in which we live. In this case, he touches on all three: "words" are the mental realm, but transmission of orders is the emotional (social) realm, and "doing" is the physical realm.

The general sense here is that people torture logic, that is, God's logos, to justify what they want in terms of social power and physical gratification.

"Making...of none effect" is from akuroô (akuroo), which means "to cancel," "to set aside," and "render powerless."

"Tradition" is from paradosis (paradosis), which means "handing down," "transmission," "that which is handed down," and "the transmission of orders." This specifically includes legends, traditions, and doctrines but it is not specific about the quality of what is handed down, only that it has been passed down.

"You have delivered" is from paradidômi (paradidomi), which means "to give over to another," "to transmit," "to hand down," "to grant," "to teach," and "to bestow."

"Many" is from polus, which means "many (in number)," "great (in size or power or worth)," and "large (of space)." As an adverb is means "far," "very much," "a great way," and "long."

"Such" is from toioutos (toioutos), which means "such as this," "so great a thing," ""such a condition," "such a reason," "and suchlike."

"Like things" is from paromoios (paromoios), which means "closely resembling," and "nearly equal."

"Do you" is from poieô ( poieo), which means "to make," "to produce," "to create," "to bring into existence," "to bring about," "to cause," "to render," "to consider," "to prepare," "to make ready," and "to do."

2008-08-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

Mar 7:12 And you suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;
Alternative: And no longer send him away doing nothing for his father and mother.

Christ's message here is that the religious leaders tolerated someone in the community who violated the commandment of honoring their father and their mother if they gave their property as a gift to the temple. They should have shunned such a person, but didn't.

If the original KJV seems a little convoluted in saying that, it seems to be because the original translators have a problem with a specific word. I know nothing of ancient Greek except a little I learned in high school and what I have picked up over the years studying the Greek of Christ's words, so I am in no position to criticize the scholars who translated the NT into English in the KJV, but it sometimes feels like they tied themselves into knots because they wanted certain words to mean certain things even when they really didn't.

In this case, the problem word is, as it so often is, aphiêmi, which is the basis for all references of "forgiving sin" in the NT. However, it actually has the meaning, as you can see below, of getting rid of something, letting it go, sending it away. When Christ referred to "forgiving sin" he was really telling us to let go of our own mistakes and the mistakes of others and to get past them (another meaning of aphiêmi). This has much more the sense of not dwelling on the past and especially of letting go and leaving behind than any sense of absolution that the word "forgive" carries.

The idea of "suffering" the sins of another is very closely connected to the idea of "forgiving" their sins, at least in the older English of the KJV, but you see how maintain that idea forces the translators to mistranslate another word, in this case, oudeis. Here they translate it as "ought" when it actually means "naught" and "nothing." It is a negative world and has no sense at all of obligation.

"You suffer" is from aphiêmi (aphiemi), which means "to let fall," "to send away," "to let loose," "to get rid of," "to leave alone," "to pass by," "to permit," and "to send forth from oneself." This is the same word that is translated as "leave" and "forgive" in the New Testament.

"No more" is from ouketi (ouketi), which means "no more," "no longer," "no further" and generally, "not now."

"Ought" is from oudeis, (oudeis) which means "no one," "not one," "nothing," "naught," "good for naught," and "no matter."

"To do" is from poieô ( poieo), which means "to make," "to produce," "to create," "to bring into existence," "to bring about," "to cause," "to render," "to consider," "to prepare," "to make ready," and "to do."

2008-08-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

Mar 7:11 But you say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, [It is] Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever you might be profited by me; [he shall be free].
Alternative: But you teach a man to tell his father or mother, Whatever I owe you is an votive offering gift.

The original here is a really convoluted translation with some poorly chosen words. The religious leaders taught people that if they declared all their property as a religious offering, they didn't have to use it to support their parents. My guess is that while they were alive, they could live off that property but that it went to the temple upon their death. Think of this as the era's version of declaring your business a non-profit corporation to avoid paying taxes only in this era, you wanted to get out of supporting your dependents because back in these primitive times that was thought of as a personal responsibility rather than the taxpayer's obligation.

"Gift" is from dôron (doron) which means "gift," "present," and specifically a "votive gift" or "offering" to a god. The simpler term without the sense of a votive offering is "dorea."

First "say" is from legô (lego) is used to describe what the scribes "say." It means literally "pick up," but it used to mean "recount," "tell over," "say," "speak," "teach," and "command."

The second "say"is epo (epo) which is from epos meaning "word." It is used like we might say "give someone the word."

"Out" is from ek, which means "out of," "away from," "from," or "by."

"You might be profited by me" is from ophellô (opheleo), which means "to own," "to pay," and "to be bound to render." This is the verb form of ôpheleia, which means "help," "aid," and "succor" as well as "profit," "advantage," or "gain from war."

2008-08-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

Mar 7:10 For Moses said, Honour your father and your mother; and, Who curses his father or mother, let him die the death:

Christ combines two old testament verses here, Deu 5:16 and Exd 21:17. His purpose is to offer a contrast of ideas, in this case, life versus death. Christ contrasts the honor due your parents for giving you life with the deadly effects of speaking evil of your parents. This contrast is typical of Christ's teaching of the Old testament.

In the Greek, there is an odd correspondence between the verbs used for "honor" and "die." The former means "value" and the later can also mean "to accomplish" in the sense of finishing a task. In the Greek, I am left with the sense that those who speak evil of their parents are honoring the accomplishment of death over the accomplishment of life. This wordplay only works in Greek.

However, there is similar contrast in the original Hebrew, which is interesting as well. The term for "honor" means "to be heavy." Here the contrast that is brought to mind is between the heaviness of birth and the heaviness of death.

On the continuing theme of the mistranslation of "good" and "evil" in the NT, here we see one of the rare references to the Greek word that actually does mean "evil," kakos, which appears in the compound, kakologeô, to speak evil. As we like to point out, despite the fondness of the English translators for the word "evil," the Greek of the NT seldom uses this Greek term that means "evil." The term usually translated as "evil" actually is closer in meaning to "worthless,"
base," and "second-rate."

(Note: The Greek and Hebrew versions of "die the death" are a little different and, interestingly, the English translation here is closer to the Hebrew, something we don't see very often. The Hebrew phrase repeats the verb muwth with its infinitive, meaning something like "kill dead" while the Greek version from the Septuagint uses to different verbs and is closer to "make dead," but the ideas are the same. As I have pointed out elsewhere, Christ was raised in Egypt, where Alexandria was the center of Jewish culture and where the Septuagint was written a few centuries before Christ. If he taught in Greek as well as Aramaic, he would have quoted from the Septuagint version, but, of course, the authors of the New Testament might also have referred to the Septuagint in translating Christ's words from Aramaic as well. )

"Honour" is from the Greek timaô , (timao) which means "to revere," "to honor," and "to value." In the original Hebrew, it is from kabad, which means "to be heavy," "to be rich," and "to be honored." Though the Greek word doesn't have the same sense of "weight" as the Hebrew, weight is often connected in Greek with value. In a commodity based society, value and weight were the same. We say that we give "weight" to an arguments in the same sense that the ancients would give "weight" to the rules of a leader or a God.

"Curse" is from kakologeô (kakologeo), which means "revile" and "abuse." It is a compound of the word that means "bad" and "evil" kakos (kakos) and the word logos (logos), which means "word," "computation," "reckoning," and "value."

"Die" is from teleutaô (teleutao), which means "to bring to pass," "to accomplish," "to finish," "to die," "to end a life," and "to make an end to life." The word in Hebew is from muwth, which means "to die" and "to kill."

"Death" is from thanatos (thanatos), which means "death" "a death sentence," and "a corpse." However, the word could be a form of the verb, thanatoô, which is the future passive of the verb meaning "to be put to death," "to be made dead." The word in Hebew is from muwth, which means "to die" and "to kill."

2008-08-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

Mar 7:9 Full well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition.
Alternative: Beautifully do you make divine orders ineffective so that you may guard your own transmission of orders.

When Christ seems to repeat a phrase, he never does so frivolously. He does it because it is easy to miss his meaning. My response is to look more closely at the Greek to see what I am missing.

In this case, what I found is that the word translated as "traditions" actually has a much most specific meaning in this context. The word doesn't mean "tradition" exactly. It means "to transmit," to "hand down" or "pass on" something, like legends or traditions are handed down from one generation to the next. However, in this context, it has a more specific meaning, referring specifically to the transmission of orders and the transmission of authority from one generation to the next.

What religious leaders are protecting is their ability to acts as the middlemen between God and their followers. Christ saw these middlemen as making God's message ineffective because what they emphasize is their power as priests rather than God's will. Hence, we have "house-keeping" tasks such as washing the dishes, taking precedence over more important matters.

In this discussion, it was the Pharisees who started this topic, condemning Christ's followers for not washing their hands as "handed down from the elders."

"Full well" is from kalos (kalos), which means "beautiful," "good," "of fine quality," "noble," and "honorable." It is most often translated as "good" juxtaposed with "evil" in the New Testament, but the two ideas are closer to "wonderful" and "worthless," "noble" and "base."

"Reject" is from atheteô (atheteo), which means "to deny," "to disprove," "to cancel," "to render ineffective," and to :break faith with."

"You may keep" is from têreô (tereo), which means "to watch over," "to guard," "to take care of," "to give heed to," "to keep," and "to observe."

"Tradition" is from paradosis (paradosis), which means "handing down," "transmission," "that which is handed down," and "the transmission of orders." This specifically includes legends, traditions, and doctrines but it is not specific about the quality of what is handed down, only that it has been passed down.

2008-08-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

Mar 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, [as] the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things you do.
Alternative: By letting go the orders of God, you get the upper hand by transmitting human orders, such as the washing of pitchers and cups and the many similar things you do.

In reading Christ's words in Greek, the concept of the "forgiveness of sin" that is emphasized in translation seems to disappear. The term that gets translated as "forgiveness" (aphiêmi) is not necessarily a good thing, like "mercy" for example. The term means simply "letting go," which can be good and also can be bad. This verse is an example of "letting go" as being a bad thing. Here, he condemns people for letting go of the God's orders.

Christ saw a serious conflict between "God's command" and "human tradition." The theme of many of his encounters with religious leaders is that they enforced a number of traditions in order to maintain their power over people, especially their power to criticize others. This lead to a meaningless formalism in religion. Something we see happening in every faith. Indeed, as Christ indicated, formalizing religion is a human tradition not the command of God.

Here, Christ trivializes these formal religious traditions, equating them to washing dishes and other tasks that have no inherent meaning.

"Laying aside" is from aphiêmi (aphiemi), which means "to let fall," "to send away," "to let loose," "to get rid of," "to leave alone," "to pass by," "to permit," and "to send forth from oneself." This is the same word that is translated as "leave" and "forgive" in the New Testament.

"Commandment" is from entolê (entole)which means "injunction," "order," and "command."

"Hold" is from krateô(krateo), which means "to rule," "to hold sway," "to be the lord and master," "to conquer," "to prevail over," "to get the upper hand," "to seize," "to control," and "to command."

"Tradition" is from paradosis (paradosis), which means "handing down," "transmission," "that which is handed down," and "the transmission of orders." This specifically includes legends, traditions, and doctrines but it is not specific about the quality of what is handed down, only that it has been passed down.

"Washing" is from baptismos (baptismos), which means "dipping in water," and "immersion."

"Pots" is from xestês (xestes), which means a "measurement of about a pint," a "pitcher," or a "cup."

"Cup" is from potêrion(poterion), which means "a drinking-cup," "a wine-cup," "a jar," and "a receptacle" for offerings in the temple.

"Many" is from polus, which means "many (in number)," "great (in size or power or worth)," and "large (of space)." As an adverb is means "far," "very much," "a great way," and "long."

"Other" is from allos (allos), which means "another."

"Such" is from toioutos (toioutos), which means "such as this," "so great a thing," ""such a condition," "such a reason," "and suchlike."

"Like things" is from paromoios (paromoios), which means "closely resembling," and "nearly equal."

"You do" is from poieô ( poieo), which means "to make," "to produce," "to create," "to bring into existence," "to bring about," "to cause," "to render," "to consider," "to prepare," "to make ready," and "to do."

2008-07-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

Mar 7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men.

This is one of the most unusual translations in the KJV because it ignores the line in Isaiah 29:13 that Christ is quoting. That line is translated in the OT of KJV from the Hebrew as "their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men." If you look at the Greek, you can see how it can be translated the same. The word translated as "worship" primarily means "fear." The word translated as "in vain" also means "falsely" so we easily get "but falsely do they fear me, teaching [my] instructions like human orders." The translation of the full verse of Isaiah, which is quoted in here and in the previous verse (and that we saw before in Matt 15:7-9 in the same Greek) is:

Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near [me] with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

The point is that religious leaders tend to teach the fear of God rather than the love of God. They think of God's instruction as human laws, which we must obey out of fear of punishment. They don't see them as instructions given to us out of love and a desire for us to have the best lives possible. God is a father offering advice and direction out of love not a policeman or judge threatening us with the law. This is very much in line with Christ's teaching that the Sabbath was made for men, not men for the Sabbath.

In other words, God.s instructions are not like the orders of a ruler. They are explanations of how the world works, that is, the universal rule. In a sense, they are the laws of nature. We cannot violate them without suffering the consequences any more than we can walk off a cliff without tangling with the law of gravity. God's instructions are about the nature of things not meaningless lines in the sand that he is forbidding us to cross. The commandments exist not to deprive us of pleasures but to enable us to have better lives.

"In vain" is from the Greek matên (maten)which means "in vain," "fruitless," "at random," "idly," and "falsely."

"Do they worship" is from sebomai (sebomai), which means "full of awe," "feel fear" or "feel shame," before God, "fear to do," and "worship". In Hebrew, the sense of fear is more direct. The single word, yir'ah, which means "fear," "awe," or "fear of God." In the original Hebrew, this line is translated in KJV as saying, that the fear of God comes from the teaching of men, not from God. The Greek could and should be translated this way as well.

"Teaching" is from didaskô (didasko), which means "to teach," "to instruct," "to indicate," "to explain," and "to give sign of."

"Doctrines" is from didaskalia (disaskalia) which means "teachings," "instruction," "elucidation," and "official instruction."

"Commandments" is from entalma, which means "to order). The Greek, entalma, only appears here and is not a standard word in Greek. It is translated as a local form of entolê which means "injunction," "order," and "command."

"Of men" is from anthropos , which means "men," people," and "humanity."

2008-07-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

Mar 7:6 Well has Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honor me with [their] lips, but their heart is far from me.

This verse is a reference to Isaiah 29:13 where there was originally a bit of contrasting wordplay that is not part of the Greek here in Mark. This contrasting wordplay is in the Greek in Mat 15:8, (analysis here) which is why I tend to think Matthew is closer to the original words. Christ loved to play on contrasting idea. It seems unlikely he would have not used such wordplay when it was in the text he was referencing. In the original Hebrew, the contrast is near (nagash) and far (rachaq), the nearness of lips that honor with the distance of the hearts. In Matthew's version, the contrast is between near (engizô) and far (apecho, "to be absent", porrho "at a distance"). Here in Mark, only the idea of distant and absence is preserved, not the contrasting idea of nearness.

Since we looked at the wordplay in the earlier discussion of Matthew, let us look at this verse from the perspective of Christ's use of symbols because it is also interesting in that regard.

Christ symbols refer to three aspect of our temporal lives: the physical, mental, and emotional. Hear, lips represent the mental and hearts represent the emotion. This follows from the idea that language and ideas form our mental world while our relationships with others form our emotional world.

Christ sees all three aspect of our temporal existence as important, but he describes life as a process that starts with the physical, moves to the mental, goes to the emotional, which ends at the spiritual. Christ describes the problem of life as getting stuck in one of these areas, creating an imbalance in our lives and a lack of progress. Our lives become worth less when we get so attached to life's physical aspects (physical pleasure) or its mental aspects (conceptual ideas) or its emotional aspects (social praise) that we cannot move on another aspect of life. Of course, the idea is to prepare for the bigger transition from the temporal to the spiritual.

However, there is also the sense in Christ's words that our personal emotional relationships are closer to our relationship to God. We cannot really understand God with our minds. He is too far beyond us. However, we can understand God through our relationships. This is why Christ teaches the the "pure of heart" will see God. This is the same idea using the same symbol of the heart for relationships. Of course, both Greek and Hebrew use the heart symbolically as the seat of emotions, though in Greek, it is specifically the seat of the feelings (courage, love), while the belly is the seat of the lower, more base desires (sex, food).

"Hypocrites" is from hupokrites (hupokrites) which is a great example of a word that has taken its English meaning from the Bible and its religious interpretation rather than the original Greek and Christ's original sense. The word means "one who answers," and is used in Greek to mean "interpreter" or "actor." Christ used it to mean that the scribes and Pharisees were just re-interpreting the law and play-acting their religion.

"Come near" is from the Greek engizô (eggizo) which means "to bring near," "to approach," and "to be on the point of" (doing someing). It is from the Hebrew, nagash, which means to "draw near" and "approach," but which is also used to describe sexual intercourse. Maybe combining "make advances" and "make love" into a single word might capture it.

"Honour" is from the Greek timaô , (timao) which means "to revere," "to honor," and "to value." In the original Hebrew, it is from kabad, which means "to be heavy," "to be rich," and "to be honored." Though the Greek word doesn't have the same sense of "weight" as the Hebrew, weight is often connected in Greek with value. In a commodity based society, value and weight were the same. We say that we give "weight" to an arguments in the same sense that the ancients would give "weight" to the rules of a leader or a God.

"Are far " is from the Greek, apecho ("to be absent") porrho ("at a distance"). The Hebrew is rachaq , which means "to be or become distant."

2008-07-13T16:52:00.000-07:00

Mar 6:50 Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.
Alternative: "Don't be afraid. It is I. Don't be alarmed."

I found Matthew's Gospel was surprising consistent in terms of every chapter having a specific focus or topic. Mark is not proving to be as consistent in terms of theme. This chapter began as a discussion of society and our social interactions, but it seems to have changed. The focus has changed from society to our physical needs in the last verse. In this verse, that theme is continued, asking us simply to stop being afraid of the physical universe. What happens is art of God's plan. We do not need to fear it. It all has purpose and meaning.

Perhaps the larger lesson here is that God is in everything: society and physical reality. If we simply accept God's plan, we can deal with each challenge as it comes without fear or concern. Life isn't meant to be a bowl of cherries. It is meant to challenge us so we can grow. Fear stands in the way of us learning from each setback and sadness.

"Be of good cheer" is from tharseô (tharseo), which means "fear not," "have courage," "have confidence," "have no fear," and "make bold."

"It is" is from eimi (eisi), which means "to be,""to exist," "to be the case," and "is possible."

"Afraid" is from phobeô, (phobeo) which means "to put to flight, "terrify," "alarm," "to stand in awe," and "to be afraid."

2008-07-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

Mar 6:38 How many loaves do you have? Go and see.

Bread, wine, and house are the central to Christ's symbolism representing our temporal world: bread for the physical, wine for the mental, and the house for the emotional aspects of our lives. Unlike our mental or emotional life, aspect of our physical life can be counted and measured. Our physical possessions can be held, protected, and kept safe.

Bread, like wine, is Christ's symbol for transformation. The seed creates the plant. The plant duplicates the seed into grain. The grain becomes dough. Dough becomes bread. Bread is converted to body. The physical world exists in a process of transformation. Everything is temporary. Everything is limited.

Transformation is also multiplication. Through the cycle, the seed is duplicated, yielding fruit on good ground, in Christ's words, a hundred fold. The miracle of the physical world is that though each stage is temporary, it is productive.

The word Christ uses for "see" here also is often used to me "understand."

"How much" is from posos (posos), which means "of what quantity," [in distance] "how far." [of number] how far," [of time] "how long," [of value] "how much," "how great," "how many," and "how much."

"Loaves" is from artos (artos), which means specifically a "cake of whole wheat break," and generally "loaf," and "bread."

"Do you have" is from echô (echo), which means "to have," "to hold," "to possess," "to keep," "to have charge of," "to maintain," "to hold fast," "to bear," "to keep close," "to keep safe," and "to have means to do."

"Go" is from hupagô (hupago), which means "to lead under," "to bring under," "to bring a person before judgment," "to lead on by degrees," "to take away from beneath," "to withdraw," "to go away," "to retire," "to draw off," and "off with you."

"See" is from eido (eido), which is another word that means "to see," "to examine," and "to know." It has more the sense of understanding.

2008-07-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

Mar 6:37 Give them to eat.

Perhaps the simplest of all instructions and something that is done naturally in personal relationships. When someone comes to your house, you offer them food. Here, Christ applies this same rule to the gathering of a large group of people in the desert. He sees the natural world as his home and he sees his relationship with all people as personal.

While Christ warns us about seeking status and recognition from anonymous society, taking from society, the same rule does not apply to giving to society. We ask God not other people to provide our food from the environment (the first request of the Lord's prayer), however we all work to feed ourselves by working together in the social network. We are all debtors to God, but in human society we play both roles as givers and takers. Christ sees this balance as giving so that we can receive. We give first. We offer value for others.

Since this chapter in Mark is all about our relationships with others in society, Christ is merely instructing us on what is natural. If we see a need, we should first seek to fill it.

"Give" is from didômi (didomi), which means "to give," "to grant," "to hand over," and "to describe."

"Eat" is from phago (phago), which is a form of the word, phagein, which means to eat," "to eat up," and "to devour." A synonym for esthiô (esthio).

2008-07-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

Mar 6:31 Come you yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.

Alternative: Come here everyone, separately, on your own, into an isolated place and regain a little strength.

I find it interesting that the word translated as "place" or "position" as is also a metaphor for "opening" and "opportunity." Our place is indeed the opening for our opportunities.

In the normal English translation, the sense in the Greek of separating ourselves as individuals, privately, apart from society is somewhat lost. I am reminded of how Christ teaches us to pray, off by ourselves, not in groups, but privately, in a closet. There is a sense that our work in society weakens us, but our time alone, with Christ, refreshes our strength.

This chapter began with the idea that our personal power, at least as a prophet, works only outside our family, in society. We go out into society, to do our work, becoming part of a new group. We are sometimes rejected, but we have to shake it off and march on. To regain our strength, we have to separate ourselves from society, take time for ourselves, with God alone.

"Come" is from deute (deute), which means "come here" and "come hither." It is an imperative form, indicating a command.

"Apart" is from kata (kata), which means "downwards," "down from," "down into," "against," "down toward," "opposite," "separately," "individually," "at a time," "towards," "in accordance with," "concerning," "corresponding with," "during the course of a period," and "severally."

The untranslated word that follows "apart" is idios (idios), which means "one's own," "pertaining to one's self," "private," "personal," "personally attached," "separate distinct," "strange," "unusual," "peculiar," and "appropriate."

"Desert" is from erêmoô (eremos), which means "strip bare," "desolate," "lay waste," "bereave," "abandon," "desert," "leave alone," and "keep isolated."

"Place" is from topos (topos), which means "place," "region," "position," "part [of the body]," "district," "room," and "topic." It is also a metaphor for "opening," "occasion," and "opportunity."

"Rest" is from anapauô (anapauo), which means "to make to cease," "stop or hinder," "put an end to," "bring to a close," "take rest," "sleep," "lie fallow," "regain strength," and "rest or settle [on an object]."

"Awhile" is from oligos (oligos), which means "little," "small," and "weak."

2008-06-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

Mar 6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when you depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Alternative: And as many will not welcome you or even hear you, march on, shaking off the residue under your feet as the evidence of it. I tell you truly that it shall be more bearable in Sodom and Gomorrah in days of trial than that city.

Christ uses the word translated as "receive" here exclusively in verses referring to being welcomed by people. The word "hear" means the physical sense of hearing sounds, not necessarily listening or understanding words. The words translated as "depart" is not the word translated in the previous verse as "depart" but a different word that has more the sense of "marching out." The phrase "against them" is from a word that is simply a reflexive pronoun. Christ uses the term translated as "testimony" more like our idea of legal evidence. The word translated as "judgment" is "krisis" which means a trial or choice.

In English, this comes across as a threat and a condemnation. In spending some time with the words in Greek, it feels more like comfort and sadness. For those who are going to be rejected, it is comfort. It tells us to simply put the rejection behind us. We must march on. We shake off the residue of it, symbolically leaving the evidence behind us. We shouldn't expect to be welcomed or even physically heard. For those who reject us, it comes across as sadness. Everyone has a time of trial and these people will have less to fall back upon than those who die a quick death.

"Whosover" is from hosos (hosos), which means "as many," "as much as," "as great as," "as far as," and "only so far as."

"Receive" is from dechomai, (dechomai) which means "welcome," "accept," and "entertain" when applied to people. (It means "take," "accept," and "receive" when applied to things.)

"Hear" is from akouô (akouo), which means "hear of," "hear tell of," "what one actually hears," "know by hearsay," "listen to," "give ear to," "hear and understand," and "understand."

"Depart" is from ekporeuô (ekporeuomai), which means "to make to go out," "to fetch out," and "to march out."

"Shake" is from ektinassô (ektinasso), which means "to shake out," "to expel," "to shake off," and "to search thoroughly."

"Dust" is from chnoos (choos), which means "powder," "fine down," "dust," "any light porous substance," "the foam on the edge of the sea," and "chaff."

"Testimony" is from marturion (marturion), which means "testimony" and "proof."

"Against them" is from autos (autos), which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself," "yourself," "himself," "herself," "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him," "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of ones own accord."

"More tolerable" is anektoteros (the "more" version of anektos), which "bearable," "sufferable," "that which can be endured," or "tolerable."

"Judgment" is from krisis (krisis), which means "separating," "distinguishing," "judgment," "choice," "election," "trial," "dispute," "event," and "issue."

2008-06-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

Mar 6:10 In what place soever you enter into an house, there abide until you depart from that place.
Alternative: Anywhere you enter into a group relationship, keep with it until you advance from where you are.

There is a subtle play on words here between the term used for "enter" and "depart." The term for "enter" doesn't only means to physically enter into a place, but to enter an new role or new station. The for for "depart" also means to come out of one class and into another with the sense of dreams coming true or roles coming to an end.

The term for "house" means not only a physical house, but any clan or group association.

The general sense is very consistent with Christ's general theme of our group relationships and how seriously we must take them. Christ started this chapter with the idea that a prophet is not seen as anything special in his or her original family. This verse moves that idea forward. As we move on in life, we will be accepted into new groups and families. We must take those relationships seriously, but with the sense that we will also someday be moving on. Of course, as young people, we move from group to group until we find our place in the world. However, even when we find our place, we are eventually moving on from life itself.

"In what place soever" is from hopou (hopou), which means "somewhere," "anywhere," "wherever," "anywheresoever" and "where."

"Enter" is from eiserchomai (eiserchomai)which means both "to go into," "to come in," "to enter," "to enter an office," "to enter a charge," (as in court) and "to come into one's mind."

"House" is oikia, which means "house," "building," and "household." It was also the term that was used to describe a family or clan and the people associated with that family or clan, such as their servants and slaves.

"Abide" is from menô (meno), which means "to stay," "to wait," "to stand fast [in battle]," "to stay at home," "to remain," "to expect," and "to wait for."

"Depart" is from exerchomai (exerchomai) which means "to come or go out of, " "to come out," "to withdraw from a country," "to come out of one class to another," "to be proven to be," [of time]" to come to an end," and [of dreams] "to come true."

"Place" is from ekeithen (ekeithen), which means "from that place," "thence," "from that fact," and "thenceforward."

2008-06-13T06:37:00.000-07:00

Mar 6:4 A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
Alternative: A prophet is not worthless except among his father's [people], his kin, and his family.

The construction of the first phrase here is a repetition of three negatives ideas, both in Greek and English (not, without, but/except). It is then followed by three words than also have a very similar meanings, all indicating people with whom you have a blood relationship. The word translated as "country" means "of one's father" which can mean "fatherland" but it doesn't actually mean country.

As we have seen repeatedly, Christ uses the pattern of three to refer to our three temporal states of the physical, mental, and emotional. Though the idea of family usually relates directly to emotional relationships, this is one of several places where Christ takes one aspect of these three, in this case the emotional, and says that it too has its own physical, mental, and emotional dimensions.

In the Greek, it is much clearer that Christ is not referring to a prophet receiving honor or praised from others. The term translated as "without honor" literally means "without value." Christ is saying that because a prophet's family doesn't value the prophet's words, they can get no value from those words.

Giving value is required in order to receive value. The physical, intellectual, and emotional familiarity of family make it impossible to get physical, intellectual, and emotional values from the ideas of a prophet. They are too close to see that value.

"Prophet" is from prophêtês (prophetes), which means "one who speaks for a god and interprets his will," "interpreter," "keepers of the oracle," the highest level of priesthood in Egypt," "interpreter," and "herald."

"Without honor" is from atimos (atimos), which means "dishonored," "unhonored," "not deemed worthy," "deprived of civic rights," and "without value." It is the negative of timos which means having a set value.

"Country" is from patris (patris), which means "of one's father's" and "ones fatherland," and "country."

"Kin" is from sungenês (suggenes), which means "inborn," "character," "natural,""of the same family," "kinsfolk," "kindred," and "akin." This word is not used in Matthew, appears in Mark only here, and twice in Luke, though in different verses.

"House" is from oikia (oikia), which means "building," "house," "family," and "household."

2008-06-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

Mar 5:41 Talitha cumi; Damsel, I say unto you, arise.

The difference between the Aramaic and the Greek here gives us some insight into viewpoint of those that wrote the Gospels. The Aramaic says simply, "Little lamb, arise." The Greek adds a flourish, "Little girl, I say to you arise." This means that the Gospel writers, as you might expect, added gravitas to Christ's words, which were, at least in this example, very simple and sensitivity.

What I find most interesting about this verse, however, is that the author makes an issue of Christ speaking Aramaic. He quotes Christ's words first in Aramaic and then offers a Greek approximation, making clear he is approximating the idea. If Christ always taught in Aramaic, why would Christ's use of Aramaic be remarkable? Why make the point that the Greek was only an interpretation of the Greek?

Much of the wordplay and meaning of Christ's words only makes sense in Greek. While the standard view is that Christ spoke Aramaic, verses such as this seem to indicate that his use of Aramaic was the exception rather than the rule.

I am simply a translator doing research. I make no claims of special knowledge. My role, at least as I see it, is to bear witness to what is in the words and nothing more. My readers can draw their own conclusions.

"Damsel" is from the Greek korasion (korasion), which means "little girl" and "maiden."

"Say" is from legô, which means "to gather," "to pick up," "to count," "to tell," "to recount," "to say," "to speak," and "to call by name." It means speaking, but in the sense of connecting things together, enumerating things, recounting things.'

"Arise" is from egeirô (egeiro), which means "to awake," "to rouse," "to stir up" and "to wake up."

2008-06-02T19:15:00.000-07:00

Mar 5:36 Be not afraid, only believe.
Alternative: Fear not, only believe.

Christ sees fear as the opposite of belief. Fear is usually seen as the emotion reaction to the unknown. In all of Christ's words, fear is always the failure of believing in God, his rules, and plan. Christ understood human fear, but consistently says that it is not necessary. There is nothing to fear in life, not even death. Fear comes from belief in what we see rather than the word of God.

The hard thing is to "only" believe, but the Greek word for "only" has an additional meaning that we don't have in English. It means "one above all others," so belief only has to be the foremost of our feelings. So, while we can have many conflicting feelings, the goal is to put our feeling of faith in God above all the others.

This isn't the only time that Christ uses the term for "belief" with the term for "only." He did it in Mat 21:21 describing his power to wither a fig tree. When believe can become the strongest of our feelings, miracles become possible. We also see the word for "only" in Luk 8:50, which is another version of this same story. This is therefore another example of how two Gospel writers pick the same rarely used word to describe the same event. From this, I deduce that this exact word is important.

UPDATE: Fear not, only believe. Just read this post while I was thinking about how the sun has been cooling during a period when people fear global warming. What if God set is up the universe so as we create more greenhouse gas while transitioning to future technologies, the sun grows cooler to protect us.

"Afraid" is from phobeô (phobeo), which means "to be put to flight," "to fear," and "to be afraid."

"Only" is from monôs (monon), which means "alone," "solitary," "only," "one above all others," "made in one piece," "single," and "unique."

"Believe" is from pisteuô (pisteuo), which means "to trust, put faith in, or rely on a person," "to believe in someone's words," "to comply," "to feel confident in a thing," and "to entrust in a thing."

2008-06-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

Mar 5:34 Daughter, your faith has made you whole; go in peace, and be whole of your plague.
Alternative: Daughter, your faith has kept you alive, go away in tranquility and be healthy of your scourge.

The word that is translated as "made you whole" actually doesn't mean being cured of a disease. It means preserving or saving from death or keeping alive. It is usually translated as "save" in the Gospels but the meaning is specific to being saved from death or destruction.

So Christ is not saying that faith cures us of ills but that it preserves us through times of troubles. It was Christ's power that cures.

"Daughter" is the Greek, thugatêr (thugater), which means "daughter" or more generally a female descendant, later, it was used for "maidservant."

"Faith" is from pistis (pistis), which means "confidence," "assurance," "trustworthiness," "credit," "a trust," and "that which give confidence."

"Has made whole" is from sôizô (sozo), which means "save from death," "keep alive," "keep safe," "preserve," "maintain," "keep in mind," "carry off safely," and "rescue."

"Go" is from hupagô (hupago), which means "to lead under," "to bring under," "to bring a person before judgment," "to lead on by degrees," "to take away from beneath," "to withdraw," "to go away," "to retire," "to draw off," and "off with you."

"Peace" is eirênê (eirene), which means "time of peace," "peace," "tranquility," and "harmony." It is the name for the goddess of peace. In Hebrew, the word for peace was used in salutations and as an inquiry as to one's health.

"Whole" is from hugiês (hugies), which means "sound [in body]," "healthy," "safe and sound," "sound in mind," "virtuous," and "in good condition."

"Plague" is from mastix (mastix), which means a "whip," "lash," or a "scourge." It is used metaphorically to mean a plague of disease or of war.

2008-05-23T16:12:00.001-07:00

Mar 5:30 Who touched my clothes?

Christ feels the power go out of him when the woman touches his clothing, seeking a cure for bleeding. The interesting implication of this statement is that the curing was not voluntary or conscious on the part of Christ. He was a conduit for power, but he did not consciously control the power. It was the woman's conscious actions not Christ's that triggered the release of power.

Christ uses clothing as a symbol for power. In several places in the NT, Christ identifies kings by their clothing. It is the outer symbol of their power as the body in the outer sign of the soul. However, here his clothing isn't an intellectual symbol of social power but a physical conduit of spiritual power. The power travels though the physical instead of through the word.

The implication here is that Christ's channeling of God was a physical function of his body not just a conscious function of his mind. His clothes become a channel as well simply because they touch his body. The woman received God's power, completing a circuit of power and need, by simply touching Christ's clothing.

In the previous mental healing of the possessed man, Christ transferred his power through his words, the symbol for mental realm. Christ also cure physical ailments by speaking words as he does with the lame man who he tells to pick up his bed and return home. However, here and several other places in the Gospels, we see Christ curing physical ills though physical contact as when he rubs the blind man's eyes with mud.

"Touched" is from haptomai, which means to "fasten to," "to adhere to," "to cling to," "to have intercourse with a woman," ""to touch" and "to assail."

"Clothes" is from himation (himation), which was an oblong piece of cloth worn as an outer garment. The term generally means "clothes" and "cloth."

2008-05-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

Mar 5:19 Go home to your friends, and tell them how great things the Lord has done for you, and has had compassion on you.
Alternative: Retire to your home and to yours and report to them as much as the Lord has done for you to have pity on you.

It is an interesting coincidence that the term use for "home" appears often in stories of demonic possession. It appears in Mat 12:44, where the spirit is out looking for a home. Here, and in Mar 7:30, when Christ cures a girl of her demons and the mother finds her at home and the demons gone. There is a connection between the spirit as a home for the spirit, and the homes that we live in.

It is also interesting how Christ sends people to their homes after being cured as he did with the crippled man in Mar 2:11 and the blind man in Mar 8:26. The feeling here is that being cured from a infirmity is like going home.

This home wasn't just a "house", which is a slightly different word oikia (oikia), but the family and your personal relationships. Christ refers to the temple as "God's home" not just his house. He refers to the tribe of Israel as the home of Israel, the family of Israel.

People are sent home after they are cured because these are the people with whom the cured person has emotional relationships. In a sense, in healing these individuals, Christ is healing the entire household. People often approach Christ asking for mercy and often not for themselves, but for other people in their home. It was natural for people to share the emotion of mercy for others in their household. What was unnatural was to have people give mercy to others as Christ did. In a sense, it was his indication that we were part of his house.

"Go" is from hupagô (hupago), which means "to lead under," "to bring under," "to bring a person before judgment," "to lead on by degrees," "to take away from beneath," "to withdraw," "to go away," "to retire," "to draw off," and "off with you."

"Home" is from oikos, which means "house," "dwelling place," "room," and "home." Any dwelling place but not exclusively a separate house.

"Friends" is from sos (sos), which means "yours."

"Tell" is from anangellô (anangello), which means to "carry back tidings," "to report," "tell," and "proclaim." From the root word for "angels" meaning "messengers."

"Great" is from hosos (hosos), which means "as many," "as much as," "as great as," "as far as," and "only so far as."

"Has done" is from poieô ( poieo), which means "to make," "to produce," "to create," "to bring into existence," "to bring about," "to cause," "to render," "to consider," "to prepare," "to make ready," and "to do."

"Compassion" is from eleeô, (eleeo) which means "to have pity on," and "to show mercy to." It is from the Greek eleos, which means "mercy," "pity," and "compassion."

2008-05-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

Mar 5:9 What [is] your name?

Christ asks this question of the unclean spirit but as always I will analyze as if Christ is addressing all his words to all of us.

This raises the question of what Christ concept of a "name." Christ says that his Father's name is worth of worship, but the Father's name has a meaning, in Hebrew, it means "the being of existence" or the existence of being," which is more of a concept than a name.

In this case, the demon's name, legion (in Greek legeôn (legeon)), also has the very specific meaning of a certain size body of troops (6826 men, 6100 foot soldiers and 726 horsemen), but the sense is a troop of warrior's so large that they have no distinct individual identities.

But what is a "name" for a regular person? The Greek concept was that name was your social reputation. This was separate from the real spirit of the person. It was "just a name." The assumption was that a social reputation wasn't the real person.

Christ's system however is different. For Christ there is the four levels of spiritual, physical, intellectual, and emotional/social. The Greek sense of name exists only on the "emotional/social" level as the reputation and relationship, but the names of God and this demon exist on every level: the spiritual, physical, intellectual, and emotional/social.

In asking this question, is Christ suggesting that we each have names on all four levels as well? Names that we don't even know?

"What" is from tis, which can mean "someone," "any one," "everyone," "many a one," "whoever," and so on. In a question, it can mean "who," or "what."

"Name" is from onoma, which means "name." It means both the reputation of "fame," and "a name and nothing else," as opposed to a real person.

2008-05-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

Mar 5:8 Come out of the man, unclean spirit.

IN Christ's words, the are a interesting contrast referenced in this short line. The spirit is an awareness that is contrasted with the body. There is the regular spirit of a person, and unclean spirits, and the Holy Spirit. In the Gospels, the idea that people can lack spirit (poor in spirit) is one of the first ideas that Christ teaches. In the New Testament, person who who we would call mentally ill is describes as being possessed by an unclean spirit. It is from the Holy Spirit, that is, God's spirit, from which we gain knowledge that we cannot normally get.

Spirit is described as having an existence separate from a body. Unclean spirits can leave a body and return, but when they leave, they still exist outside of the body. They are not gone in the same sense that we think a mental condition is cured through treatment. A dead spirit can even be reborn into a new body (Elijah).

Our spirit is also separate from our mental processes. The spirit might inspire a thought or an action, but it is not the thought itself. Christ describes unclean spirits that are separate from the body as still having thoughts even though they don't have bodies. Though spirits can exist without bodies, a spirit with a body can act in the world. Christ describes people in the afterlife as having bodies as well, but of a different form, like the bodies of angels.

Christ describe his words of being of the spirit. People are born of spirit and baptized by spirit.

"Come" is from exerchomai, which means "to come or go out of " or "to come out."

"Out" is from ek, which means "out of," "away from," "from," or "by."

"Men" is from anthrôpos (anthropos), which "man," and, in plural, "mankind."

"Unclean" is akathartos (akathartos) which means "foul," "uncleansed," and "morally unclean." It was the term used to refer to a woman's menses.

"Spirit" is pneuma (pneuma), which means "blast," "wind," "breath," "the breath of life," and "divine inspiration."

2008-05-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

Mar 4:40 Why are you so fearful? how is it that you have no faith?

In the Greek, being fearful is associated with low-born and poor. In contrast, being confident (translated here as "faith") is associated with being trustworthy and gaining other people's trust. The idea is that your mental state and world view are connected to your place in society. Being low-born creates a state of fear, which is one reason the Christ's followers were to be "born again."

The world chosen for fearful here, deilos, is especially interesting. There are many Greek words that mean "fearful" that do not have the sense of low-born, for example deidêmôn. Like the Hebrew word for fearful, yare', this adjective just mean having fear. Why choose deilos? Especially since this is the only place in the New Testament (with the parallel verse in Matthew, Mat 8:26) that this term is applied to Christ's words?

There is more evidence that this is because of its connection to social standing. A very similar Greek word, deimos, means "fearful" in a directly opposite sense: being fearful, that is, generating fear in others by being strong, powerful, and clever. In a very clear sense, deilos and deimos are opposite ends of the social spectrum.

Again, as so many ideas in Christ, this is connected to the cycle that Christ describes connecting the spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional (relationship). Here, the physical storm plus a mental state, lack of faith, causes an emotional state. That emotional state is, as always, connecting to relationships with people. While Christ doesn't care about social relationships as much as personal, here the results of faithlessness and fearfulness are the same: having others not trust you and seeing no value in you.

"Fearful" is from deilos (deilos), which means "cowardly," "miserable," "wretched," "low-born," and "poor."

"How is it" is from pôs (pos) which means "in any way," "at all," "by any means," and "I suppose."

"Faith" is from pistis, which means "confidence," "assurance," "trustworthiness," "credit," "a trust," and "that which give confidence."

2008-04-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

Mar 4:39 Peace, be still.
Alternative: Be still, be silent.

The second word used here translated as"be still" and more specifically meaning "be silent" was last used in Mar 1:25 to address the demons inside of a person. Here it is used ostensibly use to address a storm, quieting the wind and the waves, or is it used to address his apostles who were frightened by the storm.

How does this thought fit into the larger context of this chapter, the parable of the sower? The parable is about how the seed of an idea, if given the proper ground, grows naturally over time. However, in this part of the chapter, it is the seed of doubt that is planted by the storm that grows until the apostles are forced to wake the sleeping Christ.

What is Christ's advice about what to do regarding this seed of doubt? He says that we must simply still our minds and quit hurting ourselves. This echoes precisely the advice to the man that was possessed by demons. Christ told that man to be silent and come out of himself.

If we live in God's kingdom, we realize that we are always safe. Pain and suffering exist for a purpose, to give us challenges to overcome and reasons to come together. Even if we die, we still survive, because we are eternal spirits. We know that this life is temporary. Its purpose is to allows us to learn, grow, and bear fruit, that is, to give us the opportunity to lead productive lives. Dangers are challenges, but the only real danger is our doubt and despair because in doubt and despair we turn on backs on what is real and divine.

"Peace" is from siôpaô (siopao), which means "keep silence," "to be still," "keep secret," and "speak not of."

"Be still" is from phimoô (phimoo), which means "to muzzle," "to be silent," and "to be put to silence."