Matthew 4:17–25

Footnotes

1. 26 Grk “and to say.”
2. 27 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
3. 28 The two phrases in this verse placed in parentheses are explanatory comments by the author, parenthetical in nature.
4. 29 The Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, thus “people.” The kind of fishing envisioned was net—not line—fishing (cf. v. 18; cf. also ἀμφιβάλλω, ἀμφίβληστρον) which involved a circular net that had heavy weights around its perimeter. The occupation of fisherman was labor-intensive. The imagery of using a lure and a line (and waiting for the fish to strike) is thus foreign to this text. Rather, the imagery of a fisherman involved much strain, long hours, and often little results. Jesus’ point may have been one or more of the following: the strenuousness of evangelism, the work ethic that it required, persistence and dedication to the task (often in spite of minimal results), the infinite value of the new “catch” (, people), and perhaps an eschatological theme of snatching people from judgment (cf. W. L. Lane, Mark [], 67). If this last motif is in view, then catching people is the opposite of catching fish: The fish would be caught, killed, cooked, and eaten; people would be caught so as to remove them from eternal destruction and to give them new life.
5. 30 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
6. 31 The expression followed him pictures discipleship, which means that to learn from Jesus is to follow him as the guiding priority of one’s life.
7. 32 Or “their boat.” The phrase ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ (en tō ploiō) can either refer to a generic boat, some boat (as it seems to do here); or it can refer to “their” boat, implying possession. Mark assumes a certain preunderstanding on the part of his readers about the first four disciples and hence the translation “their boat” is justified (cf. also v. 20 in which the “hired men” indicates that Zebedee’s family owned the boats), while Matthew does not.
8. 33 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
9. 34 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
10. 35 Grk “And he.”
11. 36 Synagogues were places for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the , Megillah 3–4; m. Berakhot 2).
12. 37 Grk “And they”; “they” is probably an indefinite plural, referring to people in general rather than to the Syrians (cf. v. 25).
13. 38 Grk “those who were moonstruck,” possibly meaning “lunatic” (so ), although now the term is generally regarded as referring to some sort of seizure disorder such as epilepsy (L&N 23.169; σεληνιάζομαι).
14. 39 The translation has adopted a different phrase order here than that in the Greek text. The Greek text reads, “People brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those possessed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics.” Even though it is obvious that four separate groups of people are in view here, following the Greek word order could lead to the misconception that certain people were possessed by epileptics and paralytics. The word order adopted in the translation avoids this problem.
15. 40 Here καί (kai) has not been translated before each of the places in the list, since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more. The Decapolis refers to a league of towns (originally consisting of ten; the Greek name literally means “ten towns”) whose region (except for Scythopolis) lay across the Jordan River.
16. 41 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
17. 42 “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity. The region referred to here is sometimes known as Transjordan (i.e., “across the Jordan”).