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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 ESA 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 8 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26 V27 V28 V29 V30 V31 V32 V33 V34 V35 V36 V38
In the preceding section Jesus was speaking to his disciples. In this section Jesus called the crowd of people who were there to come and listen to him also. So in these verses Jesus was speaking to the crowd, as well as to his disciples. This meant that most of the people to whom Jesus spoke were not his followers. Many of them may have been part of the people whom Jesus described in 8:38b as “this adulterous and sinful generation.”
The requirements for being/becoming a disciple are given in 8:34.The phrases in 8:34b–d are arranged in the form of a chiasm: (A) wants to come after Me, (B) must deny himself, (B') take up his cross, (A') follow Me.The expressions in (A) and (A') both refer to following Jesus as a disciple, but they are not redundant. Actually obeying Jesus and following him as a disciple (A') involves more than simply wanting to become his disciple (A). Similarly, (B) and (B') both involve denying oneself, but picking up and carrying one’s cross (B') is a specific and extreme example of self-denial. The next verses (8:35–38) each explain why a person who wants to follow Christ must obey the commands given in 8:34. Each reason involves a choice between the present and the future. A person who chooses to avoid death and shame in the present life will be shamed in the future at the final judgment. He will forfeit true life with God. By contrast, a person who chooses to follow Christ may lose his present life but he will gain true life with God.
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 told people how to be his true disciples
What It Means to Follow Jesus (GW)
Following Jesus (NET)
There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 16:24–28 and Luke 9:23–27. See also Luke 14:27, 17:33; John 12:25.
Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
For what can a person give to God that would buy his eternal life? Nothing!
Is it possible for someone to pay God in order to get eternal life? No!
And besides that, there is nothing a person can give to God that would be a fair exchange for getting spiritual/eternal life with him.
Or: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates here as Or is often translated as “For,” as in the RSV. As in 8:36a, this conjunction introduces another reason why a person should deny himself and be ready to die as a disciple (8:34). Here this conjunction introduces a question that is similar to the question in 8:36. So this conjunction probably connects 8:37 to 8:36 and 8:34.
Many English versions do not have a connector here.
Here are some other ways to express the connection:
Indeed (NRSV)
To put it another way (TRT)
Introduce the verse in your language in a way that clearly communicates the connection with the preceding verse or verses.
what can a man give in exchange for his soul?: This is a rhetorical question that expects a negative answer. Jesus asked this question to emphasize that no one is able to pay enough to buy true life with God. There is nothing that a person can give to God that would be a fair exchange for his eternal life. There are at least two ways to translate this.
As a rhetorical question. For example, the NJB says:
And indeed, what can anyone offer in exchange for his life?
As a statement. For example:
They could never pay enough to buy true life with God.
Use whichever form is most natural in your language to emphasize a fact that everyone should know is true.
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases
γὰρ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Γάρ δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ)
Here, the word For introduces a further explanation of what Jesus said in the previous verse. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces a further explanation, or you could leave For untranslated. Alternate translation: [Indeed,] or [Even further,]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion
τί & δοῖ ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ?
what & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Γάρ δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ)
Jesus is using the question form to teach his disciples. 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: [a man can give nothing in exchange for his life.] or [a man cannot give anything in exchange for his life!]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations
ἄνθρωπος & αὐτοῦ
˓a˒_person & ˱of˲_him
Although the terms man and his are masculine, Jesus is using the words in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use phrases that make this clear. Alternate translation: [a person … his or her]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ
˱as˲_˓an˒_exchange ˱for˲_the soul ˱of˲_him
Here Jesus could be implying: (1) that there is nothing that is worth as much as a person’s life. Alternate translation: [that is as worth as much as his life] (2) that there is nothing that is valuable enough to redeem one’s life when it has been forfeited. Alternate translation: [that can buy back his life]
τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ
˱for˲_the soul ˱of˲_him
Alternate translation: [his soul]
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.