UTN uW Translation Notes:

Mark 15 General Notes

Structure and Formatting

7. Jesus’ last days and death (14:1–15:47) * Jesus’ trial before Pilate (15:1–15) * Jesus is crucified (15:16–41) * The soldiers mock Jesus (15:16–20) * Jesus is crucified, and people mock him (15:21–32) * Jesus dies (15:33–41) * Joseph of Arimathea buries Jesus’ body (15:42–47)

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Golgotha

As Mark indicates in 15:22, “Golgotha” means “Place of a Skull.” The reason why this place was called Place of a Skull is not known. It could have been named this because the appearance of this place resembled a skull. Or, it could have been named this because it was the site of so many executions, in which case the word “Skull” is being used as metonymy to refer to death. Because the reason that this location was called Place of a Skull is unknown, you should translate this phrase in a way that allows for either meaning, as modeled by the ULT and UST.

The drinks that people offered to Jesus

In 15:23, some people offer Jesus “wine having been mixed with myrrh.” In 15:36, someone offers Jesus “vinegar.” In both cases, scholars debate whether people offered these drinks to help Jesus by easing the pain or quenching his thirst or whether they offered these drinks to torment Jesus by giving him a bad-tasting drink or to mock him. Since it is not obvious what the purpose of the drinks was, if possible express the idea in such a way that your readers could draw either conclusion. If it would be helpful for your readers, you could include some extra information in a footnote. See the notes on these verses for translation options.

Calling Elijah

In 15:34, Jesus calls out “Eloi, Eloi,” which is how Jesus said “My God, my God” in his language. Some of the people standing there misheard him and thought that he was calling out to “Elijah,” a prophet with a name that sounds like “Eloi.” There is a story about this Elijah in 2 Kings 2:11–12, where God takes him into heaven. So, some people believed that Elijah did not die and would someday return. The people who thought Jesus was calling to Elijah thought that he was asking Elijah to return and rescue him. If your readers would not understand why the people standing near Jesus speak about Elijah, you could include some extra information in your translation or include this information in a footnote. (See: elijah)

The curtain of the temple tearing from top to bottom

The “curtain” to which Mark refers in 15:38 could be either the curtain that separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple, or it could be the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the rest of the temple area. Mark indicates that this curtain tore from the top to the bottom, which means that a person did not do it. Christians debate what the tearing of this curtain might have symbolized. There are at least three major options:1. the tearing of the curtain could indicate that access to God is now available to everyone.2. the tearing of the curtain could indicate that God is going to destroy the temple.3. the tearing of the curtain could indicate that God is revealing something.Since Mark does not explain what the tearing of the curtain means, you should not explain it in your translation. However, if it would be helpful for your readers, you could include what it might mean in a footnote.

The tomb

The tomb in which Jesus was buried (15:46) was the kind of tomb in which wealthy Jewish families buried their dead. It was a large hole or room cut into a rock. It had a flat place on one side where they could place the body after they had put oil and spices on it and wrapped it in cloth. Then they would roll a large rock in front of the tomb so no one could see inside or enter.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Sarcasm

In this chapter, people mock Jesus several times. First, in 15:16–19, the soldiers pretend like Jesus is a king. They give him a purple robe, a crown of thorns, and they pretend to greet him and honor him as a king. They do not actually believe that Jesus is a king, so they are doing these things sarcastically to make fun of Jesus. Second, in 15:29–32, people walking by and the Jewish leaders tell Jesus to save himself and to come down from the cross. They do not actually believe that he can do these things, so they are speaking sarcastically to make fun of Jesus. Make sure that it is clear in your translation that these are sarcastic actions done to make fun of Jesus. See the notes on these verses for translation options. (See: figs-irony)

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Singular and plural forms of “you”

Most of the forms of “you” in this chapter appear when people are speaking to Jesus. Because of this, most forms of “you” in this chapter are singular. You should assume forms of “you” are singular unless a note specifies that the form is plural. (See: figs-yousingular)

The historic present

To call attention to a development in the story, Mark uses the present tense in past narration. In this chapter, the historic present occurs in verses 2, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, and 27. If it would not be natural to do that in your language, you could use the past tense in your translation. (See: translate-tense)

Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?

In 15:34, Mark spells out the sounds of the words that Jesus spoke in his own language, which in this case could have been Aramaic or Hebrew. Either way, Mark translates the words later on in the verse as “My God, my God, why did you forsake me?” You can express the idea as Mark did by spelling out how the words sound and then translating their meaning in your language. (See: translate-transliterate)

“My God, my God, why did you forsake me?”

In 15:28 Jesus intentionally used the words of Psalm 22 to describe his own sufferings. When he cried out, “My God, my God, why did you forsake me?” he was referring to all of Psalm 22 by quoting its first line. (This was how the Jews of his time identified individual psalms). The people present at the crucifixion, and the people who read Mark’s Gospel who were familiar with the Old Testament, would have realized that these words of Jesus were a reference to Psalm 22. If you have translated Psalm 22 already you should translate the words “My God, my God, why did you forsake me?” exactly as you did there. (See: figs-explicit)

Verse 28

Many of the earliest manuscripts do not include anything for 15:28. A few early manuscripts and many later manuscripts include the following words: “And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘And he was counted with lawless ones.’” Since a similar sentence appears in Luke 22:37, it is likely that people who copied the manuscripts accidentally or intentionally added these words here in Mark. Since the earliest manuscripts do not include these words, the ULT and UST include these words in brackets. If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it uses. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to omit these words. If it would be helpful, you could put the words in brackets or in a footnote. (See: translate-textvariants)