Open Bible Data Home About News OET Key
OET OET-RV OET-LV ULT UST BSB MSB BLB AICNT OEB WEBBE WMBB NET LSV FBV TCNT T4T LEB BBE Moff JPS Wymth ASV DRA YLT Drby RV SLT Wbstr KJB-1769 KJB-1611 Bshps Gnva Cvdl TNT Wycl SR-GNT UHB BrLXX BrTr Related Topics Parallel Interlinear Reference Dictionary Search
InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Mark C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16
Mark 10 V1 V3 V5 V7 V9 V11 V13 V15 V17 V19 V21 V23 V25 V27 V29 V31 V33 V35 V37 V39 V41 V43 V47 V49 V51
OET (OET-LV) For/Because even the son of_ the _man came not to_be_served, but to_serve and to_give the life of_him as_a_ransom for many.
OET (OET-RV) Even humanity’s child didn’t come to be served, but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom to set many people free.”
In this section, Jesus taught his disciples that they should serve other people. They should not expect other people to honor them. James and John asked for special honor in Jesus’ kingdom. The other disciples became angry that James and John asked for that honor. Jesus responded by teaching them all how his followers should act. They should serve others rather than try to rule over them. Jesus said that even he himself came to serve others and to sacrifice himself for them.
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 Teaches about Serving Others (NLT)
The Places Of Honor In God’s Kingdom (TRT)
What James and John requested
There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 20:20–28 and Luke 22:24–27.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
For the Son of Man himself did not come in order to be served like a great ruler. Instead, he came to serve others
I say this because I myself, the Son of Man, came to this world to serve others. I did not come so that others would serve me.
For: The Greek word that the BSB translates as For introduces the basis or reason for what Jesus said in 10:43–44. In other words, those who follow Jesus should serve others because even Jesus himself came to serve.
even the Son of Man: In Greek, the phrase that the BSB translates as even the Son of Man indicates an emphatic contrast with what people normally expected. Jesus as the Son of Man was the greatest leader, and it would be normal for people to serve him. Instead, he came so that he would serve people. The BSB shows this emphatic contrast with the word even. The NJB shows it as follows:
For the Son of man himself
the Son of Man: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as the Son of Man is literally “the Son of the human/person.” It is a title that Jesus often used to refer to himself. It implies that:
he was a true human being, and he represented all people.
he came from God and had authority from God.
Here are some other ways to translate this title:
the Man whom God Sent
the True Man from God/Heaven
the Representative of Mankind
The Older Brother of All People
In some languages it may be necessary to indicate explicitly that Jesus was referring to himself here. For example:
I, the Son of Man
Refer to how you translated this phrase in 10:33b. You should translate it here as you did there.
did not come to be served, but to serve: When the Son of Man (Jesus) came to earth, he did not come as a great king that people should serve. He did not come to lord it over people, like the rulers he described in 10:42b.
When you translate 10:45a, make sure your translation does not imply that the Son of Man did not come. It may be clearer to translate as follows:
came to serve, not to be served
came to serve others, not so that others would serve him
did not come to…but to…: In this context the expression come to refers to Jesus’ purpose for coming to the world, that is, to his work in the world. In some languages it may be necessary to indicate that in some way. For example:
did not come to this world to…but to…
(my) work is not to…but to…
and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
and to give his life to set many others free.” (JBP)
Indeed, I came to die in order to rescue/redeem many people from their sin.”
and to give His life as a ransom for many: The phrase to give His life means “to die willingly for (others), to voluntarily die to benefit (others).” Jesus willingly and freely came to die as a sacrifice for people’s sins. When Jesus died, he freed from sin the people who would trust in him.
ransom: The Greek word that the BSB translates as ransom refers to something that is given to release or free someone else. For example, someone might give a sum of money as a ransom in order to set a slave or a prisoner free. Similarly, Jesus gave his life in order to set people free from their sin. His death was the ransom that released or redeemed people from their sin.
In some languages it may be natural to translate the noun ransom with a verb. For example:
to redeem many people (GNT)
to set many others free (JBP)
to rescue many people (CEV)
for many: The phrase for many means “on behalf of many people.”Because of the prevalence of languages that use a verb phrase for “ransom,” the notes have not said anything about the literal meaning of the Greek word translated here as “for.” The word literally means “opposite,” and in this context means “in place of,” or “as a substitute for” (UBS page 336, Hendriksen pages 414–415, Lenski page 463, Lane page 383).
Here are some other ways to translate this:
for the sake of many people
so that many people may be saved
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
γὰρ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί Γάρ ὁ Υἱός τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἦλθεν διακονηθῆναι ἀλλά διακονῆσαι καί δοῦναι τήν ψυχήν αὐτοῦ λύτρον ἀντί πολλῶν)
Here, the word For introduces a reason why the disciples should act like servants and slaves for other disciples. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces a reason or basis for commands, or you could leave For untranslated. Alternate translation: [In fact,] or [I command that because]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person
ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου & αὐτοῦ
the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί Γάρ ὁ Υἱός τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἦλθεν διακονηθῆναι ἀλλά διακονῆσαι καί δοῦναι τήν ψυχήν αὐτοῦ λύτρον ἀντί πολλῶν)
Here Jesus speaks about himself in the third person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use the first person. Alternate translation: [I, who am the Son of Man, … my]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure
οὐκ ἦλθεν διακονηθῆναι, ἀλλὰ διακονῆσαι, καὶ δοῦναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ λύτρον ἀντὶ πολλῶν
not came ˓to_be˒_served (Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί Γάρ ὁ Υἱός τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἦλθεν διακονηθῆναι ἀλλά διακονῆσαι καί δοῦναι τήν ψυχήν αὐτοῦ λύτρον ἀντί πολλῶν)
If your language would not naturally put the negative statement before the positive statement, you could reverse the two clauses here. Alternate translation: [came to serve and to give his life as a ransom in exchange for many, not to be served]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
οὐκ ἦλθεν
not came
Here, the word come refers to the Son of Man entering this world as a human to do what God called him to do. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [did not come to this world] or [is not acting]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
διακονηθῆναι
˓to_be˒_served
If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who did the action, you could use an indefinite subject. Alternate translation: [for people to serve him] or [to have people serve him]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis
ἀλλὰ διακονῆσαι
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί Γάρ ὁ Υἱός τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἦλθεν διακονηθῆναι ἀλλά διακονῆσαι καί δοῦναι τήν ψυχήν αὐτοῦ λύτρον ἀντί πολλῶν)
Jesus is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from earlier in the sentence if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: [but he came to serve]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
δοῦναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ λύτρον ἀντὶ πολλῶν
˓to˒_give (Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί Γάρ ὁ Υἱός τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἦλθεν διακονηθῆναι ἀλλά διακονῆσαι καί δοῦναι τήν ψυχήν αὐτοῦ λύτρον ἀντί πολλῶν)
Here Jesus speaks as if his life were a price or ransom he would give to free many from someone or something that owned or controlled them. He means that he will obtain forgiveness for his people’s sins and will keep those sins from controlling them. This is an important biblical image, so if possible preserve the figure of speech or express the idea in simile form. Alternate translation: [to offer his life as if it were a ransom to set many free from sin]
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
δοῦναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ
˓to˒_give (Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί Γάρ ὁ Υἱός τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἦλθεν διακονηθῆναι ἀλλά διακονῆσαι καί δοῦναι τήν ψυχήν αὐτοῦ λύτρον ἀντί πολλῶν)
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of life, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [to allow himself to die]
Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj
πολλῶν
many
Jesus is using the adjective many as a noun to mean many people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [many men and women]
OET (OET-LV) For/Because even the son of_ the _man came not to_be_served, but to_serve and to_give the life of_him as_a_ransom for many.
OET (OET-RV) Even humanity’s child didn’t come to be served, but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom to set many people free.”
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.