MARK 8:37 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

UST In fact, people cannot acquire anything that is as valuable as truly living.

AICNT For what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

OEB For what could a person give that is of equal value with their life?

WEBBE For what will a man give in exchange for his life?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET What can a person give in exchange for his life?

LSV Or what will a man give as an exchange for his life?

FBV What would you give in exchange for your life?

TCNT [fn]Or what can a person give in exchange for his soul?

8:37 Or ¦ For CT

T4T ◄Think carefully about the fact that there is absolutely nothing that people can give to God that would enable them to gain eternal life!/Is there anything that a person can give to God in order to gain eternal life?► [RHQ]

LEB For what can a person give in exchange for his life?

BBE And what would a man give in exchange for his life?

Moff What could a man offer as an equivalent for his soul?

Wymth For what could a man give to buy back his life?

ASV For what should a man give in exchange for his life?

DRA Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

YLT Or what shall a man give as an exchange for his life?

Drby for what should a man give in exchange for his soul?

RV For what should a man give in exchange for his life?

SLT Or what shall a man give for the exchange of his soul?

Wbstr Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

KJB-1769 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

KJB-1611 Or what shall a man giue in exchange for his soule?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps Or what shall a man geue, for a raunsome of his soule?
(Or what shall a man give, for a ransom of his soul?)

Gnva Or what exchange shall a man giue for his soule?
(Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul? )

Cvdl Or, what can a man geue, to redeme his soule withall?
(Or, what can a man give, to redeem his soul also/fully?)

TNT or els what shall a man geve to redeme his soule agayne?
(or else what shall a man give to redeem his soul again? )

Wycl or what chaunging schal a man yyue for his soule?
(or what changing shall a man give for his soul?)

Luth Oder was kann der Mensch geben, damit er seine SeeLE löse?
(Or what/which can the/of_the person give, with_it/so_that he his soul solve/resolve?)

ClVg Aut quid dabit homo commutationis pro anima sua?
(Aut what will_give human commutationis for the_soul his_own? )

UGNT τί γὰρ δοῖ ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ?
(ti gar doi anthrōpos antallagma taʸs psuⱪaʸs autou?)

SBL-GNT ⸂τί γὰρ⸃ ⸀δοῖ ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ;
(⸂ti gar⸃ ⸀doi anthrōpos antallagma taʸs psuⱪaʸs autou;)

RP-GNT Ἢ τί δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ;
(Aʸ ti dōsei anthrōpos antallagma taʸs psuⱪaʸs autou;)

TC-GNT [fn]Ἢ τί [fn]δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ;
(Aʸ ti dōsei anthrōpos antallagma taʸs psuⱪaʸs autou; )

8:37 η τι ¦ τι γαρ CT

8:37 δωσει ¦ δοι CT

Key for above GNTs: red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

TTN Tyndale Theme Notes:

Following Jesus

One of the core purposes of the Gospels is to help readers understand and accept the call to take up their cross and follow Jesus. This call is addressed not only to those who would be Jesus’ apostles (Mark 3:13-19; cp. 1:16-20; 2:14) but to all who desired to follow him (Mark 8:34; cp. 2:15; 10:21, 52). For some, the call to discipleship is very hard (Mark 10:17-25), but God provides grace (10:27). Others find it easy to respond to Jesus’ call (Mark 2:14; cp. Luke 7:36-50).

For everyone, following Jesus requires a total commitment to turn from selfish ways (Mark 8:34-35). Taking up one’s cross is a metaphor for giving up one’s life to follow Jesus—even to death. For example, Peter, Andrew, James, and John left their homes and their source of income to follow Jesus (Mark 1:16-20). For one rich man, turning from his selfish ways required selling all he had and giving the proceeds to the poor (Mark 10:21). Following Jesus also means being identified with him without being ashamed and being faithful to him and his teachings (Mark 8:38; cp. Rom 10:9). It requires removing anything that would interfere with following Jesus, regardless of how painful doing so might be (Mark 9:43-48). It requires entrusting one’s life entirely to Jesus and repenting of sin (Mark 1:15; 6:12). It even requires putting loyalty to Jesus above loyalty to one’s own father and mother (Matt 10:37; Luke 14:26).

Jesus explicitly commanded his disciples to proclaim his message (Matt 28:18-20; Luke 24:47-49; Acts 1:8). And we see throughout the rest of the New Testament that Jesus’ followers did indeed proclaim the Good News wherever they went, leading to more and more followers (see Acts 2:14-41; 3:12-26; 4:1-2, 20; 8:4; 9:20; 11:19-26; 13:1-3; Rom 1:1-16; 10:14-15; 15:18-21; 1 Cor 9:16; Col 1:23; 1 Thes 2:9; 2 Tim 4:2).

Alongside Jesus’ demands for discipleship are the rewards of following Jesus. Those who follow Jesus are promised entrance into the Kingdom of God (Mark 9:43-48; 10:23-31). They receive his forgiveness for their sins (Mark 2:10-11; see also 3:28; 11:25), and they become members of the family of God (John 1:12). They are saved from judgment (Mark 8:35; 13:13) and obtain eternal life (Mark 9:43; 10:29-30; 1 Jn 5:11-12).

Passages for Further Study

Hos 6:3; Matt 10:37-39; 28:18-20; Mark 1:15-20; 2:14-15; 3:13-15; 5:18-20; 6:6-13, 30-32; 8:34-38; 9:38-50; 10:17-31; 11:22-25; 13:9-13; Luke 14:25-35; 24:47-49; John 8:12; 10:27; 12:26; Acts 1:8; 2:42-47; 4:16-20; 8:4; 9:19-30; 11:19-24; 13:1-3; Rom 1:1-16; 10:7-15; 1 Cor 9:16; Eph 5:1; Col 1:23; 2 Tim 4:2; 1 Pet 2:21

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 8:34–9:1: Jesus spoke about what a person must do to be his disciple

In the preceding section Jesus was speaking to his disciples. In this section Jesus called the crowd of people who were there to come and listen to him also. So in these verses Jesus was speaking to the crowd, as well as to his disciples. This meant that most of the people to whom Jesus spoke were not his followers. Many of them may have been part of the people whom Jesus described in 8:38b as “this adulterous and sinful generation.”

The requirements for being/becoming a disciple are given in 8:34.The phrases in 8:34b–d are arranged in the form of a chiasm: (A) wants to come after Me, (B) must deny himself, (B') take up his cross, (A') follow Me.The expressions in (A) and (A') both refer to following Jesus as a disciple, but they are not redundant. Actually obeying Jesus and following him as a disciple (A') involves more than simply wanting to become his disciple (A). Similarly, (B) and (B') both involve denying oneself, but picking up and carrying one’s cross (B') is a specific and extreme example of self-denial. The next verses (8:35–38) each explain why a person who wants to follow Christ must obey the commands given in 8:34. Each reason involves a choice between the present and the future. A person who chooses to avoid death and shame in the present life will be shamed in the future at the final judgment. He will forfeit true life with God. By contrast, a person who chooses to follow Christ may lose his present life but he will gain true life with God.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Jesus told people how to be his true disciples

What It Means to Follow Jesus (GW)

Following Jesus (NET)

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 16:24–28 and Luke 9:23–27. See also Luke 14:27, 17:33; John 12:25.

8:37

Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

For what can a person give to God that would buy his eternal life? Nothing!
Is it possible for someone to pay God in order to get eternal life? No!
And besides that, there is nothing a person can give to God that would be a fair exchange for getting spiritual/eternal life with him.

Or: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates here as Or is often translated as “For,” as in the RSV. As in 8:36a, this conjunction introduces another reason why a person should deny himself and be ready to die as a disciple (8:34). Here this conjunction introduces a question that is similar to the question in 8:36. So this conjunction probably connects 8:37 to 8:36 and 8:34.

Many English versions do not have a connector here.

Here are some other ways to express the connection:

Indeed (NRSV)

To put it another way (TRT)

Introduce the verse in your language in a way that clearly communicates the connection with the preceding verse or verses.

what can a man give in exchange for his soul?: This is a rhetorical question that expects a negative answer. Jesus asked this question to emphasize that no one is able to pay enough to buy true life with God. There is nothing that a person can give to God that would be a fair exchange for his eternal life. There are at least two ways to translate this.

As a rhetorical question. For example, the NJB says:
And indeed, what can anyone offer in exchange for his life?
As a statement. For example:
They could never pay enough to buy true life with God.

Use whichever form is most natural in your language to emphasize a fact that everyone should know is true.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

γὰρ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Γάρ δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ)

Here, the word For introduces a further explanation of what Jesus said in the previous verse. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces a further explanation, or you could leave For untranslated. Alternate translation: [Indeed,] or [Even further,]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

τί & δοῖ ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ?

what & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Γάρ δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ)

Jesus is using the question form to teach his disciples. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: [a man can give nothing in exchange for his life.] or [a man cannot give anything in exchange for his life!]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

ἄνθρωπος & αὐτοῦ

˓a˒_person & ˱of˲_him

Although the terms man and his are masculine, Jesus is using the words in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use phrases that make this clear. Alternate translation: [a person … his or her]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ

˱as˲_˓an˒_exchange ˱for˲_the soul ˱of˲_him

Here Jesus could be implying: (1) that there is nothing that is worth as much as a person’s life. Alternate translation: [that is as worth as much as his life] (2) that there is nothing that is valuable enough to redeem one’s life when it has been forfeited. Alternate translation: [that can buy back his life]

τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ

˱for˲_the soul ˱of˲_him

Alternate translation: [his soul]

Parallel MARK 8:37

Section 8:34–9:1: Jesus spoke about what a person must do to be his disciple

8:37