UTN uW Translation Notes:

Mark 1 Chapter Introduction

Structure and Formatting

1. Introduction (1:1–13)
   • Opening (1:1–3)
   • The ministry of John the Baptist (1:4–8)
   • Jesus is baptized and tempted (1:9–13)
2. Jesus’ early ministry (1:14–3:6)
   • Jesus calls four disciples (1:14–20)
   • Jesus teaches and casts out a demon (1:21–28)
   • Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law and many others (1:29–34)
   • Jesus teaches and heals people throughout Galilee (1:35–39)
   • Jesus heals a leper (1:40–45)

Some translations set each line of poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to make it easier to read. The ULT does this with the poetry in 1:2–3, which is made up of quotations from Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3.

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Baptism

The word “baptism” refers to a ritual washing, usually with water. John’s baptism is similar to Christian baptism, but it does not mean exactly the same thing (see Acts 18:24–26). Mark writes that John’s baptism is “of repentance” (see 1:4). Most likely, it symbolized the removal of the sins that people were repenting of and the beginning of a new way of living. However, even Jesus received this baptism despite the fact that he did not need to repent of any sins. In this case, the baptism may symbolize complete dedication to God. Consider how you might refer to this kind of ritual washing in your language.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Singular and plural forms of “you”

Many of the forms of “you” in this chapter appear in speeches that John the Baptist delivers to groups of people. Because of this, most forms of “you” in this chapter are plural. You should assume forms of “you” are plural unless a note specifies that the form is singular. (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 12, 21, 30, 37, 38, 40, 41, and 44. If it would not be natural to do that in your language, you could use the past tense in your translation. (See: translate-tense)