Mark 1.1-15
1.1
BGT Ἀρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ [υἱοῦ θεοῦ].
CEV This is the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
MSG The good news of Jesus Christ--the Message!-begins here,
NET The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
NIV The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
NLT This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It began
NRS The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
· Is the lack of a definite article before Ἀρχὴ significant?
· Describe clearly what you understand “the beginning of the good news…” to refer to.
· Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ is what case? What is the function of this case? (Be sure to read note 1 in NET.)
· Why no article before υἱοῦ?
· Why is υἱοῦ θεοῦ in brackets? (Be sure to read note 2 in NET.)
1.2
BGT Καθὼς γέγραπται ἐν τῷ Ἠσαΐᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ· ἰδοὺ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου, ὃς κατασκευάσει τὴν ὁδόν σου·
CEV It began just as God had said in the book written by Isaiah the prophet, “I am sending my messenger to get the way ready for you.
MSG following to the letter the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Watch closely: I’m sending my preacher ahead of you; He’ll make the road smooth for you.
NET As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way,
NIV It is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”--
NLT just as the prophet Isaiah had written: “Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way.
NRS As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way;
KJV As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
· Be sure to read note 3 in NET. What is the textual issue involved here?
· What links the LXX texts together?
Exodus 23:20
καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου ἵνα φυλάξῃ σε ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ὅπως εἰσαγάγῃ σε εἰς τὴν γῆν ἣν ἡτοίμασά σοι
I am going to send an angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.
Malachi 3:1
ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐξαποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου καὶ ἐπιβλέψεται ὁδὸν πρὸ προσώπου μου καὶ ἐξαίφνης ἥξει εἰς τὸν ναὸν ἑαυτοῦ κύριος ὃν ὑμεῖς ζητεῖτε καὶ ὁ ἄγγελος τῆς διαθήκης ὃν ὑμεῖς θέλετε ἰδοὺ ἔρχεται λέγει κύριος παντοκράτωρ
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight -- indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
1.3
BGT φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου, εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ,
CEV In the desert someone is shouting,`Get the road ready for the Lord! Make a straight path for him.’”
MSG Thunder in the desert! Prepare for God’s arrival! Make the road smooth and straight!
NET the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.’”
NIV “a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
NLT He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the LORD’s coming! Clear the road for him!’”
NRS the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’”
· What difference would it make if the citation started with ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ instead of ἑτοιμάσατε?
· The tense of ἑτοιμάσατε is: The tense of ποιεῖτε is: How can you reflect this in your translation?
· How is the quotation here of Isaiah 40.3 different than the LXX original?
Isaiah 40:3
φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν
A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
1.4
BGT ἐγένετο Ἰωάννης [ὁ] βαπτίζων ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ κηρύσσων βάπτισμα μετανοίας εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν.
CEV So John the Baptist showed up in the desert and told everyone, “Turn back to God and be baptized! Then your sins will be forgiven.”
MSG John the Baptizer appeared in the wild, preaching a baptism of life-change that leads to forgiveness of sins.
NET In the wilderness John the baptizer began preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
NIV And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
NLT This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had turned to God to receive forgiveness for their sins.
DouayRheims John was in the desert, baptizing and preaching the baptism of penance, unto remission of sins.
NRS John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
· What do the brackets around the ὁ indicate? What difference does it make in translation? Be sure to read note 5 in NET.
· To what does ἔρημος refer? (Cf. your Exegetical Tools worksheet)
· Note the phrase βάπτισμα μετανοίας εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν. Which of the translations best captures the sense of the Greek?