MARK 2:19 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) And Yeshua answered, “Can the friends of the groom fast when they’re celebrating along with him? No, as long as he’s still there, they won’t be fasting.

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object, red:negative.
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 Jesus said to them, “The sons of the bridal chamber are not able to fast while the bridegroom is still with them, are they? As much time as they have the bridegroom with them, they are not able to fast.

UST Jesus answered, “The friends of the bridegroom do not abstain from eating while the wedding celebration is still going on. Indeed, they continue to eat as long as the wedding celebration continues.

BSB Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while [He] is with them? As long as [He is] with them, they cannot fast.

BLB And Jesus said to them, "Are the sons of the bridechamber able to fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long a time as they have the bridegroom with them, they are not able to fast.

AICNT And Jesus said to them, “Can the sons of the bridechamber[fn] fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

2:19, bridechamber: Or wedding hall

OEB Jesus answered, ‘Can the groom’s friends fast, while the groom is with them? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast.

WEBBE Jesus said to them, “Can the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they can’t fast.

WMBB Yeshua said to them, “Can the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they can’t fast.

NET Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they do not fast.

LSV And Jesus said to them, “Are the sons of the bride-chamber able, while the bridegroom is with them, to fast? As long a time [as] they have the bridegroom with them they are not able to fast;

FBV “Do wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?” Jesus asked them. “No. While the bridegroom's with them, they can't fast.

TCNT Jesus said to them, “Can the bridegroom's attendants fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.

T4T Jesus wanted them to understand that it was not appropriate for his disciples to show sorrow by abstaining from food while he was still with them. So he said to them, “When a man is marrying a woman, his friends will certainly not abstain from food while he is still with them, will they [RHQ]? No. During the time that he is with them, they will not abstain from food because they are happy together.

LEB And Jesus said to them, “The _⌊bridegroom’s attendants_⌋[fn] are not able to fast while the bridegroom is with them, are they?[fn] As long a time as they have the bridegroom with them, they are not able to fast.

2:19 Literally “the sons of the bridal chamber”

2:19 The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “are they”

BBE And Jesus said to them, Will the friends of a newly-married man go without food while he is with them? as long as they have him with them they will not go without food.

Moff Jesus said to them,
⇔ "Can friends at a wedding fast while the bridegroom is beside them?
⇔ As long as they have the bridegroom beside them they cannot fast.

Wymth "Can a wedding party fast while the bridegroom is among them?" replied Jesus. "So long as they have the bridegroom with them, fasting is impossible.

ASV And Jesus said unto them, Can the sons of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

DRA And Jesus saith to them: Can the children of the marriage fast, as long as the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

YLT And Jesus said to them, 'Are the sons of the bride-chamber able, while the bridegroom is with them, to fast? so long time as they have the bridegroom with them they are not able to fast;

Drby And Jesus said to them, Can the sons of the bride-chamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.

RV And Jesus said unto them, Can the sons of the bride-chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
(And Jesus said unto them, Can the sons of the bride-chamber/room fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. )

SLT And Jesus said to them, Can the sons of the nuptial chamber, in which the bridegroom is with them, fast? as much time as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

Wbstr And Jesus said to them, Can the children of the bride-chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

KJB-1769 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
(And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber/room fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. )

KJB-1611 And Iesus said vnto them, Can the children of the bride-chamber fast, while the Bridegrome is with them? As long as they haue the Bridegrome with them, they cannot fast.
(And Yesus/Yeshua said unto them, Can the children of the bride-chamber/room fast, while the Bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the Bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.)

Bshps And Iesus sayde vnto them: Can the chyldren of the brydechaumber fast, whyle the brydegrome is with them? As long as they haue the brydegrome with them, they can not fast.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Gnva And Iesus saide vnto them, Can the children of the marriage chamber fast, whiles the bridegrome is with them? as long as they haue the bridegrome with them, they cannot fast.
(And Yesus/Yeshua said unto them, Can the children of the marriage chamber/room fast, whilst/while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. )

Cvdl And Iesus sayde vnto them: How can the weddinge children fast, whyle the brydegrome is with them? So longe as ye brydegrome is with them, they can not fast.
(And Yesus/Yeshua said unto them: How can the weddinge children fast, while the bridegroom is with them? So long as ye/you_all bridegroom is with them, they cannot fast.)

TNT And Iesus sayde vnto them: can the chyldren of a weddinge faste while the brydgrome is with them. As longe as they have the brydgrome with them they cannot faste.
(And Yesus/Yeshua said unto them: can the children of a weddinge fast while the bridegroom is with them. As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot faste. )

Wycl And Jhesus seide to hem, Whether the sones of sposailis moun faste, as longe as the spouse is with hem? As long tyme as thei haue the spouse with hem, thei moun not faste.
(And Yhesus said to hem, Whether the sons of sposailis may/can fast, as long as the spouse is with hem? As long time as they have the spouse with hem, they may/can not faste.)

Luth Und JEsus sprach zu ihnen: Wie können die Hochzeitsleute fasten, dieweil der Bräutigam bei ihnen ist? Alsolange der Bräutigam bei ihnen ist, können sie nicht fasten.
(And Yesus spoke to/for to_them: How can the Hochzeitsleute fasten, meanwhile the/of_the Bräutigam at/in to_them is? Alsolange the/of_the Bräutigam at/in to_them is, can they/she/them not fasten.)

ClVg Et ait illis Jesus: Numquid possunt filii nuptiarum, quamdiu sponsus cum illis est, jejunare? Quanto tempore habent secum sponsum, non possunt jejunare.[fn]
(And he_said to_them Yesus: Is_it they_can children nuptiarum, as_long_as/until groom when/with to_them it_is, to_fast? How_much at_the_time they_have with_him groom, not/no they_can to_fast. )

2.19 Nunquia possunt. Matthæus ita: Nunquid possunt filii sponsi lugere quandiu cum illis est sponsus, etc. Matth. 9. Sponsus Christus, sponsa Ecclesia, de quo spirituali connubio apostoli creati sunt, qui lugere et jejunare non possunt, quandiu sponsum cum sponsa vident. Quando transierint nuptiæ, ac passionis et resurrectionis tempus advenerit, tunc jejunabunt. BEDA. Quandiu sponsus nobiscum est, in lætitia sumus, nec jejunare possumus, nec lugere; cum vero pro peccato recedit et avolat, tunc jejunium indicendum, tunc luctus multiplicandus.

2.19 Nunbecause they_can. Matthew so/thus: Nunquid they_can children grooms lugere as_long_as when/with to_them it_is groom, etc. Matth. 9. The_spouse Christ/Messiah, bride Assembly/Church, from/about where spiritual connubio apostles creati are, who/which lugere and to_fast not/no they_can, as_long_as groom when/with bride they_see. When have_passed wedding, and passion and resurrection time/season advenerit, then yeyunabunt. BEDA. Quandiu groom with_us it_is, in/into/on joy we_are, but_not to_fast we_can, but_not lugere; when/with indeed/however for sin retreats and avolat, then fasting indicendum, then mournings multiplicandus.

UGNT καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, μὴ δύνανται οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἐν ᾧ ὁ νυμφίος μετ’ αὐτῶν ἐστιν νηστεύειν? ὅσον χρόνον ἔχουσιν τὸν νυμφίον μετ’ αὐτῶν, οὐ δύνανται νηστεύειν.
(kai eipen autois ho Yaʸsous, maʸ dunantai hoi huioi tou numfōnos en hō ho numfios met’ autōn estin naʸsteuein? hoson ⱪronon eⱪousin ton numfion met’ autōn, ou dunantai naʸsteuein.)

SBL-GNT καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Μὴ δύνανται οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἐν ᾧ ὁ νυμφίος μετʼ αὐτῶν ἐστιν νηστεύειν; ὅσον χρόνον ⸂ἔχουσιν τὸν νυμφίον μετʼ αὐτῶν⸃ οὐ δύνανται νηστεύειν·
(kai eipen autois ho Yaʸsous; Maʸ dunantai hoi huioi tou numfōnos en hō ho numfios metʼ autōn estin naʸsteuein; hoson ⱪronon ⸂eⱪousin ton numfion metʼ autōn⸃ ou dunantai naʸsteuein;)

RP-GNT Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Μὴ δύνανται οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ νυμφῶνος, ἐν ᾧ ὁ νυμφίος μετ' αὐτῶν ἐστιν, νηστεύειν; Ὅσον χρόνον μεθ' ἑαυτῶν ἔχουσιν τὸν νυμφίον, οὐ δύνανται νηστεύειν·
(Kai eipen autois ho Yaʸsous, Maʸ dunantai hoi huioi tou numfōnos, en hō ho numfios met' autōn estin, naʸsteuein; Hoson ⱪronon meth' heautōn eⱪousin ton numfion, ou dunantai naʸsteuein;)

TC-GNT Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Μὴ δύνανται οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ νυμφῶνος, ἐν ᾧ ὁ νυμφίος μετ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐστι, νηστεύειν; Ὅσον χρόνον [fn]μεθ᾽ ἑαυτῶν ἔχουσι τὸν νυμφίον, οὐ δύνανται νηστεύειν·
(Kai eipen autois ho Yaʸsous, Maʸ dunantai hoi huioi tou numfōnos, en hō ho numfios meta autōn esti, naʸsteuein; Hoson ⱪronon meth heautōn eⱪousi ton numfion, ou dunantai naʸsteuein; )

2:19 μεθ εαυτων εχουσι τον νυμφιον 89.6% ¦ εχουσι τον νυμφιον μετ αυτων CT 0.6%

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:18–22: People asked Jesus about fasting

At the time when Jesus lived, Jewish people often went without eating food for one or more days. They did this to show they were sorry for their sins or to ask for favor from God. This is called “fasting.”

In this section people asked Jesus why he and his disciples did not fast. Jesus answered the question about fasting. Then he indicated that he was teaching a new way to live for God. His new way would not fit into the old traditions. To illustrate this point, Jesus used three comparisons:

To explain why his disciples did not fast, Jesus compared himself to a bridegroom, and he compared his disciples to wedding guests. They could not fast while he was with them.
To show that his way and the old traditions did not match, Jesus compared his new way to new cloth. The old traditional ways were like an old garment. No one would sew new cloth onto an old garment.
Then Jesus compared his new way to new wine and the old way to old wineskins. When new wine was put into old wineskins, both were ruined.

This section can be difficult for people to understand because Jesus used comparisons to illustrate a point, but he did not make the point explicit. The point was that he was teaching a new way that was different from the old Jewish traditions. In some languages it may be necessary to include a footnote to explain this.

In this section there are some ideas that may not be familiar in certain cultures. For example:

fasting
Jewish wedding customs about bridegrooms
sewing patches onto cloth
new wine and old wineskins

Consider carefully how to translate each of these ideas in a meaningful way in your language. The Notes for this section will give suggestions.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Jesus taught that his new way was different from Jewish traditions

Jesus’ new way and the old ways

This story also occurs in Matthew 9:14–17 and Luke 5:33–39.

Paragraph 2:18–20

In this paragraph it is important for readers to know what “fasting” meant in the Jewish culture. In this context, “fasting” means to abstain from food for religious reasons. The Jewish people often fasted at times when they were very serious about praying to God. See 1 Samuel 7:5, Matthew 6:16–18, Luke 2:37, Acts 13:2. Often Jewish people would fast for some time to prepare for God to speak to them (see Exodus 24, Daniel 9:3, Matthew 4:2).

John the Baptizer’s disciples and the Pharisees followed these Jewish customs.

2:19–20

In these verses Jesus used an illustration or extended metaphor to answer the people’s question. He compared himself to a bridegroom and his disciples to a bridegroom’s friends.

The people listening to Jesus would have understood that he was comparing himself to a bridegroom and his disciples to the friends of the bridegroom. If your readers would not understand this, it may be necessary to make this explicit. See the General Comment on 2:19b–c for ways to express this.

2:19a

Jesus replied,

Jesus answered them with another question,
Jesus replied to them with an illustration,

This sentence begins with the Greek connector that is often translated as “and.” It introduces Jesus’ response to the question that the people had just asked. Connect 2:18d and 2:19a in a natural way in your language.

Jesus replied: The Greek word that the BSB translates as replied is a general verb of speech like “said” in English. Jesus answered the people’s question with an illustration. He introduced this illustration with a rhetorical question. Consider how to introduce his response in a natural way in your language. Here are some examples:

Jesus answered them with an illustration

In reply, Jesus asked them

Then Jesus used a comparison to answer them, saying…

2:19b–c

In this verse Jesus answered the people with a rhetorical question. Then he himself answered the question in a negative way. In some languages there may be a special way to express a rhetorical question and answer like that. The NLT96 has:

Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. They can’t fast while they are with the groom.

Use a natural way in your language to express the meaning. The Notes on 2:19b and 2:19c will give more suggestions.

2:19b

“How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them?

“Do you think that it is appropriate for the bridegroom’s friends to fast while the bridegroom is with them?
“The guests of a bridegroom do not abstain from food while the bridegroom is with them at the wedding feast.

How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them?: This is a rhetorical question that expects a negative answer. This question emphasizes that the guests of the bridegroom cannot fast while he is with them. Fasting would imply that the guests were sad or serious. It would not be appropriate for them to be sad while they were at the wedding feast with the bridegroom.Every Jew knew that a Jewish bridegroom would celebrate his wedding with a feast that lasted for a week. No one would expect his guests to fast during that time.

There are at least three ways to translate this rhetorical question:

As a question. For example, the RSV says:
Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?
As a statement. For example, the CEV says:
The friends of a bridegroom don’t go without eating while he is still with them.
As a statement with a tag question. For example, the NET says:
The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they?

Use whichever form is most natural in your language to emphasize something that people know is true.

the guests of the bridegroom: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as the guests of the bridegroom is literally “the sons of the wedding hall.” It refers to people who come to rejoice with the bridegroom at his wedding. There are at least two ways to translate this term:

Use an expression that refers specifically to the bridegroom’s friends who come to his wedding. These friends may have a special role in the wedding. For example, the CEV has:
the friends of a bridegroom
Use a general expression that refers to people who come to a wedding. For example, the RSV has:
the wedding guests

In some cultures marriage customs may be so different from those of the Jews that the term guests of the bridegroom may be difficult to translate. For example, there may be no celebration at the time of a couple’s marriage, or the bridegroom may not be involved in the celebration. If that is true in your culture, you may need to use a very general phrase. For example:

friends who are celebrating with the man-who-has-gotten-a-wife

fast: The verb fast here is another form of the verb that the BSB translated as “fasting” in 2:18a. You should use the appropriate form of the same expression here. Fasting often indicates that people are sorrowful or mourning. In contrast to the sorrow of fasting, the wedding guests rejoice and celebrate with a feast.

He: The Greek word that the BSB translates as He is literally “bridegroom.” It refers to a man who is marrying a wife. Jesus used the “bridegroom” in the metaphor to represent himself. Use a natural term in your language.The figure of the bridegroom is used often in the Bible, so it is best to keep this figure if possible. Many times God spoke of himself as the bridegroom of Israel (see Isaiah 62:5) and referred to Israel as his bride (see Jeremiah 2:2). The church is also referred to as the bride of the Messiah or Jesus (see Revelation 21:9–10).

2:19c

As long as He is with them, they cannot fast.

No, it is not appropriate for them to fast while he remains with them.
It is not possible, because they are happy as long as he is still with them.

In this part of the verse Jesus answered his own question in 2:19b in a negative way. See the note on 2:19a–c for translation suggestions.

As long as He is with them: The phrase As long as as He is with them refers to the time of the wedding when the bridegroom is celebrating with his friends. In the metaphor this time represents the time that Jesus would be with the disciples here on earth.

He: The pronoun He refers to the bridegroom. In the metaphor this represents Jesus. In some languages it may therefore be necessary to use the first-person pronoun (I/me).

them: The pronoun them refers to the guests of the bridegroom. In the metaphor they represent Jesus’ disciples.

they cannot: The friends of the bridegroom could not fast because it would be inappropriate. They were celebrating their friend’s marriage, and it was a happy occasion. They would not want to fast. It was not, however, impossible, and so it may be necessary to translate this as:

they will/would not

General Comment on 2:19b–c

In some languages it may be necessary to translate these verse parts in a way that makes the meaning of the metaphor explicit. Here are some examples:

My disciples and I are like a bridegroom and his friends. Can the bridegroom’s friends fast while he is with them at the wedding feast? Of course they cannot fast then.

While I am with my disciples, how can they fast? They cannot, because they are happy/celebrating, just as a bridegroom’s friends celebrate with him at his wedding feast.

Just as the guests of a bridegroom do not abstain from food while the bridegroom is with them at the wedding feast, so my disciples do not abstain from food while I am with them.

Parallel MARK 2:19