Text:

Instead of tethē ‘put’ (after luchnian ‘lampstand’) of all modern editions of the Greek text, Textus Receptus has epitethē ‘put upon.’

Exegesis:

The verse contains three questions, the first two of which expect a negative answer, and the last a positive answer. A translation should make this clear.

mēti erchetai ‘does it come (to be put under a bushel)? (No!)’: the verb erchetai ‘come’ is here used with the meaning ‘is brought.’

luchnos (only here in Mark) ‘lamp’: this is an oil-burning wick lamp, the wick lying in a shallow bowl filled with oil.

hina hupo ton modion tethē ‘in order that it be placed under the bushel.’

modios (only here in Mark) ‘bushel’: a dry measure of about two gallons; in this passage as Lagrange points out, the reference is probably to a large bowl used to hold (and measure) the grain, under which the lamp would be placed at bedtime. Cf. Translator’s New Testament “measuring-vessel.”

tithēmi ‘place,’ ‘put’: in Mark used in the passive here and 15.47; in the active, 4.30; 6.29, 56; 8.25; 10.16; 12.36; 15.19, 46; 16.6.

klinēn (7.30) ‘bed,’ ‘couch’: perhaps the couch that went with the table at which they reclined for meals. Not to be confused with the krabatos ‘pallet’ of 2.4.

luchnian (only here in Mark) ‘lampstand’: “candle” and “candlestick” (King James Version) are not, of course, an accurate translation of the Greek words.

Translation:

Said must be translated as ‘asked’ in some languages because of the questions which follow.

Since two of the questions imply negative answers and one a positive one, some languages require that these be split, e.g. ‘People do not bring a lamp in and put it under a bushel or under a bed, do they? Don’t they bring it in and put it on a stand?’

As noted above, the lamp in this context is a kind of oil lamp, not a candle or a torch.

The equivalent of ‘measuring vessel’ may be in some languages ‘bucket,’ ‘pail,’ or ‘vessel.’ In some instances there are a number of terms, each denoting a special shape and size of container. In so far as possible the most general object of the approximate equivalent size should be chosen, provided that it is not of material which would immediately ignite (as was done in one language in which the name of a small loosely woven basket was used).

In some instances people do not have an indigenous word for bed, since they sleep either on skins or mats on the floor or in hammocks. In such instances one may use ‘benches for sleeping’ or ‘wide shelf for sleeping’ (Central Tarahumara). Since most Toraja-Sa’dans still sleep on a mat on the floor the expression is here translated ‘in the space under the house’ (the house being built on piles).

The stand may be described as ‘the elevated (or high) place for the lamp.’

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .