Mark 4:10-12
New English Translation
The Purpose of Parables
10 When he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 He said to them, “The secret[a] of the kingdom of God[b] has been given[c] to you. But to those outside, everything is in parables,
12 so that although they look they may look but not see,
and although they hear they may hear but not understand,
so they may not repent and be forgiven.”[d]
Footnotes
- Mark 4:11 tn Grk “the mystery.”sn The key term secret (μυστήριον, mustērion) can mean either (1) a new revelation or (2) a revealing interpretation of existing revelation as in Dan 2:17-23, 27-30. Jesus seems to be explaining how current events develop old promises, since the NT consistently links the events of Jesus’ ministry and message with old promises (Rom 1:1-4; Heb 1:1-2). The traditional translation of this word, “mystery,” is misleading to the modern English reader because it suggests a secret which people have tried to uncover but which they have failed to understand (L&N 28.77).
- Mark 4:11 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus’ teaching. The nature of the kingdom of God in the NT and in Jesus’ teaching has long been debated by interpreters and scholars, with discussion primarily centering around the nature of the kingdom (earthly, heavenly, or both) and the kingdom’s arrival (present, future, or both). An additional major issue concerns the relationship between the kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus himself.
- Mark 4:11 tn This is an example of a “divine passive,” with God understood to be the source of the revelation (see ExSyn 437-38).
- Mark 4:12 sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10. Thus parables both conceal or reveal depending on whether one is open to hearing what they teach.
Mark 4:10-12
Legacy Standard Bible
10 And when He was alone, [a]His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. 11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to (A)those who are outside, everything comes (B)in parables, 12 so that (C)while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, lest they return and be forgiven.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Mark 4:10 Lit those about Him
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.