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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 6 V1 V3 V5 V7 V9 V11 V13 V15 V17 V19 V21 V23 V25 V27 V29 V31 V33 V35 V37 V39 V41 V43 V45 V47 V49 V51 V53 V55
OET (OET-LV) And having_seen them being_tormented in the time to_be_rowing, because/for the wind was contrary to_them, about the_fourth watch of_the night he_is_coming to them, walking on the sea, and was_wanting to_pass_by them.
OET (OET-RV) He saw them struggling to row against the wind, and sometime after 3am he came out to them, walking on the lake surface as if to walk past them.
This section tells about another miracle that showed Jesus’ power. After he fed the five thousand men, Jesus urged his disciples to get into their boat and go to the other side of the lake. Then during the night he came to them while they were still in the boat on the lake. He walked to them on the surface of the water and climbed into the boat with them.
There are several ways to divide this section into paragraphs:
Two paragraphs (as in the GNT)
6:45–50a
6:50b–52
Three paragraphs (as in the BSB, NIV, RSV, CEV, NLT)
6:45–46
6:47–50a
6:50b–52
One paragraph (as in the NJB, NET, ESV)
6:45–52
You should divide this section into paragraphs in a way that is natural in your language. The Notes and Display follow option (a).
It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.
Here is another possible heading for this section:
Jesus walks on the water
There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 14:22–23 and John 6:15–21.
He could see that the disciples were straining to row,
He saw the disciples working hard to row the boat,
He looked down and saw that his followers were struggling to move the boat forward,
He could see that the disciples: According to 6:46b, Jesus went up on the mountain to pray. Here the context implies that Jesus paused in his praying and looked out toward the lake to see how the disciples were doing.Even though it was night, there was probably enough moonlight for Jesus to see the disciples on the lake. Only a few commentators think that this was a “supernatural seeing from afar.” (Clarke quoted in Mark: A Portrait of the Servant by Hiebert, page 165.) In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit some of this information.
In some languages there are also specific words for “look downward” and “look from a distance.” If your language uses specific words like these, it may be appropriate to use one of them here. For example:
When Jesus looked down at the disciples, he saw that they were straining…
straining to row: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as straining to row is more literally “distressed while rowing.” It indicates that the disciples were working/straining very hard to try to move the boat forward.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
having trouble rowing the boat
struggling hard to row the boat (NCV)
because the wind was against them.
because the wind was blowing against/at them.
because there was a strong wind blowing the wrong way.
the wind was against them: The phrase the wind was against them indicates that the wind was blowing against the front of the boat. The wind was so strong that the disciples were not able to move the boat across the lake.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
the wind was blowing towards them
the wind was meeting them
they were going against the wind (GW)
In some languages it may be natural to put the information that the disciples were rowing in 6:48b. For example, the CEV says:
48aHe could see that the disciples were struggling hard, 48bbecause they were rowing against the wind.
In this verse, 6:48b expresses the reason for the result in 6:48a. In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of these clauses. For example:
48bThe wind was blowing against them; 48athat is why they were straining at the oars. Jesus saw all this.
About the fourth watch of the night,
As the night was ending
Before dawn/daybreak
About the fourth watch of the night: The fourth watch of the night was the period between 3:00 and 6:00 in the morning. At that time, people considered night to be from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The Romans divided the night into four periods of time. Each period was three hours long. Soldiers took turns guarding (watching) for one period. So the fourth watch was the three-hour period before dawn.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
Not long before morning (CEV)
between three and six o’clock in the morning (GNT)
As the night was ending (NET)
Before dawn/daybreak
If your language has a specific expression or idiom for this time of day, consider using it here.
Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea.
he went toward them, walking on the lake/water.
he went down the mountain and walked on the surface of the water to approach them.
Jesus went out to them: Jesus had been up on the mountain. Before he could walk out to the disciples, he first had to walk downhill to the shore. In some languages it may be necessary to make some of this information explicit. For example:
he walked/went down the mountain and went out to them
walking on the sea: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as walking on the sea indicates that Jesus was walking on top of the water. This was a miracle.
In some languages, verbs such as walking are also used to mean “swimming,” and prepositions such as on can also mean “in.” If this is true in your language, you will need to clarify what Jesus was doing. For example:
walking on the surface of the water
He intended to pass by them,
He was going to pass by them; (REB)
He looked as though he intended/wanted to continue walking past them.
He intended to pass by them: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as He intended to pass by them is literally “He wanted to go past them.” Jesus was walking as though he intended to walk past the boat without stopping.A note on 6:48 in the NET says, “The statement ‘he wanted to pass by them’ is somewhat difficult to understand. There are at least two common interpretations: (1) it refers to the perspective of the disciples, that is, from their point of view it seemed that Jesus wanted to pass by them; or (2) it refers to a theophany and uses the language of the Greek Old Testament (LXX) when God “passed by” Moses at Sinai (cf. Exod 33.19, 22). According to the latter alternative, Jesus is “passing by” the disciples during their struggle, in order to assure them of his presence with them. See W. L. Lane, Mark (NICNT), 236.”
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
He intended to pass by them (NASB)
He was going to pass by them (REB)
He would have passed by them
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
αὐτοὺς βασανιζομένους ἐν τῷ ἐλαύνειν, ἦν γὰρ ὁ ἄνεμος ἐναντίος αὐτοῖς; καὶ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἰδών αὐτούς βασανιζομένους ἐν τῷ ἐλαύνειν ἦν γάρ ὁ ἄνεμος ἐναντίος αὐτοῖς περί τετάρτην φυλακήν τῆς νυκτός ἔρχεται πρός αὐτούς περιπατῶν ἐπί τῆς θαλάσσης καί ἤθελεν παρελθεῖν αὐτούς)
If it would be more natural in your language, you could reverse the order of these clauses, since the second clause gives the reason for the result that the first clause describes. Alternate translation: [that the wind was against them and so they were being tormented as they rowed,]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
αὐτοὺς βασανιζομένους
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἰδών αὐτούς βασανιζομένους ἐν τῷ ἐλαύνειν ἦν γάρ ὁ ἄνεμος ἐναντίος αὐτοῖς περί τετάρτην φυλακήν τῆς νυκτός ἔρχεται πρός αὐτούς περιπατῶν ἐπί τῆς θαλάσσης καί ἤθελεν παρελθεῖν αὐτούς)
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, it is clear from the context that it was the wind. Alternate translation: [the wind tormenting them]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
βασανιζομένους
˓being˒_tormented
Here Mark refers to how hard the disciples were working to row the boat against the wind as if they were being tormented. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable figure of speech or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [working very hard] or [making almost no progress]
Note 4 topic: translate-unknown
ἐν τῷ ἐλαύνειν
in the_‹time› ˓to_be˒_rowing
When people row a boat, they stick long, flat pieces of wood, called oars, into the water and push or pull so that the boat moves. If your readers would not be familiar with this way of making a boat move, you could use the name of something similar in your area or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: [as they pushed the boat along with oars] or [as they worked to move the boat]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἦν & ὁ ἄνεμος ἐναντίος αὐτοῖς
was & the wind contrary ˱to˲_them
Whenwind is against people in a boat, that means that it is blowing directly opposite to the direction in which the boat is traveling. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [the wind was opposite to the direction they were sailing] or [the wind was blowing directly against them]
Note 6 topic: translate-unknown
περὶ τετάρτην φυλακὴν τῆς νυκτὸς
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἰδών αὐτούς βασανιζομένους ἐν τῷ ἐλαύνειν ἦν γάρ ὁ ἄνεμος ἐναντίος αὐτοῖς περί τετάρτην φυλακήν τῆς νυκτός ἔρχεται πρός αὐτούς περιπατῶν ἐπί τῆς θαλάσσης καί ἤθελεν παρελθεῖν αὐτούς)
Here, the phrase about the fourth watch of the night refers to the period of time between 3:00 AM and 6:00 AM. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase that refers to this period of time. Alternate translation: [in the last part of the night] or [shortly before dawn]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / go
ἔρχεται
˱he˲_˓is˒_coming
In a context such as this, your language might say “goes” instead of comes. Alternate translation: [he goes]
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
περιπατῶν ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης
walking (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἰδών αὐτούς βασανιζομένους ἐν τῷ ἐλαύνειν ἦν γάρ ὁ ἄνεμος ἐναντίος αὐτοῖς περί τετάρτην φυλακήν τῆς νυκτός ἔρχεται πρός αὐτούς περιπατῶν ἐπί τῆς θαλάσσης καί ἤθελεν παρελθεῖν αὐτούς)
Here Mark means that Jesus was miraculously walking on the surface of the sea. He did not sink into the water. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [walking on the surface of the sea] or [miraculously walking on top of the sea]
Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἤθελεν παρελθεῖν αὐτούς
˓was˒_wanting ˓to˒_pass_by them
Here, the clause he was wishing to pass by them could indicate that: (1) Jesus intended to walk past them. Alternate translation: [he intended to pass them by] (2) it looked like Jesus was going to walk past them. Alternate translation: [he was about to pass by them] or [it looked like he was going to pass by them]
6:48 It was about three o’clock in the morning (literally about the fourth watch of the night, which began at 3:00 am): This was a Roman designation of time (Jews reckoned only three watches), which supports the view that Mark wrote for Christians in Rome.
• Mark does not explain how Jesus saw his disciples’ plight late at night in the middle of the lake (cp. John 6:19), as it is not important to the story.
• Jesus came toward them, walking on the water: It appears that Jesus’ purpose was to rescue the disciples from the storm. However, Mark then states that Jesus intended to go past them. Numerous attempts have been made to explain this, but the best explanation is that “to go past them” speaks of a divine manifestation (cp. Exod 33:18–34:6; 1 Kgs 19:11-13): Jesus apparently sought to show his divine glory to the disciples. This understanding is supported by the disciples’ fear, a response often associated with theophany.
• Many have tried to rationalize the miracle of Jesus’ walking on the sea, but Mark, Matthew, and John clearly understood this as a miracle, beyond natural explanation. If Jesus is in fact the Son of God, there is no need to find another explanation.
OET (OET-LV) And having_seen them being_tormented in the time to_be_rowing, because/for the wind was contrary to_them, about the_fourth watch of_the night he_is_coming to them, walking on the sea, and was_wanting to_pass_by them.
OET (OET-RV) He saw them struggling to row against the wind, and sometime after 3am he came out to them, walking on the lake surface as if to walk past them.
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.