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OET (OET-LV) And having_sighed_deeply in_the spirit of_him he_is_saying:
Why the is_ this generation _seeking a_sign?
Truly, I_am_saying to_you_all, a_sign ˓will˒_ never _be_being_given to_ the this _generation.
OET (OET-RV) Yeshua grieved inside and asked, “Why do you people need to see a miracle before you’ll believe me? Actually, no miracle will be done for this generation.”
According to 8:10, Jesus and his disciples traveled in a boat to the region of Dalmanutha. Some time after they arrived, some Pharisees came to Jesus. We do not know the specific time or place. They demanded that he show them a sign from heaven, but Jesus refused and left their area.
It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
The demand of the Pharisees for a sign from heaven
The Pharisees demand a miraculous sign
There is a parallel passage for this section in Matthew 16:1–4.
Jesus sighed deeply in His spirit and said,
Jesus sighed with intense feeling and said,
Distressed by their unbelief, he groaned and said to them,
Jesus sighed deeply in His spirit: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as sighed deeply in His spirit is literally “having sighed-deeply in his spirit.” The words in His spirit indicate that Jesus sighed because of the strong emotions that he felt in his inner being. In this context, he sighed because he was feeling disturbed and disappointed over the Pharisees’ attitude. The Greek verb that is used here is a more intense form of the verb that was translated as “sighed deeply” in 7:34b.
In some languages a literal translation of the words in His spirit would wrongly imply that Jesus had another spirit that he was communicating with. In other languages it would sound unnatural. If this is true in your language, you may leave these words implicit. Be sure to communicate the idea of strong emotion in a way that is natural in your language.
“Why does this generation demand a sign?
“Why do the people who are living now/today demand to see a sign from heaven?
“You(plur) people should not be asking to see a miracle that shows that God is the one who has given me power.
Why does this generation demand a sign?: This is a rhetorical question. Jesus asked this question to rebuke the Pharisees because they asked Jesus to perform a special miracle just to satisfy them. There are at least two ways to translate this rebuke:
As a rhetorical question. For example, the NCV says:
Why do you people ask for a miracle as a sign?
As a statement. For example:
You people should not be asking for a miraculous sign.
Use whichever form is most natural to express this rebuke in your language.
this generation: In this context, the phrase this generation refers to the adults who lived at the same time as Jesus. It does not refer only to the Pharisees who were arguing with him.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
the people of this day (GNT)
these people (GW)
you people of this generation
a sign: The Greek word that the BSB translates as sign is the same word that it translated as “sign” in 8:11b. It refers to the sign from heaven that the Pharisees demanded to see.
Truly I tell you,
Here is the truth about that:
I sincerely/earnestly declare to you that
Truly I tell you: Jesus used the phrase Truly I tell you to introduce a statement that he wanted to emphasize. It indicates that the statement was important and totally reliable, and that people should listen carefully to it. Jesus used this phrase eight times in Mark. Sometimes it introduces a serious warning or prediction. Here this phrase introduces the fact that Jesus refused to give the Pharisees a sign.
See how you translated this expression in 3:28a. In some languages you may need to translate the phrase differently in different contexts. Do not translate in a way that implies that Jesus had not been telling the truth at other times.
Here are some ways that English versions have translated the phrase in this context:
I can guarantee this truth: (GW)
No, I tell you! (GNT)
I assure you (NLT96)
I can promise you that (CEV)
no sign will be given to this generation.”
no miraculous sign will be shown to you.(plur)”
I will not do any miracle to show you that God has given me power.”
no sign will be given to this generation: The clause no sign will be given to this generation indicates that the adults who were alive at that time would not be given a miraculous sign. This clause is passive. Jesus was saying that he refused to perform a special miracle for the Pharisees. In some languages you may need to use an active verb and supply a subject. For example, the NLT says:
I will not give this generation any such sign.
ἀναστενάξας τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ
˓having˒_sighed_deeply ˱in˲_the spirit ˱of˲_him
When Jesus sighed greatly, it indicated that he was sad and upset about what the Pharisees had asked him to do. If it would be helpful in your language, you could refer to how people in your culture express sadness or frustration nonverbally, or you could explain the meaning of what Jesus did. Alternate translation: [having breathed out loudly] or [having shown that he was upset by sighing greatly]
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy
τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ
˱in˲_the spirit ˱of˲_him
Here, the word spirit refers to the nonphysical part of people. Mark means that Jesus sighed inwardly, to himself. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable figure of speech or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [in his heart] or [within himself]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person
τί ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη ζητεῖ σημεῖον? ἀμὴν, λέγω ὑμῖν, εἰ δοθήσεται τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ σημεῖον
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἀναστενάξας τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ λέγει Τί ἡ γενεά αὕτη ζητεῖ σημεῖον Ἀμήν λέγω ὑμῖν εἰ δοθήσεται τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ σημεῖον)
Jesus is speaking about his audience in the third person instead of directly addressing them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use the second person here instead. Alternate translation: [Why do you who are of this generation seek a sign? Truly I say to you, if a sign will be given to you who are of this generation …]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion
τί ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη ζητεῖ σημεῖον?
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἀναστενάξας τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ λέγει Τί ἡ γενεά αὕτη ζητεῖ σημεῖον Ἀμήν λέγω ὑμῖν εἰ δοθήσεται τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ σημεῖον)
Jesus is using the question form to rebuke the Pharisees. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: [This generation has no reason to seek a sign.] or [I am surprised that this generation seeks a sign!]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy
ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη ζητεῖ & τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ
¬the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἀναστενάξας τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ λέγει Τί ἡ γενεά αὕτη ζητεῖ σημεῖον Ἀμήν λέγω ὑμῖν εἰ δοθήσεται τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ σημεῖον)
Here, generation represents the people who are part of the generation, which means that they are adults who are currently alive. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression from your language or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [do today’s people seek … to today’s people] or [do the people of this generation seek … to the people of this generation]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
(Occurrence -1) σημεῖον
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἀναστενάξας τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ λέγει Τί ἡ γενεά αὕτη ζητεῖ σημεῖον Ἀμήν λέγω ὑμῖν εἰ δοθήσεται τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ σημεῖον)
Here, just as in [8:11](../08/11.md), the implication is that the sign is a miracle that proves that Jesus’ authority comes from God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [a sign that shows that my authority is from God … such a sign]
Note 6 topic: grammar-connect-condition-contrary
εἰ δοθήσεται τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ σημεῖον
never ˓will_be_being˒_given ¬the ˱to˲_generation this ˓a˒_sign
Here Jesus uses the word if to introduce a statement that he knows will not be true. What the form means is that a sign will definitely not be given to this generation. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea with a strong negation. Alternate translation: [A sign will never be given to this generation!]
Note 7 topic: writing-oathformula
εἰ δοθήσεται τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ σημεῖον
never ˓will_be_being˒_given ¬the ˱to˲_generation this ˓a˒_sign
The phrase if a sign will be given to this generation is an oath formula. This kind of oath does not complete the condition, but it implies that something bad will happen to the speaker if the condition actually happens. Use a natural way in your language to express an oath. Alternate translation: [I will be accursed if a sign will be given to this generation!] or [I swear that a sign will not be given to this generation!]
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
δοθήσεται & σημεῖον
˓will_be_being˒_given & ˓a˒_sign
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 would do the action, it could be: (1) Jesus. Alternate translation: [I will give a sign] (2) God the Father. Alternate translation: [God will give a sign]
8:12 I tell you the truth: Jesus’ response was as strong as an oath meaning, “[May God’s judgment fall upon me] if I give this generation any such sign.” Such oaths express an unbending commitment (see Gen 14:22-23; Num 32:10-11; Ruth 1:17; 1 Sam 3:17; 20:13; 2 Sam 3:35; 19:13).
• Jesus elsewhere describes this generation as “adulterous and sinful” (Mark 8:38) and “faithless” (9:19).
OET (OET-LV) And having_sighed_deeply in_the spirit of_him he_is_saying:
Why the is_ this generation _seeking a_sign?
Truly, I_am_saying to_you_all, a_sign ˓will˒_ never _be_being_given to_ the this _generation.
OET (OET-RV) Yeshua grieved inside and asked, “Why do you people need to see a miracle before you’ll believe me? Actually, no miracle will be done for this generation.”
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.