OET interlinear MARK 1:21

1:21a

Jesus and His companions went: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Jesus and His companions went is more literally “they went.” The pronoun “they” refers to Jesus and the four disciples who were mentioned in 1:16–20. Since this is the start of a new section, you may want to make explicit who “they” refers to, as the BSB does. For example:

Jesus and his disciples (GNT)

Jesus and his followers (NCV)

Capernaum: Capernaum was a small town that probably had fewer than two thousand people. It was located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. In some languages it may be helpful to indicate that Capernaum refers to a town. For example, the NLT says:

the town of Capernaum (NLT)

1:21b

and right away Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath: This part of the verse tells when the event in this section happened. It also tells the specific place in Capernaum where it happened. Consider how your language would naturally connect this part of the verse to what precedes it. In some languages it may be more natural to begin this part of the verse with a new sentence. For example:

When the next Sabbath day arrived, Jesus went into the synagogue

Jesus and his disciples went to the town of Capernaum. Then on the next Sabbath (CEV)

and right away: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as and right away is literally “and immediately.” Here it refers to the next Sabbath day, as the CEV example in the preceding note indicates.

synagogue: A synagogue was a building where Jews gathered to pray, read scripture, teach their beliefs, and worship. The Jews also gathered there for cultural activities. There was only one temple (in Jerusalem), but each Jewish community had a synagogue.

Here are some other ways to translate synagogue:

prayer-house of the Jews

meeting-place of the Jews

worship building

house for gathering together

If you make explicit a phrase such as “of the Jews,” be sure that it does not imply that Jesus was not a Jew.

If the word synagogue is already known in your area, you may write it according to the sounds of your language. You may want to include a word or phrase to explain the meaning. For example:

sinagog house/building

Consider using a footnote that contains some of the information above. See synagogue in the Glossary.

Sabbath: The word Sabbath is the name of the seventh and last day of the week for the Jews. The Sabbath was the special day in the week when the Jews rested and worshiped God. The Law of Moses said that the Jews must not do any work on that day (Deuteronomy 5:12–15).

Here are some other ways to translate Sabbath:

the Jewish rest day

the day for resting

the day to rest and worship God

If the word Sabbath is already known in your area, you may write it according to the sounds of your language. You may also want to include a phrase to explain the meaning. For example:

the Sabat, the Jews’ day for resting

Be careful that the term you choose is not confused with Sunday, the day when Christians worship. The Sabbath for the Jews began at sundown on Friday and went until sundown on Saturday. You may want to include a footnote to give more information. For example:

The Sabbath is a name for the seventh day of the week. It is the day when the Jews rested from work and worshiped God.

1:21c

and began to teach: The Greek verb that most English versions translate as began to teach may also be translated as “taught,” as in the RSV. Use a verb form that is natural in your language for this context.

In some languages a verb like teach may require you to tell what Jesus taught and whom he taught. In this context he taught God’s message to the people who gathered in the synagogue to worship.

Here is one way to make this information explicit:

began to teach God’s message to the people there