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Mark 2:18-20
New English Translation
Mark 2:18-20
New English Translation
The Superiority of the New
18 Now[a] John’s[b] disciples and the Pharisees[c] were fasting.[d] So[e] they came to Jesus[f] and said, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don’t fast?” 19 Jesus[g] said to them, “The wedding guests[h] cannot fast while the bridegroom[i] is with them, can they?[j] As long as they have the bridegroom with them they do not fast. 20 But the days are coming when the bridegroom will be taken from them,[k] and at that time[l] they will fast.
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- Mark 2:18 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
- Mark 2:18 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
- Mark 2:18 sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.
- Mark 2:18 sn John’s disciples and the Pharisees followed typical practices with regard to fasting and prayer. Many Jews fasted regularly (Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.
- Mark 2:18 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate that in the narrative this question happened as a result of the fasting of John’s disciples and the Pharisees.
- Mark 2:18 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Mark 2:19 tn Grk “And Jesus.”
- Mark 2:19 tn Grk “sons of the wedding hall,” an idiom referring to wedding guests, or more specifically, friends of the bridegroom present at the wedding celebration (L&N 11.7).
- Mark 2:19 sn The expression while the bridegroom is with them is an allusion to messianic times (John 3:29; Isa 54:5-6; 62:4-5).
- Mark 2:19 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mē) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “can they?”).
- Mark 2:20 sn The statement the bridegroom will be taken from them is a veiled allusion by Jesus to his death, which he did not make explicit until the incident at Caesarea Philippi in 8:27ff. (cf. 8:31; 9:31; 10:33).
- Mark 2:20 tn Grk “then on that day.”
New English Translation (NET)
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