^8:11Then the Pharisees¹⁰ came and began to argue with Jesus, asking for¹¹ a sign from heaven¹² to test him. ^8:12Sighing deeply in his spirit he said, “Why does this generation look for a sign? I tell you the truth,¹³ no sign will be given to this generation.” ^8:13Then¹⁴ he left them, got back into the boat, and went to the other side.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod

^8:14Now¹⁵ they had forgotten to take bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ^8:15And Jesus¹⁶ ordered them,¹⁷ “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees¹⁸ and the yeast of Herod!” ^8:16So they began to discuss with one another about having no bread.¹⁹^8:17When he learned of this,²⁰ Jesus said to them, “Why are you arguing²¹ about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Have your hearts been hardened? ^8:18Though you have eyes, don’t you see? And though you have ears, can’t you hear?²² Don’t you remember? ^8:19When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?” They replied, “Twelve.” ^8:20“When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?” They replied,²³ “Seven.” ^8:21Then²⁴ he said to them, “Do you still not understand?”²⁵

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Footnotes

10 See the note on Pharisees in .
11 Grk “seeking from him.” The participle ζητοῦντες (zētountes) shows the means by which the Pharisees argued with Jesus.
12 What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.
13 Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”
14 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
15 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
16 Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
17 Grk “was giving them orders, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
18 See the note on Pharisees in .
19 Grk “And they were discussing with one another that they had no bread.”
20 Or “becoming aware of it.”
21 Or “discussing.”
22 Grk “do you not hear?”
23 A difficult textual problem is found here, involving three different variants: καὶ λέγουσιν (kai legousin) is found in א ; οἱ δὲ εἶπον (hoi de eipon) is the reading of 𝔓45 A D W Θ f1, 13 33 𝔐 it; and καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ (kai legousin autō) is supported by B C L (Δ 579 892) 2427 . The first two variants would not be translated differently; the third reading, however, would add “to him” after “they replied.” What complicates the issue is that the external evidence is fairly evenly split between the second and third readings, though the first reading is in agreement with the second reading in lacking the dative pronoun. Indeed, another layout of the problem here could treat this as two distinct problems: καὶ λέγουσιν vs. οἱ δὲ εἶπον and αὐτῷ vs. omission of the word. In this second arrangement of the problem, the reading without the pronoun has slightly stronger support (𝔓45 א A D W Θ f1, 13 33 𝔐 it). Internally, Mark never elsewhere uses the form εἶπον for the third person plural indicative form of this verb (it is always εἶπαν [eipan]). And although only one other time in Mark is the object lacking after λέγουσιν (6:38), it is a similar context (, the disciples’ response before Jesus feeds the 5000). Very tentatively, the reading that is followed here is καὶ λέγουσιν. puts αὐτῷ in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
24 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to indicate the implied sequence in the narrative.
25 Do you still not understand? The disciples in Mark’s Gospel often misunderstood the miracles of Jesus as well as his teaching. Between Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Mark paints the most revealing portrait of the shortcomings of the Twelve (cf. 6:51–52; 7:17–19; 8:1–10, 14–21, 27–30, 33; 9:5, 10, 33; 10:28, 35–45; 14:19, 29–31, 32–37, 50, 66–72).