Mark 6

Jesus left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples went with him.

1And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him.

Note"His own country" in the King James does not mean a nation. The Greek word means a person's home district or home town, which Mark has already named as Nazareth (1:9).

2When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue. Many who heard him were amazed. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given to him, that he can do such powerful works with his hands?"

2And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?

NoteThe sabbath is the seventh day, sunset Friday to sunset Saturday, kept as a day of rest and public assembly. A synagogue was the local meeting house where a community gathered on that day to read and discuss the scriptures; there was no set preacher, and any capable man present could be invited to speak, which is how a visitor came to be teaching. "Mighty works" translates a Greek word meaning acts of power.

3"Isn't this the carpenter, Mary's son, the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren't his sisters here with us?" So they took offense at him.

3Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

NoteThe Greek word behind "carpenter" covers a builder and craftsman who worked in wood, and often in stone as well, doing roofs, doors, yokes, plows and furniture. Joses and Juda are Greek forms of Joseph and Judah. Calling a grown man "the son of Mary" rather than naming his father was unusual and may carry an edge. The verb translated "offended" is stronger than the modern word: it means to be tripped up or made to stumble by him, not merely annoyed.

4But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is respected everywhere except in his hometown, among his own relatives, and in his own household."

4But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.

5He could not do any powerful work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.

5And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.

6He was amazed that they would not believe. Then he went around to the villages nearby, teaching.

6And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

7He called the twelve disciples to him and began to send them out two at a time. He gave them authority over unclean spirits.

7And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;

Note"The twelve" are the twelve disciples Jesus picked out in chapter 3. Sending them in pairs fits Jewish legal practice, where a matter had to be established by two witnesses. "Unclean" in "unclean spirits" is a ritual term, meaning unfit to come near what is holy, not dirty.

8He told them to take nothing for the trip except a walking stick. No bag, no bread, no money in their belts.

8And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse:

NoteA "scrip" was a traveler's or beggar's bag, used for carrying food and collecting gifts along the road. "Money in their purse" is literally copper in the belt: coins were carried folded into the cloth sash worn at the waist, since clothing had no pockets.

9They were to wear sandals, but not to take a second shirt.

9But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats.

NoteThe "coat" is the tunic worn next to the skin under an outer cloak. Travelers commonly carried a spare, both as a change of clothes and as a blanket at night, so going without one marked the journey as urgent and dependent on the hospitality of others.

10He said to them, "Whenever you go into a house, stay there until you leave that town."

10And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.

11"If any place will not welcome you or listen to you, then shake the dust off your feet when you leave. That will stand as a warning against them. I tell you the truth, on the day of judgment it will be easier for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town."

11And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

NoteShaking dust off the feet was a known gesture. Jews returning from Gentile territory were said to shake its dust from their sandals, and the act, done in public, served as visible evidence, which is what "for a testimony" means: the place has been offered the message and has answered for itself. Sodom and Gomorrah are the two cities destroyed in Genesis 19, and their names had long since become a byword for the worst case imaginable.

12So they went out and preached that people should turn away from their sins.

12And they went out, and preached that men should repent.

NoteThe Greek word translated "repent" means to change one's mind and turn around, a reversal of direction rather than simply feeling sorry.

13They drove out many demons, and they rubbed olive oil on many sick people and healed them.

13And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

NoteOlive oil was the ordinary household medicine of the time, rubbed on wounds and on the sick, and it was also used in religious anointing. The Greek verb here is the everyday one for rubbing oil on someone, not the formal ritual word.

14King Herod heard about Jesus, because his name had become well known. Herod said, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these powerful works happen through him."

14And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.

NoteThis is Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great, who ruled Galilee and Perea for Rome with the title tetrarch, meaning ruler of a quarter of his father's former territory. Rome never granted him the title of king; Mark uses "king" as his subjects informally did.

15Others were saying, "He is Elijah." Still others said, "He is a prophet, like the prophets of long ago."

15Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.

Note"Elias" is the Greek spelling of Elijah, a prophet who, according to 2 Kings 2, was carried up to heaven instead of dying, and whose return before the day of the Lord was promised in Malachi 4. People therefore watched for him to reappear.

16But when Herod heard it, he said, "This is John, the man I had beheaded. He has been raised from the dead."

16But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.

17Herod himself had given the order to arrest John, tie him up, and put him in prison. He did this because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom Herod had married.

17For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife: for he had married her.

NoteHerodias had been married to a half brother of Antipas, and she was also a granddaughter of Herod the Great and so a niece to both men. Mark names the first husband Philip; the Jewish historian Josephus calls him Herod, and the difference has never been fully resolved.

18John had been telling Herod, "It is against the law for you to have your brother's wife."

18For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife.

NoteThe law in Leviticus 18:16 and 20:21 forbids a man to take his brother's wife. The one recognized exception was marrying a brother's widow when the brother had died without a son (Deuteronomy 25:5), which did not apply here, since Herodias's first husband was still living.

19So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted him killed, but she could not do it.

19Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:

20Herod was afraid of John, because he knew John was a good and holy man, and he kept him safe. When Herod listened to him, he did many things, and he liked hearing him.

20For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.

Note"Observed him" in the King James means kept him safe, protected him, not watched him closely. The clause "he did many things" follows one set of Greek manuscripts; another set, followed by most modern translations, reads "he was greatly perplexed." The two Greek words differ by a few letters.

21Then the right day came. On his birthday, Herod gave a dinner for his officials, his army commanders, and the leading men of Galilee.

21And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;

Note"A convenient day" in the King James means a suitable opportunity, a day when the thing could be done, not a comfortable one. "High captains" translates a military rank, an officer over roughly a thousand men, and "chief estates" means the leading men of the province, its landowners and notables.

22The daughter of Herodias came in and danced, and she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask me for anything you want, and I will give it to you."

22And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.

Note"Damsel" is simply the word for a girl, used of anyone from a child to a young woman of marriageable age. Some early manuscripts read "his daughter Herodias" rather than "the daughter of the said Herodias." Josephus names the daughter of Herodias as Salome; the gospel itself never gives her a name.

23He swore to her, "Whatever you ask me for, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."

23And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.

Note"Unto the half of my kingdom" was a stock formula for an extravagant royal promise, used by the Persian king to Esther in Esther 5:3. Antipas had no kingdom of his own to divide in any case, since his territory was held at Rome's pleasure.

24She went out and asked her mother, "What should I ask for?" Her mother said, "The head of John the Baptist."

24And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.

25She hurried straight back to the king and made her request. She said, "I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter, right now."

25And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.

Note"By and by" in 1611 English meant at once, immediately; it did not yet mean eventually. A "charger" was a large flat serving dish, the platter a joint of meat would be carried in on at a banquet.

26The king was very sad. But because of the promise he had sworn, and because of his guests, he was not willing to refuse her.

26And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.

27So the king immediately sent a soldier whose job was to carry out executions, and ordered him to bring John's head. The man went and beheaded John in the prison.

27And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,

NoteThe King James "executioner" translates a Greek word borrowed from Latin, speculator, meaning a soldier of the ruler's personal guard. Such men served as scouts, couriers and, when ordered, as executioners.

28He brought the head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

28And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.

29When John's disciples heard about it, they came and took his body away and laid it in a tomb.

29And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.

30The apostles came back together to Jesus and told him everything they had done and everything they had taught.

30And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.

Note"Apostles" is not a title here so much as a description: the Greek word means those who have been sent out, and it picks up verse 7, where Jesus sent them. This is the only place Mark uses it of the twelve.

31He said to them, "Come away with me by yourselves to a quiet, empty place and rest for a while." So many people were coming and going that they did not even have time to eat.

31And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

Note"Desert place" in the King James means uninhabited open country, empty of people, not sand dunes. The same phrase is used in verses 32 and 35.

32So they went off by boat, by themselves, to a quiet, empty place.

32And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.

33But people saw them leaving, and many recognized them. They ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.

33And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.

NoteThe crowd could beat the boat because walking around the top of the lake was a shorter distance than sailing across the bay, especially against a wind.

34When Jesus came out and saw the large crowd, he felt deep pity for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things.

34And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.

Note"As sheep not having a shepherd" is a set phrase from the Hebrew scriptures for a people left without leadership. It appears in Numbers 27:17, in 1 Kings 22:17, and at length in Ezekiel 34, where the shepherds are the rulers of Israel.

35By now it was late in the day. His disciples came to him and said, "This is an empty place, and it is already late."

35And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:

36"Send the people away, so they can go to the farms and villages around here and buy themselves something to eat, because they have no food."

36Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.

37He answered, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "Are we supposed to go and spend two hundred days' wages on bread to feed them?"

37He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?

NoteThe Greek says two hundred denarii. A denarius was the standard day's pay for a hired laborer, so the sum is roughly eight months of a working man's wages. "Pennyworth" was the King James translators' nearest English equivalent, a coin of small value, which now gives the opposite impression of the amount.

38He said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." When they found out, they said, "Five loaves, and two fish."

38He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.

NoteThese loaves were flat round cakes of bread, closer to pita than to a modern loaf, small enough that five would be an ordinary lunch for a few people.

39He told them to have everyone sit down in groups on the green grass.

39And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.

NoteThe Greek word behind "by companies" is the one used for the groups of guests who recline together at a dinner party. The detail of green grass fixes the season as spring, after the winter rains.

40So the people sat down in rows, in groups of a hundred and groups of fifty.

40And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.

41He took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks to God. He broke the loaves and kept giving them to his disciples to set in front of the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.

41And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.

NoteAt a Jewish meal the blessing was spoken over God, thanking him for providing the food, rather than over the food itself. Bread of this kind was torn by hand, not cut, which is why the text says he "brake" the loaves.

42Everyone ate and had enough.

42And they did all eat, and were filled.

43They picked up twelve baskets full of leftover pieces of bread and fish.

43And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.

NoteThe Greek word here is kophinos, a stiff wicker basket of the sort a traveler carried provisions in. A different word for basket is used at the second feeding in chapter 8, and Jesus keeps the two words distinct when he refers back to both.

44There were about five thousand men who ate the loaves.

44And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.

NoteThe Greek word translated "men" here means adult males specifically, not people in general, so the number counted may not include the women and children present.

45Right away he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he sent the crowd away.

45And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.

NoteBethsaida was a fishing village at the north end of the lake, near where the Jordan flows in. Its name means house of fishing.

46After he had said goodbye to them, he went up a mountain to pray.

46And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.

47When evening came, the boat was out in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on land.

47And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land.

Note"The sea" is the Sea of Galilee, a freshwater lake about thirteen miles long and eight across, set low among hills that funnel sudden and violent winds down onto the water.

48He saw that they were struggling to row, because the wind was blowing against them. Sometime between three and six in the morning, he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to go past them.

48And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.

NoteThe Romans divided the night from sunset to sunrise into four watches of about three hours each; the fourth watch ran from roughly three to six in the morning, the last stretch before dawn. "Would have passed by them" renders a Greek phrase that can mean either that he intended to pass them or that he was on the point of passing them; the wording is genuinely open, and readers have argued about it since antiquity.

49But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought he was a ghost, and they cried out.

49But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:

50They all saw him and were terrified. But right away he spoke to them and said, "Take heart. It is I. Do not be afraid."

50For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

Note"It is I" is literally "I am" in Greek. It is the ordinary way of saying "it's me" when identifying yourself in the dark, but it is also the exact phrase used of God in the Greek version of Exodus 3:14, and the double possibility is present in the words themselves.

51Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely astonished and amazed.

51And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.

52They had not understood what happened with the loaves, because their hearts were hard.

52For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.

NoteIn biblical usage the heart is the seat of thought, understanding and will, closer to what we call the mind than to the emotions. A hardened heart is one that cannot take in what it has just seen.

53When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and tied up at the shore.

53And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore.

NoteGennesaret is the small fertile plain on the northwest shore of the lake, about three miles long, known for its farmland. The lake itself is sometimes called by the same name.

54As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus.

54And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him,

55They ran all through that whole region and began carrying the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.

55And ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was.

NoteThe "beds" are light mats or pallets, bedrolls that one or two people could pick up and carry with someone lying on them.

56Wherever he went, into villages, towns, or the countryside, they laid the sick in the open streets. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his coat, and everyone who touched him was healed.

56And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.

NoteThe word translated "streets" means the open marketplaces, the public squares where a passing traveler could not miss them. "The border of his garment" is the edge or hem of the outer cloak, and commonly refers to the tassel that Numbers 15:38 required to be attached at its corners as a reminder of God's commands.