Mark 7:31-37
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Jesus Cures a Deaf Man
31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went by way of Sidon toward the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech, and they begged him to lay his hand on him.(A) 33 He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue.(B) 34 Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”(C) 35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.(D) 36 Then Jesus[a] ordered them to tell no one, but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.(E) 37 They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
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- 7.36 Gk he
Mark 7:31-37
New English Translation
Healing a Deaf Mute
31 Then[a] Jesus[b] went out again from the region of Tyre and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee in the region of the Decapolis.[c] 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking, and they asked him to place his hands on him. 33 After Jesus[d] took him aside privately, away from the crowd, he put his fingers in the man’s[e] ears, and after spitting, he touched his tongue.[f] 34 Then[g] he looked up to heaven and said with a sigh, “Ephphatha” (that is, “Be opened”).[h] 35 And immediately the man’s[i] ears were opened, his tongue loosened, and he spoke plainly. 36 Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone. But as much as he ordered them not to do this, they proclaimed it all the more.[j] 37 People were completely astounded and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
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- Mark 7:31 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
- Mark 7:31 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Mark 7:31 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.
- Mark 7:33 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Mark 7:33 tn Grk “his”; the referent (the deaf man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Mark 7:33 sn After spitting, he touched his tongue. It was not uncommon in Judaism of the day to associate curative powers with a person’s saliva. The scene as a whole reflects Jesus’ willingness to get close to people and have physical contact with them where appropriate. See W. L. Lane, Mark (NICNT), 267 n. 78.
- Mark 7:34 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
- Mark 7:34 sn The author’s parenthetical note gives the meaning of the Aramaic word Ephphatha.
- Mark 7:35 tn Grk “his”; the referent (the man who had been a deaf mute) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Mark 7:36 tn Grk “but as much as he ordered them, these rather so much more proclaimed.” Greek tends to omit direct objects when they are clear from the context, but these usually need to be supplied for the modern English reader. Here what Jesus ordered has been clarified (“ordered them not to do this”), and the pronoun “it” has been supplied after “proclaimed.”
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