complete verse (Mark 12:41)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 12:41:

  • Uma: “Yesus sat close to the box for putting offering money in, and he watched the people who were putting in their offering money in it. Many rich people put in no small amount of money.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “So-then Isa was sitting facing the container-for money in the temple. He was watching the people dropping money into the container. Many rich people dropped much money.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “There was a time then when Jesus was sitting inside the church, the House of God, near the place where the money offerings were put. He was watching the people putting their offering in the container. There were many rich people there putting in a large amount of money.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then Jesus went and sat facing the place-for-inserting money in the Temple. Then he watched the many-people inserting (as through a slot) their money. Many rich-people inserted much.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well Jesus sat down there beside where money was dropped which was being given there in the Templo. He was observing the people who were dropping (money). Many were the wealthy who were dropping large amounts.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Walmajarri: “When Jesus was sitting in God’s house, men and women were going through. They were putting money in for God. As they were going they were putting it into a vessel for money. Jesus was sitting looking at them.” (Source: Callow 1972, p. 75)

Translation commentary on Mark 12:41

Exegesis:

Some words in this verse have already been dealt with: for kathizō ‘sit’ cf. 9.35; katenanti ‘opposite,’ ‘in front of’ cf. 11.2; chalkos ‘copper,’ ‘money’ cf. 6.8; plousios ‘rich’ cf. 10.25.

gazophulakeion (12.43) ‘treasury’: presumably one of the thirteen contribution boxes, or receptacles, in the form of trumpets, with broad bases and narrow openings at the top, which were placed under the colonnade in the Court of the Women. It may be that the particular area, in which the thirteen boxes were placed, was known popularly as the ‘treasury.’

etheōrei pōs ‘he was watching how’: for similar constructions cf. 5.16 diēgēsanto … pōs ‘they explained … how’; 11.18; 14.1 ezētoun pōs ‘they were seeking how’; 14.11 ezētei pōs ‘he was seeking how.’

eballon polla ‘they were putting in much (money)’: Burton calls attention to the imperfect here, describing the repeated acts, and the aorist ebalon ‘they put’ in v. 44, a summary statement of the incident.

Translation:

The treasury is often translatable as ‘the place where the money was received (or ‘kept’),’ or ‘the place where the people put in the money.’

Watched the multitude putting … must in some languages be broken up into two clauses, e.g. ‘watched while the crowd of people put their money…,’ or ‘watched the many people; they were putting money….’

Rich people may often be rendered as ‘those who possess much money’ and in this context, therefore, one may translate as ‘those who had much money put in a lot of money.’

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 .