carpenter

The Greek that is traditionally translated as “carpenter” in English is translated in the English by Ruden (2021) as “builder.” “[The Greek word] tektōn means simply |skilled workman|. I choose builder because the likelihood that Jesus| family were among local artisans employed in rebuilding the new city of Sepphoris [which was destroyed in 4 BC], close to Nazareth.” (p. xliii)

village

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “village” or “town” in English is translated in Noongar as karlamaya or “fire (used for “home“) + houses” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

complete verse (Mark 6:36)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 6:36:

  • Uma: “We should order [lit., It-is-better we order] these people to go to the villages and houses in the gardens/fields that are close to buy their food.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Tell these people to go to the farmers in the places inland and into the villages surrounding so that they can buy their food.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Let the people leave now so that they might go to the villages and homestead nearby and buy something for them to eat.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Tell the people to go buy what they will eat in the nearby towns.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Hopefully if possible/acceptable, send these people on their way to go to the nearby barios or houses so that they can buy something to eat.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Mark 6:35 – 6:36

Text:

Verse 36. Instead of ti phagōsin ‘what they may eat’ of all modern editions of the Greek text, Textus Receptus has artous ti gar phagōsin ouk echousin ‘bread: for they have nothing to eat.’

Exegesis:

ēdē hōras pollēs genomenēs ‘it was already a late hour’: for the participial genitive clause used to express time cf. 6.21.

ēdē (4.37; 8.2; 11.11; 13.28; 15.42, 44) ‘already,’ ‘by now.’

hōra (11.11; 13.11, 32; 14.35, 37, 41; 15.25, 33, 34) ‘hour’: the expression hōra pollē means ‘late hour.’

proselthontes (cf. 1.31) ‘coming to,’ ‘approaching,’ ‘drawing near.’

apoluson autous ‘dismiss them,’ ‘send them away.’ The verb apoluō appears in Mark with three meanings: (1) ‘send away,’ ‘dismiss’ 6.36, 45; 8.3, 9; (2) ‘divorce’ 10.2, 4, 11, 12; (3) ‘release,’ ‘set free’ 15.6, 9, 11, 15.

eis tous kuklō agrous kai kōmas ‘to the nearby villages and towns.’

kuklō (cf. 3.34) ‘around,’ ‘surrounding,’ ‘nearby.’

agros (cf. 5.14) ‘hamlet,’ ‘small country town.’

kōmē (cf. 6.6) ‘village,’ ‘town.’

hina … agorasōsin heautois ti phagōsin ‘in order that … they may buy for themselves something they may eat.’

agorazō (6.37; 11.15; 15.46; 16.1) ‘buy,’ ‘purchase.’

ti phagōsin ‘what they may eat’: the interrogative pronoun ti is used here as a relative ‘something’: cf. 8.1, 2 for further examples.

Translation:

Grew late probably refers to late in the afternoon, perhaps toward sundown, but not late at night, for it is presumed that the village market places would still be open.

Send them away must not be understood in the sense of ‘getting rid of the people,’ but simply urging them to go and provide for themselves.

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 .