Lectionary Year B
September 7, 2003
Mark 7:24-37

Step I: Initial Acquaintance/Rough Translation

A. Comparing Translations

(JFC) The New International Version and the New Living Translation differ some:

24c yet he could not keep his presence secret. - NIV
the news of his arrival spread fast. - NLT

26 she begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. - NIV
She begged him to release her child from the demon's control. - NLT

27 "First let the children eat all they want," he told her. - NIV
Jesus told her, "First I should help my own family, the Jews. - NLT

29b the demon has left your daughter." - NIV
I have healed your daughter." - NLT

37b they said, "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak." - NIV
Again and again they said, "Everything he does is wonderful. He even heals those who are deaf and mute." - NLT

B. Textural Criticism

(JFC) 24 For VEkei/qen de. avnasta.j, several witnesses add a kai., which would make it only a little longer while possibly linking this paragraph with the preceding one, as is Mark's custom. Yet, some major Manuscripts do retain the text as printed. Then, for o[ria Tu,rou, some read, meqoria, another word for "region", while others read merely, orh, a plural, which seems to want the addition of another region named, and perhaps to be rejected since many more significant versions retain the text as received. And, too, some witnesses add kai Sidwnoj after Tu,rou, while a majority of Western texts retain o[ria Tu,rou alone. And, Metzger (TCGNT) points out that the printed version seems original in that it is shorter and used by "the Western and the Caesarean types of texts." 25 Papyrus 45 adds an en to pneu/ma avka,qarton, making a reading more pointed than without that preposition, perhaps, although where to translate it is problematic. So, we'll see. 30 Several witnesses have different renderings for to. paidi,on beblhme,non evpi. th.n kli,nhn kai., adding the additional word, qugathr, "daughter", while more Alexandrian witnesses retain the text as printed, prudently it seems, for the addition is unnecessary with a feminine pronoun and another feminine word for child in the sentence. 31 Some significant witnesses read kai Sidwnoj hlqen, "and to Sidon he went", instead of the received h=lqen dia. Sidw/noj, "he went through Sidon", which more Alexandrian and others retain, wisely it seems. Furthermore, Metzger notes, "According to the reading supported by the best representatives of the Alexandrian and the Western texts, as well as by noteworthy Caesarean witnesses, Jesus took a circuitous route, passing north from Tyre through Sidon . . ." 35 For the aorist, passive, indicative, hvnoi,ghsan, several important manuscripts, Papyrus 46 among them, have, dianoicqhsan, an imperative, which certainly seems out of place here, probably a repeat of the imperative in the preceding verse. Besides, many more reliable witnesses retain the received version.

C. Rough Translation

(JFC) 24 But from there he having risen up [aorist, active, participle] went to the neighborhood/region/territory of Tyre. And having entered [aorist, active, participle] a house he no one wished to know, and not was it enabled to be hidden; 25 but immediately having heard a woman about him, who was having in (?) a daughter of hers a spirit unclean, having come she fell at the feet of him; 26 but the woman was Greek/Gentile, Syrophoenician of the family/nation/race/people, and she was asking him in order that the demon would be driven out from the daughter of hers. 27 And he said to her, "Let first to eat/eat ones fill the children, for not is it good to take the bread from the children and give to the dogs." 28 But she answered and said to him, "Lord, also the dogs under the table eat the crumbs of the children." 29 And he said to her, "Through this the word you go away/home/back, will have escaped from the daughter of yours the demon/evil spirit." 30 She went to the home of hers to find the child placed [perfect, passive, participle] on the couch/bed and the demon/evil spirit having gone out/away. 31 And again going from the region of Tyre he went through Sidon to the sea/lake of Galilee into the region/neighborhood of Decapolis. 32 And they bring [present, active, indicative] to him a/one deaf/mute and mute/having difficulty speaking and they appeal [present] to him in order that he put/place on him the hand. 33 And having taken aside him from the crowd and secretly he put/gave/offered the finger of his to the ears of his and having spit he touched the tongue of his. 34 And having looked up to the heavens he sighed/groaned and said to him, "Be opened" which is explained. 35 And immediately was healed/restored [aorist, passive, indicative] of him the hearing, and the loosening of the bond of the tongue of his and he was speaking correctly/properly/plainly. 36 And he gave orders to/commanded them that no one they should tell [present, active, subjunctive]; but more to them he commanded, the more abundantly/utterly they made (it) known. 37 And completely they were amazed/overwhelmed saying, "Well all he does, and the deaf he makes to hear and the mute/dumb is able to speak."



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