Footnotes

1. Mark 4:30 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus’ teaching. See the note on this phrase in v. 26.
2. Mark 4:31 sn Mustard seeds are known for their tiny size.
3. Mark 4:32 tn Mark 4:31-32 is fairly awkward in Greek. Literally the sentence reads as follows: “As a mustard seed, which when sown in the earth, being the smallest of all the seeds in the earth, and when it is sown, it grows up…” The structure has been rendered in more idiomatic English, although some of the awkward structure has been retained for rhetorical effect.
4. Mark 4:32 tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).
5. Mark 4:32 sn The point of the parable seems to be that while the kingdom of God may appear to have insignificant and unnoticeable beginnings (i.e., in the ministry of Jesus), it will someday (i.e., at the second advent) be great and quite expansive. The kingdom, however, is not to be equated with the church, but rather the church is an expression of the kingdom. Also, there is important OT background in the image of a small plant that grew and became a tree: Ezek 17:22-24 pictures the reemergence of the Davidic house where people can find calm and shelter. Like the mustard seed, it would start out small but grow to significant size.
6. Mark 4:33 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
7. Mark 4:35 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8. Mark 4:35 tn The phrase “of the lake” is not in the Greek text but is clearly implied; it has been supplied here for clarity.
9. Mark 4:36 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the response to Jesus’ request.
10. Mark 4:36 tn It is possible that this prepositional phrase modifies “as he was,” not “they took him along.” The meaning would then be “they took him along in the boat in which he was already sitting” (see 4:1).sn A boat that held all the disciples would be of significant size. See the note at Mark 1:19 for a description of the first-century fishing boat discovered in 1986 near Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
11. Mark 4:37 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
12. Mark 4:37 tn Or “a squall.”sn The Sea of Galilee is located in a depression some 700 ft (200 m) below sea level and is surrounded by hills. Frequently a rush of wind and the right mix of temperatures can cause a storm to come suddenly on the lake. Storms on the Sea of Galilee were known for their suddenness and violence.
13. Mark 4:38 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
14. Mark 4:39 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
15. Mark 4:39 tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).
16. Mark 4:39 sn Who has authority over the seas and winds is discussed in the OT: Pss 104:3; 135:7; 107:23-30. When Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea he was making a statement about who he was.
17. Mark 4:39 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
18. Mark 4:41 sn Jesus’ authority over creation raised a question for the disciples about who he was exactly (Who then is this?). This verse shows that the disciples followed Jesus even though they did not know all about him yet.
19. Mark 4:41 sn This section in Mark (4:35-5:43) contains four miracles: (1) the calming of the storm; (2) the exorcism of the demon-possessed man; (3) the giving of life to Jairus’ daughter; (4) the healing of the woman hemorrhaging for twelve years. All these miracles demonstrate Jesus’ right to proclaim the kingdom message and his sovereign authority over forces, directly or indirectly, hostile to the kingdom. The last three may have been brought together to show that Jesus had power over all defilement, since contact with graves, blood, or a corpse was regarded under Jewish law as causing a state of ritual uncleanness.
20. Mark 5:1 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate a summary and transition in the narrative.
21. Mark 5:1 tc The textual tradition here is quite complicated. Most later mss (A C ƒ¹³ M sy^p,h) read “Gadarenes,” which is the better reading in Matt 8:28. Other mss (א² L Δ Θ ƒ¹ 28 33 565 579 700 892 1241 1424 al sy^s bo) have “Gergesenes.” Others (א* B D latt sa) have “Gerasenes,” which is the reading followed in the translation here and in Luke 8:26. The difference between Matthew and Mark (which is parallel to Luke) may well have to do with uses of variant regional terms.sn The region of the Gerasenes would be in Gentile territory on the (south)eastern side of the Sea of Galilee across from Galilee. Matthew 8:28 records this miracle as occurring “in the region of the Gadarenes.” “Irrespective of how one settles this issue, for the [second and] Third Evangelist the chief concern is that Jesus has crossed over into Gentile territory, ‘opposite Galilee’” (J. B. Green, Luke [NICNT], 337). The region of Gadara extended to the Sea of Galilee and included the town of Sennabris on the southern shore—the town that the herdsmen most likely entered after the drowning of the pigs.
22. Mark 5:2 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
23. Mark 5:2 sn See the note at Mark 1:19 for a description of the first-century fishing boat discovered in 1986 near Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
24. Mark 5:2 sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.
25. Mark 5:2 tn Grk “met him from the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.” When this is converted to normal English word order (“a man met him from the tombs with an unclean spirit”) it sounds as if “with an unclean spirit” modifies “the tombs.” Likewise, “a man with an unclean spirit from the tombs met him” implies that the unclean spirit came from the tombs, while the Greek text is clear that it is the man who had the unclean spirit who came from the tombs. To make this clear a second verb, “came,” is supplied in English: “came from the tombs and met him.”
26. Mark 5:4 tn Grk “he had often been bound with chains and shackles.” “Shackles” could also be translated “fetters”; they were chains for the feet.
27. Mark 5:4 tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
28. Mark 5:7 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
29. Mark 5:7 tn Grk “What to me and to you?” (an idiom). The phrase τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί (ti emoi kai soi) is Semitic in origin, though it made its way into colloquial Greek (BDAG 275 s.v. ἐγώ). The equivalent Hebrew expression in the OT had two basic meanings: (1) When one person was unjustly bothering another, the injured party could say “What to me and to you?” meaning, “What have I done to you that you should do this to me?” (Judg 11:12, 2 Chr 35:21, 1 Kgs 17:18). (2) When someone was asked to get involved in a matter he felt was no business of his own, he could say to the one asking him, “What to me and to you?” meaning, “That is your business, how am I involved?” (2 Kgs 3:13, Hos 14:8). These nuances were apparently expanded in Greek, but the basic notions of defensive hostility (option 1) and indifference or disengagement (option 2) are still present. BDAG suggests the following as glosses for this expression: What have I to do with you? What have we in common? Leave me alone! Never mind! Hostility between Jesus and the demons is certainly to be understood in this context, hence the translation: “Leave me alone….”
30. Mark 5:7 sn Though it seems unusual for a demon to invoke God’s name (“I implore you by God”) in his demands of Jesus, the parallel in Matt 8:29 suggests the reason: “Why have you come to torment us before the time?” There was an appointed time in which demons would face their judgment, and they seem to have viewed Jesus’ arrival on the scene as an illegitimate change in God’s plan regarding the time when their sentence would be executed.
31. Mark 5:8 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
32. Mark 5:8 sn This is a parenthetical explanation by the author.
33. Mark 5:9 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
34. Mark 5:9 sn The name Legion means “thousands,” a word taken from a Latin term for a large group of soldiers. The term not only suggests a multiple possession, but also adds a military feel to the account. This is a true battle.
35. Mark 5:10 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
36. Mark 5:11 tn Grk “mountain,” but this might give the English reader the impression of a far higher summit.
37. Mark 5:12 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the demonic spirits) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
38. Mark 5:13 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
39. Mark 5:13 sn Many have discussed why Jesus gave them permission, since the animals were destroyed. However, this is another example of a miracle that is a visual lesson. The demons are destructive: They were destroying the man. They destroyed the pigs. They destroy whatever they touch. The point was to take demonic influence seriously, as well as Jesus’ power over it as a picture of the larger battle for human souls. There would be no doubt how the man’s transformation had taken place.
40. Mark 5:13 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate a conclusion and transition in the narrative.
41. Mark 5:14 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate a transition to the response to the miraculous healing.
42. Mark 5:17 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
43. Mark 5:17 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
44. Mark 5:18 tn Grk “be,” that is, “remain.” In this context that would involve accompanying Jesus as he went on his way.
45. Mark 5:19 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
46. Mark 5:19 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
47. Mark 5:19 sn Jesus instructs the man to declare what the Lord has done for him, in contrast to the usual instructions (e.g., 1:44; 5:43) to remain silent. Here in Gentile territory Jesus allowed more open discussion of his ministry. D. L. Bock (Luke [BECNT], 1:781) suggests that with few Jewish religious representatives present, there would be less danger of misunderstanding Jesus’ ministry as political.
48. Mark 5:20 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate the conclusion of the episode in the narrative.
49. Mark 5:20 sn The Decapolis refers to a group of towns (originally consisting of ten; the Greek name literally means “ten towns”) whose region (except for Scythopolis) lay on the east side of the Jordan River. Although frequently seen as a league of independent city states organized by the Roman general Pompey, contemporary sources do not support such a view. Rather their unity came from their Greek (Hellenistic) culture and religions, which set them apart from surrounding areas.
50. Mark 5:20 sn Note that the man could not separate what God had done from the one through whom God had done it (what Jesus had done for him). This man was called to witness to God’s goodness at home.