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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 2 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26 V27 V28
OET (OET-LV) And having_heard, the Yaʸsous is_saying to_them:
The ones being_strong are_ not _having need of_a_doctor, but the ones being sickly.
I_came not to_call the_righteous, but sinners.
OET (OET-RV) Yeshua overheard them and said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—it’s the sick ones that do. I didn’t come here to help those who think they have no needs, but I came to call sinners.”
In this section Jesus called a man named Levi to be his disciple. For the meaning of “disciple,” see the note on 2:15.
Levi was a tax collector who worked for the Roman government. The Roman people had conquered the Jews, and they forced them to pay taxes to Rome. The Romans hired Jews to collect taxes from their own people. The other Jews despised these tax collectors because they worked for the Romans. They also hated tax collectors because they sometimes collected more money than necessary. Then they kept the extra money and became rich.
This story also tells about another conflict that Jesus had with the Jewish religious leaders. After Levi became Jesus’ disciple, Jesus came to have dinner at his house. Levi’s friends, who were also tax collectors or other sinners, also came to the dinner. During the dinner, the religious leaders criticized Jesus for associating with such people. Jesus answered that it is people who know they are sinners who need him, not those who believe themselves to be righteous.
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 cares for outcasts
Jesus loves sinners
There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 9:9–13 and Luke 5:27–32.
In this verse Jesus responded to the Pharisees’ question in 2:16 with a proverb and applied the proverb to his own work. Notice that the proverb and the way that Jesus applied it are parallel, and the similar parts are in the same order:
It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
Jesus was comparing healthy people to righteous ones and sick people to sinners. He was comparing himself to a doctor.
Jesus used the words “healthy,” “sick,” and “doctor” as figures of speech. The “healthy” people represent people who think that they are already righteous and do not need any help. The “sick” represent people who know that they are sinners and need Jesus’ help. The “doctor” represents Jesus, who can help the sinners to become righteous.
It is important that people understand this figurative meaning. See the General Comment on 2:17a–c and 2:17b and 2:17c in the Display for translation suggestions.
On hearing this, Jesus told them,
When Jesus heard their question, he said to them,
When Jesus heard what the experts in the law said, he answered them,
In Greek 2:17a begins with a common conjunction that the RSV translates as “And.” In this context it introduces Jesus’ response to the Pharisees. The BSB does not explicitly translate this conjunction, but you should introduce this change in subject in the way that is natural in your language.
On hearing this: This clause indicates that Jesus heard what the Pharisees had asked his disciples in 2:16.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
Jesus heard them (GNT)
When Jesus heard that (GW)
this: This Greek word this refers to the question that the Pharisees had asked his disciples.
Jesus told them: Although the Pharisees asked their question to the disciples, Jesus is the one who answered it.
told: In this context the verb told introduces a comparison that is a proverb. In some languages it may be helpful to use a verb or expression that people use when they tell a proverb or use a comparison. For example:
Jesus responded with this proverb
Jesus answered them with a comparison
them: This word them refers to the Pharisees.
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
“People who are healthy do not need a doctor; sick people need a doctor.
“Sick people need a doctor’s help. If they are not sick, they do not need his help.
“A sinner is like a sick person. He is sick with sin and needs someone to help him, just like a sick person needs a doctor. If he were not a sinner, he would not need that help.
In this verse Jesus was using irony. See the General Comment on 2:17a–c at the end of the notes for 2:17c for an explanation. It is good to read this explanation before you decide how to translate the verse.
It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick: This verse is in the form of a proverb. Consider how to translate it so that it sounds like a proverb. There may be a traditional saying with a similar meaning in your own language.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
Sick people are the ones who crowd into the doctor’s house, not healthy ones.
There are no healthy people lining up to see the doctor.
It is not the healthy who need a doctor: The phrase It is not the healthy who need a doctor means that people who are healthy do not need a doctor to cure them. People in Jesus’ time did not go to see doctors when they were well.
need a doctor: In some languages it will be necessary to make explicit in what way people need a doctor. For example:
need a doctor to come and see them
need a doctor to help/heal them
need to consult a doctor
but the sick: The phrase but the sick is an ellipsis. In this context it means “but the sick people are the people who need a doctor.” People who know that they are sick are the ones who will go to a doctor for help.
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
I have come to invite sinful people, not those who think they are righteous.”
In the same way, my work is to help sinners to repent; my work is not to help people who think they are righteous.”
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners: In this statement, Jesus used the proverb (in 2:17b) to explain the reason that he was eating with sinners. Jesus came to call people who were “sick with sin” to repent and be with him. Jesus did not come to call people who were already righteous. That would be like telling healthy people to go to a doctor.
I have not come to call the righteous: Jesus used the phrase I have not come to introduce a general statement about the purpose of his ministry. He was not referring specifically to his purpose for coming to Levi’s house. In some languages it may be necessary to express the meaning in a different way. For example:
My work is not to call the righteous
call: In this context the Greek word that the BSB translates as call means “invite.” Jesus did not specify exactly what he was inviting sinners to do. It is likely that he was inviting (telling) them to repent and be his disciples.The call to repent is an important theme in Mark, and the call to be his disciple is an important theme in this context.
the righteous: The Greek word that the BSB translates as righteous refers to people who live according to God’s standards. In other words, they consistently do what is right.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
those who obey God’s law
those who do what is right
In some languages there may be an idiom to describe this. For example:
those who follow a straight path
upright people
In this context Jesus was using irony. There are no truly righteous people because everyone has sinned. He may have referred to people who think that they are doing what is right and do not recognize their sins.
but sinners: The phrase but sinners is an ellipsis. Its full form is “but I came to call sinners.”
sinners: The word sinners refers here to people who have sinned and displeased God.
In this verse Jesus implied that the Pharisees thought they were already righteous. That was the reason that they would not come to him for help to become truly righteous. Jesus did not mean that the tax collectors and sinners were the only sinners. He implied that they knew they needed him, just like sick people know that they need a doctor.There are other ways to think about the irony here. In one sense, no one fully recognizes his own sinfulness, and there is no one who is truly righteous. It is impossible for a person to see himself as God sees him unless God reveals that to him. Jesus came to offer salvation to all people. He was helping all people to recognize their sinfulness and turn to him, just as sick people turn to a doctor to help them. Only Jesus can make a person truly righteous so that the person is able to always do what is right.
In some languages it may be necessary to make some of the implied information explicit.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
When Jesus heard this, he replied with a proverb, “People who think they are healthy do not go to a doctor. It is the sick people who know that they need a doctor. Like that doctor, my work is not to invite people who think they are righteous to repent. I came to invite those who know that they are sinners to repent.”
When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” (NLT)
In some languages it may be more natural to use a different order for some of the information. For example:
When Jesus heard this, he said, “It is sick people who know that they need a doctor. People who think they are healthy do not seek a doctor. I came to invite people who know they are sinners to be with me. I did not come for those who think they are already righteous.”
Note 1 topic: writing-proverbs
οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ, ἀλλ’ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἀκούσας ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγει αὐτοῖς οὒ χρείαν ἔχουσιν Οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ ἀλλʼ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες οὐκ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους ἀλλά ἁμαρτωλούς)
Jesus begins his response by quoting or creating a proverb, a short saying about something that is generally true in life. This proverb draws a figurative comparison. Just as sick people need to see a doctor to be healed, so sinners need to see Jesus in order to be forgiven and restored. But since Jesus explains the comparison in the following sentence, you do not need to explain it here. Rather, you could translate the proverb itself in a way that will be meaningful in your language and culture. Alternate translation: [People who are well do not need to see a doctor, but people who are unwell do]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / irony
οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες
the_‹ones› sickly being
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: [the ones having sickness have need of a physician]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis
οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες
the_‹ones› sickly being
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of sickness, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [the ones who are sick]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
οὐκ ἦλθον
not ˱I˲_came
Here, the word come refers to Jesus 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: [I did not come to this world] or [I am not acting]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj
δικαίους
˓the˒_righteous
Jesus is using the adjective righteous as a noun to mean righteous people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [righteous people]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis
ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλούς
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἀκούσας ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγει αὐτοῖς οὒ χρείαν ἔχουσιν Οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ ἀλλʼ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες οὐκ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους ἀλλά ἁμαρτωλούς)
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 I came to call sinners]
OET (OET-LV) And having_heard, the Yaʸsous is_saying to_them:
The ones being_strong are_ not _having need of_a_doctor, but the ones being sickly.
I_came not to_call the_righteous, but sinners.
OET (OET-RV) Yeshua overheard them and said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—it’s the sick ones that do. I didn’t come here to help those who think they have no needs, but I came to call sinners.”
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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