MARK 12:35 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) Later when Yeshua was teaching in the temple, he asked the people, “How is it that the teachers here say that the messiah is a descendant of King David?

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT And answering, Jesus, teaching in the temple, said, “How do the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?

UST Then, while Jesus was instructing people in the temple area, he asked a question of his own. He said, “Does it make sense when the teachers of the Jewish law claim that the Messiah must be a descendant of King David?

BSB While [Jesus] was teaching in the temple [courts],[fn] [He] asked, “How {can} the scribes say that the Christ is [the] Son of David?

BLB And answering, Jesus was saying, teaching in the temple, "How do the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?

AICNT And Jesus answered and said, teaching in the temple, “How do the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?

OEB While Jesus was teaching in the Temple Courts, he asked, ‘How is it that the teachers of the Law say that the Christ is to be David’s son?

WEBBE Jesus responded, as he taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?

WMBB Yeshua responded, as he taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Messiah is the son of David?

NET While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he said, “How is it that the experts in the law say that the Christ is David’s son?

LSV And Jesus answering said, teaching in the temple, “How do the scribes say that the Christ is son of David?

FBV While Jesus was teaching in the Temple, he asked, “Why do the religious teachers state that Christ is the son of David?

TCNT As Jesus taught in the temple courts, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?

T4T Later, while he was teaching in the Temple courtyard, Jesus said to the people, “These men who teach the Jewish laws, ◄they must be wrong when they say that the Messiah is merely a descendant of King David!/why do they say that the Messiah is merely a descendant of King David?► [RHQ]

LEB ¶ And continuing, Jesus said while[fn] teaching in the temple courts,[fn] “How can the scribes say that the Christ is David’s son?

12:35 *Here “while” is supplied as a component of the participle (“teaching”) which is understood as temporal

12:35 *Here “courts” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself

BBE And Jesus, when he was teaching in the Temple, said, How do the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?

Moff And as Jesus taught in the temple he asked, "How can the scribes say that the Christ is David"s son?

Wymth But, while teaching in the Temple, Jesus asked, "How is it the Scribes say that the Christ is a son of David?

ASV And Jesus answered and said, as he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that the Christ is the son of David?

DRA And Jesus answering, said, teaching in the temple: How do the scribes say, that Christ is the son of David?

YLT And Jesus answering said, teaching in the temple, 'How say the scribes that the Christ is son of David?

Drby And Jesus answering said [as he was] teaching in the temple, How do the scribes say that the Christ is son of David?

RV And Jesus answered and said, as he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that the Christ is the son of David?

SLT And Jesus having answered, said, teaching in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David.

Wbstr And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David?

KJB-1769 ¶ And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David?

KJB-1611 ¶ And Iesus answered, and said, while hee taught in the Temple, How say the Scribes that Christ is the sonne of Dauid?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps And Iesus aunswered and sayde, teachyng in the temple: howe say the scribes that Christe is ye sonne of Dauid?
(And Yesus/Yeshua answered and said, teaching in the temple: how say the scribes that Christ is ye/you_all son of David?)

Gnva And Iesus answered and said teaching in the Temple, Howe say the Scribes that Christ is the sonne of Dauid?
(And Yesus/Yeshua answered and said teaching in the Temple, How say the Scribes that Christ is the son of David? )

Cvdl And Iesus answered, and sayde, whan he taught in the temple: How saye the scrybes, yt Christ is the sonne of Dauid?
(And Yesus/Yeshua answered, and said, when he taught in the temple: How say the scribes, it Christ is the son of David?)

TNT And Iesus answered and sayde teachynge in the temple: how saye the Scribes that Christ is the sonne of David?
(And Yesus/Yeshua answered and said teaching in the temple: how say the Scribes that Christ is the son of David? )

Wycl And thanne no man durste axe hym no more ony thing. And Jhesus answeride and seide, techynge in the temple, Hou seien scribis, that Crist is the sone of Dauid?
(And then no man durste axe him no more any thing. And Yhesus answered and said, teachinge in the temple, How said scribes, that Christ is the son of David?)

Luth Und JEsus antwortete und sprach, da er lehrete im Tempel: Wie sagen die Schriftgelehrten, Christus sei Davids Sohn.
(And Yesus replied and spoke, there he taught in_the temple: How say the scribes, Christ be David's son.)

ClVg Et respondens Jesus dicebat, docens in templo: Quomodo dicunt scribæ Christum filium esse David?
(And responding Yesus he_said, teaching in/into/on temple: How/In_what_manner they_say scribes/clerks Christ/Messiah son to_be David? )

UGNT καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἔλεγεν διδάσκων ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, πῶς λέγουσιν οἱ γραμματεῖς ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς, υἱὸς Δαυείδ ἐστιν?
(kai apokritheis ho Yaʸsous elegen didaskōn en tōi hierōi, pōs legousin hoi grammateis hoti ho Ⱪristos, huios Daueid estin?)

SBL-GNT Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἔλεγεν διδάσκων ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ· Πῶς λέγουσιν οἱ γραμματεῖς ὅτι ὁ χριστὸς υἱὸς ⸂Δαυίδ ἐστιν⸃;
(Kai apokritheis ho Yaʸsous elegen didaskōn en tōi hierōi; Pōs legousin hoi grammateis hoti ho ⱪristos huios ⸂Dawid estin⸃;)

RP-GNT Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἔλεγεν, διδάσκων ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, Πῶς λέγουσιν οἱ γραμματεῖς ὅτι ὁ χριστὸς υἱός ἐστιν Δαυίδ;
(Kai apokritheis ho Yaʸsous elegen, didaskōn en tōi hierōi, Pōs legousin hoi grammateis hoti ho ⱪristos huios estin Dawid;)

TC-GNT Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἔλεγε, διδάσκων ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, Πῶς λέγουσιν οἱ γραμματεῖς ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς υἱός [fn]ἐστι Δαυίδ;
(Kai apokritheis ho Yaʸsous elege, didaskōn en tōi hierōi, Pōs legousin hoi grammateis hoti ho Ⱪristos huios esti Dawid; )

12:35 εστι δαυιδ ¦ εστι δαβιδ HF TR ¦ δαυιδ εστιν ANT ECM NA SBL ¦ δαυειδ εστιν TH WH

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 12:35–37: The Christ is greater than King David

In this section Jesus was still teaching in the courtyard of the temple. Many people listened to him there. When he taught, he asked them about the Christ (Messiah) and his relationship to King David. Jesus asked this because he wanted the people to think about two things that the Scriptures say about the Messiah:

The Scriptures prophesied that the Messiah (Christ) would be a descendant of King David.
In the Scriptures King David called the Messiah “Lord.” This showed that the Messiah would be much greater than King David.

To Jewish people, it was difficult to explain how these two things could agree. They thought that an ancestor must be greater than his descendant. Jesus wanted them to know that the Messiah would be much greater than the earthly ruler that they expected him to be. He would be greater than David. The Messiah would be a descendant of David and would be a great ruler, but he would also share the throne of God.This section introduction includes a summary of statements by N. Geldenhuys, The Gospel of Luke, 1951; and Ray Summers, Commentary on Luke, 1972; and G. B Caird, Saint Luke, 1963.

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 Question about the Messiah (GNT)

Whose Son Is the Christ? (ESV)

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 22:41–46 and Luke 20:41–44.

12:35a

While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts,

¶ When Jesus was teaching in the courtyard of the house of sacrifice/God,
¶ While Jesus was teaching God’s word to people in the area around the temple building,

While: This verse is the beginning of a new section. The events of this section probably happened soon after the events of the preceding section. In 11:27 Mark mentioned that Jesus was in the temple courts. In this section he was still teaching people there. Introduce the section in a natural way in your language.

Jesus was teaching: In 12:37 Mark indicated that a large crowd was listening to Jesus. Jesus was teaching them about God. In some languages it may be necessary to say whom Jesus was teaching and what he was teaching them. For example:

Jesus was teaching God’s word to people

temple courts: The Greek word that the BSB translates as temple courts is literally “temple,” as in most English versions. The temple consisted of the temple building itself and the walls and courtyards that surrounded it. Here “temple” refers specifically to the courtyard. People did not meet inside the temple building because only the priests could enter it.

Some English versions have made this clear by translating “temple” as temple courts (BSB, NIV, NET) or “temple courtyard” (GW). You may want to do this also if your word for “temple” would imply that Jesus and the crowd were inside the temple building.

Here are some other ways to translate the term temple courts:

Use a descriptive phrase. For example:
courtyard of the house of God
courtyard of the house of sacrifice
holy/sacred house courtyard
If your language has a word for “temple,” you could use it here. But you may need to modify it by saying something like:
courtyard of the temple of the Jews/Lord
big/great temple courtyard

See how you translated this word in 11:16. See temple, Meaning 1, in the Glossary for more information about the temple and how to translate it.

12:35b–c

How can the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?: Jesus asked this question in order to encourage the people who were listening to him to think carefully about who the Messiah was.It was not difficult for any Jew to understand that the Messiah was (or was to be) a descendant of King David. What was difficult was to be able to understand how David could refer to his own descendant as his Lord. He wanted them to realize that the Messiah was even greater than they thought.

Here are some other ways to translate this question:

What do you understand the experts in the law to mean when they teach that the Christ is David’s son?

The teachers of the law say that the Messiah is David’s son. What do they mean when they say that?

Jesus wanted people to think about how this related to another Scripture that he quoted in 12:36b–d. Translate the question so that it will connect well with that verse also. For example:

The reason I ask this question is because David himself…

12:35b

He asked, “How can the scribes say

he asked them, “Can you explain what the teachers of the Law of Moses mean by saying
he said to the people, “What do the experts in the law mean when they say,

He asked: Jesus asked the people who were listening to him. In some languages it may be necessary to make that explicit. See the 12:35b in the Display.

the scribes: The Greek word that the BSB translates as scribes refers to men who studied, interpreted, and taught the law of Moses. These men are called scribes because their original work was to copy the laws of Moses by hand. In New Testament times, this was no longer their main task. This word is sometimes translated as “teachers of the law,” as in the NIV.

Here are some other ways to translate this term:

teachers of the Law of Moses (CEV)

teachers of religious law (NLT)

experts on the law

See teacher of the law in the Glossary.

say: In this context the verb say refers to something that the scribes taught people about the Christ. They said it often in their teaching.

12:35c

that the Christ is the Son of David?

that the Christ is a descendant of King David?
‘The Messiah will be the descendant of King David’?

the Christ: The Jews used the title Christ to refer to the special person whom God had appointed and promised to send as king and savior. The title Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah,” and the two words have the same meaning.

Here are some other ways to translate Christ:

Transliterate it according to the sounds of your language. For example:
Krais
Karisiti
Transliterate it and indicate in some way that it is a title. For example:
the Christ
the Kirisita
Transliterate Christ and include a phrase that explains the meaning. For example:
Christ, the appointed one
Cristo, the savior God promised
the Christ who comes from God

If you do not indicate the meaning of Christ in the text, you may want to include a footnote. For example:

The word/title “Christ” refers to the King and Savior whom God had promised to send.

See how you translated the word Christ in 1:1. See also Christ in the Glossary.

Son of David: The phrase Son of David is another title for the Messiah. It refers to the Messiah as a descendant of King David. The word Son here means “descendant.” It does not mean that the Messiah would be David’s own son. David had been the king of Israel a thousand years before Jesus lived on earth. The GNT makes this clear by translating the phrase as:

the descendant of David

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-newevent

καὶ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἀποκριθείς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἔλεγεν διδάσκων ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ Πῶς λέγουσιν οἱ γραμματεῖς ὅτι ὁ Χριστός υἱός Δαυίδ ἐστίν)

Here, the word And introduces the next major event in the story. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces the next event, or you could leave And untranslated. Alternate translation: [After that,] or [Sometime later,]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἀποκριθεὶς

Here, the word answering indicates that Jesus asked this question in response to how the Jewish leaders had been trying to trick and trap him with their questions. Jesus was not directly responding to anyone’s question. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [in response to how the Jewish leaders had been testing him] or [after the Jewish leaders had tested him]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

ἱερῷ

temple

Here Mark means that Jesus was teaching in the temple area. He does not mean that Jesus was in the most sacred parts of the temple building. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit. See you translated this word in [11:11](../11/11.md). Alternate translation: [temple courtyard]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

πῶς λέγουσιν οἱ γραμματεῖς ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς, υἱὸς Δαυείδ ἐστιν?

This is not a rhetorical question. Rather, Jesus’ listeners had asked him some difficult questions, and they had admitted that he answered them well. Now, in return, he is asking them a difficult question. None of them will be able to answer it, and this will demonstrate his wisdom even further. His question actually will teach something to those who are able to recognize its implications. But it would be appropriate to leave it in question form and not translate it as a statement.

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

υἱὸς Δαυείδ

Here, the word son refers to a male descendant. It does not mean that the Christ is the direct son of David. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [descended from David] or [in the lineage of David]

Parallel MARK 12:35

Section 12:35–37: The Christ is greater than King David

12:35a

12:35b–c

12:35b

12:35c