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Mark C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16

Mark 15 V1 V3 V5 V7 V9 V11 V13 V15 V17 V19 V23 V25 V27 V29 V31 V33 V35 V37 V39 V41 V43 V45 V47

OET interlinear MARK 15:21

◄ ← MARK 15:21 ↓ → ► ║ ©

SR Greek word order (including unused variant words in grey)

    1. Greek word
    2. Greek lemma
    3. OET-LV words
    4. OET-RV words
    5. Strongs
    6. Role/Morphology
    7. OET Gloss
    8. VLT Gloss
    9. CAPS codes
    10. Confidence
    11. OET tags
    12. OET word #
    1. Καί
    2. kai
    3. And
    4. -
    5. 25320
    6. C·······
    7. and
    8. and
    9. PS
    10. Y33
    11. 36238
    1. ἀγγαρεύουσιν
    2. aŋgareuō
    3. they are compelling
    4. -
    5. 290
    6. VIPA3··P
    7. ˱they˲ ˓are˒ compelling
    8. ˱they˲ ˓are˒ compelling
    9. -
    10. Y33; R36151
    11. 36239
    1. παράγοντα
    2. paragō
    3. passing by
    4. -
    5. 38550
    6. VPPA·AMS
    7. passing_by
    8. passing_by
    9. -
    10. Y33; F36247; F36257
    11. 36240
    1. τινά
    2. tis
    3. +a certain man
    4. man
    5. 51000
    6. R····AMS
    7. ˓a˒ certain ‹man›
    8. ˓a˒ certain ‹man›
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36241
    1. τόν
    2. ho
    3. -
    4. -
    5. 35880
    6. E····AMS
    7. ¬the
    8. ¬the
    9. -
    10. -
    11. 36242
    1. Σίμωνα
    2. simōn
    3. Simōn
    4. Simon
    5. 46130
    6. N····AMS
    7. Simōn
    8. Simon
    9. U
    10. Person=Simon5; Y33
    11. 36243
    1. παράγοντα
    2. paragō
    3. -
    4. -
    5. 38550
    6. VPPA·AMS
    7. passing_by
    8. passing_by
    9. -
    10. -
    11. 36244
    1. τόν
    2. ho
    3. -
    4. -
    5. 35880
    6. E····AMS
    7. the
    8. the
    9. -
    10. -
    11. 36245
    1. Κυρηναῖον
    2. kurēnaios
    3. from Kuraʸnaʸ
    4. Cyrene
    5. 29560
    6. N····AMS
    7. from_Kuraʸnaʸ
    8. Cyrenian
    9. U
    10. Y33
    11. 36246
    1. ἐρχόμενον
    2. erχomai
    3. coming
    4. coming
    5. 20640
    6. VPPM·AMS
    7. coming
    8. coming
    9. -
    10. Y33; R36240
    11. 36247
    1. ἀπʼ
    2. apo
    3. from
    4. -
    5. 5750
    6. P·······
    7. from
    8. from
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36248
    1. ἄκρου
    2. akron
    3. -
    4. -
    5. 2060
    6. N····GNS
    7. extremity
    8. extremity
    9. -
    10. -
    11. 36249
    1. ἀγροῦ
    2. agros
    3. +the country
    4. country
    5. 680
    6. N····GMS
    7. ˓the˒ country
    8. ˓the˒ country
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36250
    1. τόν
    2. ho
    3. the
    4. -
    5. 35880
    6. E····AMS
    7. the
    8. the
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36251
    1. πατέρα
    2. patēr
    3. father
    4. father
    5. 39620
    6. N····AMS
    7. father
    8. father
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36252
    1. Ἀλεξάνδρου
    2. alexandros
    3. of Alexandros
    4. Alexander
    5. 2230
    6. N····GMS
    7. ˱of˲ Alexandros
    8. ˱of˲ Alexander
    9. U
    10. Person=Alexander1; Y33
    11. 36253
    1. καί
    2. kai
    3. and
    4. -
    5. 25320
    6. C·······
    7. and
    8. and
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36254
    1. Ῥούφου
    2. roufos
    3. Ɽoufos
    4. Rufus
    5. 45040
    6. N····GMS
    7. Ɽoufos
    8. Rufus
    9. U
    10. Person=Rufus1; Y33
    11. 36255
    1. ἵνα
    2. hina
    3. in order that
    4. -
    5. 24430
    6. C·······
    7. in_order_that
    8. in_order_that
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36256
    1. ἄρῃ
    2. airō
    3. he may carry
    4. carry
    5. 1420
    6. VSAA3··S
    7. ˱he˲ ˓may˒ carry
    8. ˱he˲ ˓may˒ carry
    9. -
    10. Y33; R36240
    11. 36257
    1. τόν
    2. ho
    3. the
    4. -
    5. 35880
    6. E····AMS
    7. the
    8. the
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36258
    1. σταυρόν
    2. stauros
    3. stake
    4. execution
    5. 47160
    6. N····AMS
    7. stake
    8. cross
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36259
    1. αὐτοῦ
    2. autos
    3. of him
    4. him
    5. 8460
    6. R···3GMS
    7. ˱of˲ him
    8. ˱of˲ him
    9. -
    10. Y33; R36144; Person=Jesus
    11. 36260

OET (OET-LV) And they_are_compelling a_certain_ from_Kuraʸnaʸ _man passing_by, Simōn, coming from the_country, the father of_Alexandros and Ɽoufos, in_order_that he_may_carry the stake of_him.

OET (OET-RV) As they walked out of the city, they came across a man coming in from the country. He was Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, and the soldiers forced him to carry the execution pole,

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 15:21–32: The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross

In this section, Jesus was crucified. This is the climax of the book of Mark. Three times Jesus had predicted these events (8:31, 9:31, and 10:33–34). Now they really happened. Mark has presented Jesus as the Messiah and King who the prophets in the Old Testament predicted would come. By dying on the cross, Jesus did what the Messiah had to do to save his people.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

The soldiers fastened Jesus to a cross to kill him

Jesus was executed on a cross

The crucifixion of Jesus

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 27:32–44, Luke 23:26–43, and John 19:17–27.

15:21

This verse introduces a new character in the story (Simon). It gives some details about him and tells what he did. See the General Comment on 15:21a–b at the end of 15:21b for suggestions on how to change the order of the information in this verse.

15:21a

Now Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country,

Verse 15:21a introduces Simon and gives several details about him. Some English versions (for example, the GNT) place some of these details in parentheses to show that they are background information. Translate this information in a way and in an order that is natural in your language.

Now Simon of Cyrene: This is the first (and only) mention of this Simon in Mark. Consider how you would naturally introduce a new person into the story in your language.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

There was a certain man. His name was Simon. He came from the town of Cyrene.

There was a certain man from Cyrene named Simon.

At that moment a man named Simon was passing by. He was from Cyrene.

of Cyrene: Cyrene is the name of a city. It was on the coast of north Africa in what is present-day Libya. Simon was of Cyrene in the sense that it was his home town.

the father of Alexander and Rufus: Mark mentioned that Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus. He probably included this information because he expected his readers to know these men.

was passing by: The verb was passing by indicates that Simon was by chance walking by. He was walking by at the time when the soldiers were looking for someone to carry Jesus’ cross. He was not part of the group that went out with Jesus toward the place where Jesus was crucified.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

Simon…happened to be coming in (CEV)

Simon…was coming in from the country just then. (NLT96)

Simon…was on his way in from the country and was there by chance/accident.

on his way in from the country: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as on his way in from the country is literally “coming from (the) field/countryside.” Here it means that Simon was coming into the city from the rural area outside of it. Try to use a general expression that indicates that he was coming from an area that was not a “town” or “city.”

In some languages, you may want to say that he was coming “into the city.” If you do, it may not be necessary to explicitly translate the phrase from the country.

15:21b

and the soldiers forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.

and the soldiers forced him to carry the cross of Jesus: It was the custom for Roman soldiers to force a criminal to carry his own cross. Jesus started to carry his cross (see John 19:17), but it is implied that he became too tired to carry it any further. You may want to explain this in a footnote. For example:

Jesus carried the cross first (see John 19:17). When he could not carry it any further, the soldiers forced Simon to carry it. Roman soldiers had a legal right to command anyone to carry something for them.

forced him to carry: The Greek word that the BSB translates as forced refers to the authority that soldiers could use to force someone to carry something for them. Some English versions translate this word with a specific military term. For example:

drafted (NET)

enlisted (NJB)

pressed into service (NASB)

Here are some other ways to translate the phrase forced him to carry:

ordered him to carry

forced/caused him to carry against his will

In some languages it may be natural to translate the idea of forced him to carry as direct speech. For example:

…and they ordered him, “You, take this cross and carry it for this man.”

the cross: A cross refers to two large wooden boards or beams that were attached to each other. Roman soldiers used crosses to kill criminals. They nailed or tied a criminal to these wooden beams, then set them upright. They did this in order to cause the criminal to die slowly and painfully.

The word cross comes from the fact that the beams were crossed and attached. This made the shape of a + or † (or sometimes a T).

In many languages there may be no word for cross. If that is true in your language, you may need to use a descriptive phrase. For example:

board/wood of death

crossed-beam(s) of death

a tree for killing people

a stake/plank to which they fasten/nail someone to kill him

See how you translated cross at 8:34d.

General Comment on 15:21a–b

This verse contains (a) some background information about Simon and (b) a main event in the story. The BSB gives the background information first. In other languages it may be more natural to state what happened first and then to give the background information.

Here are some examples of ways to order the information in this verse:

And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. (RSV)

They ordered a man named Simon to carry the cross for Jesus. This Simon was from Cyrene and was the father of Alexander and Rufus. He was just coming into town from the rural area at that moment.

On the way they met a man named Simon, who was coming into the city from the country, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. (Simon was from Cyrene and was the father of Alexander and Rufus.) (GNT)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-participants

καὶ ἀγγαρεύουσιν, παράγοντά τινα Σίμωνα Κυρηναῖον, ἐρχόμενον ἀπ’ ἀγροῦ, τὸν πατέρα Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Ῥούφου, ἵνα ἄρῃ τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἀγγαρεύουσιν παράγοντα τινά Σίμωνα Κυρηναῖον ἐρχόμενον ἀπʼ ἀγροῦ τόν πατέρα Ἀλεξάνδρου καί Ῥούφου ἵνα ἄρῃ τόν σταυρόν αὐτοῦ)

Here Mark introduces Simon as a new participant in the story. If your language has its own way of introducing new participants, you could use it here in your translation. Alternate translation: [And a certain man was passing by, Simon, a Cyrenean (the father of Alexander and Rufus). He was coming from the country. They pressed him into service so that he might carry his cross]

Note 2 topic: translate-unknown

ἀγγαρεύουσιν

˱they˲_˓are˒_compelling

According to Roman law, Roman soldiers could press someone into service, which means that they could force a person to carry a load for them or work for them. In this case, they forced Simon to carry Jesus’ cross. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of forced service, you could use the name of something similar in your area or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: [they conscripted] or [they compelled to work for them]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ἀγγαρεύουσιν

˱they˲_˓are˒_compelling

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of service, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [they forced to serve them]

Note 4 topic: translate-names

Σίμωνα & Ἀλεξάνδρου & Ῥούφου

Simon & ˱of˲_Alexander & Rufus

The words Simon, Alexander, and Rufus are the names of men.

Note 5 topic: writing-background

Κυρηναῖον & τὸν πατέρα Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Ῥούφου

Cyrenian & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἀγγαρεύουσιν παράγοντα τινά Σίμωνα Κυρηναῖον ἐρχόμενον ἀπʼ ἀγροῦ τόν πατέρα Ἀλεξάνδρου καί Ῥούφου ἵνα ἄρῃ τόν σταυρόν αὐτοῦ)

The phrases a Cyrenean and the father of Alexander and Rufus include background information about the man whom the soldiers forced to carry Jesus’ cross. Use a natural form in your language for expressing background information. Alternate translation: [who was a Cyrenean and who was the father of Alexander and Rufus]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἐρχόμενον ἀπ’ ἀγροῦ

coming from ˓the˒_country

Here Mark implies that Simon was coming from the farmlands outside Jerusalem and going toward Jerusalem. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [coming into Jerusalem from outside the city]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / go

ἐρχόμενον

coming

In a context such as this, your language might say “going” instead of coming. Alternate translation: [going]

Note 8 topic: grammar-connect-logic-goal

ἵνα

in_order_that

The phrase so that introduces the purpose for which they pressed Simon into service, namely so that they could require him to carry Jesus’ cross. Use a natural form in your language for introducing a purpose clause. Alternate translation: [in order that]

TSN Tyndale Study Notes:

15:16-41 The crucifixion account is one of the most historically certain accounts of ancient history. Why would the early church create a story in which the object of their faith was crucified? This story was and still is an offense to Jews and absurd nonsense to Gentiles (1 Cor 1:23).

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

    1. OET-LV words
    2. OET-RV words
    3. Strongs
    4. Greek word
    5. Greek lemma
    6. Role/Morphology
    7. OET Gloss
    8. VLT Gloss
    9. CAPS codes
    10. Confidence
    11. OET tags
    12. OET word #
    1. And
    2. -
    3. 25320
    4. PS
    5. kai
    6. C-·······
    7. and
    8. and
    9. PS
    10. Y33
    11. 36238
    1. they are compelling
    2. -
    3. 290
    5. aŋgareuō
    6. V-IPA3··P
    7. ˱they˲ ˓are˒ compelling
    8. ˱they˲ ˓are˒ compelling
    9. -
    10. Y33; R36151
    11. 36239
    1. +a certain
    2. man
    3. 51000
    5. tis
    6. R-····AMS
    7. ˓a˒ certain ‹man›
    8. ˓a˒ certain ‹man›
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36241
    1. from Kuraʸnaʸ
    2. Cyrene
    3. 29560
    4. U
    5. kurēnaios
    6. N-····AMS
    7. from_Kuraʸnaʸ
    8. Cyrenian
    9. U
    10. Y33
    11. 36246
    1. man
    2. man
    3. 51000
    5. tis
    6. R-····AMS
    7. ˓a˒ certain ‹man›
    8. ˓a˒ certain ‹man›
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36241
    1. passing by
    2. -
    3. 38550
    5. paragō
    6. V-PPA·AMS
    7. passing_by
    8. passing_by
    9. -
    10. Y33; F36247; F36257
    11. 36240
    1. Simōn
    2. Simon
    3. 46130
    4. U
    5. simōn
    6. N-····AMS
    7. Simōn
    8. Simon
    9. U
    10. Person=Simon5; Y33
    11. 36243
    1. coming
    2. coming
    3. 20640
    5. erχomai
    6. V-PPM·AMS
    7. coming
    8. coming
    9. -
    10. Y33; R36240
    11. 36247
    1. from
    2. -
    3. 5750
    5. apo
    6. P-·······
    7. from
    8. from
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36248
    1. +the country
    2. country
    3. 680
    5. agros
    6. N-····GMS
    7. ˓the˒ country
    8. ˓the˒ country
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36250
    1. the
    2. -
    3. 35880
    5. ho
    6. E-····AMS
    7. the
    8. the
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36251
    1. father
    2. father
    3. 39620
    5. patēr
    6. N-····AMS
    7. father
    8. father
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36252
    1. of Alexandros
    2. Alexander
    3. 2230
    4. U
    5. alexandros
    6. N-····GMS
    7. ˱of˲ Alexandros
    8. ˱of˲ Alexander
    9. U
    10. Person=Alexander1; Y33
    11. 36253
    1. and
    2. -
    3. 25320
    5. kai
    6. C-·······
    7. and
    8. and
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36254
    1. Ɽoufos
    2. Rufus
    3. 45040
    4. U
    5. roufos
    6. N-····GMS
    7. Ɽoufos
    8. Rufus
    9. U
    10. Person=Rufus1; Y33
    11. 36255
    1. in order that
    2. -
    3. 24430
    5. hina
    6. C-·······
    7. in_order_that
    8. in_order_that
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36256
    1. he may carry
    2. carry
    3. 1420
    5. airō
    6. V-SAA3··S
    7. ˱he˲ ˓may˒ carry
    8. ˱he˲ ˓may˒ carry
    9. -
    10. Y33; R36240
    11. 36257
    1. the
    2. -
    3. 35880
    5. ho
    6. E-····AMS
    7. the
    8. the
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36258
    1. stake
    2. execution
    3. 47160
    5. stauros
    6. N-····AMS
    7. stake
    8. cross
    9. -
    10. Y33
    11. 36259
    1. of him
    2. him
    3. 8460
    5. autos
    6. R-···3GMS
    7. ˱of˲ him
    8. ˱of˲ him
    9. -
    10. Y33; R36144; Person=Jesus
    11. 36260

OET (OET-LV) And they_are_compelling a_certain_ from_Kuraʸnaʸ _man passing_by, Simōn, coming from the_country, the father of_Alexandros and Ɽoufos, in_order_that he_may_carry the stake of_him.

OET (OET-RV) As they walked out of the city, they came across a man coming in from the country. He was Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, and the soldiers forced him to carry the execution pole,

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.

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◄ ← MARK 15:21 ↑ → ► ║ ©