Mark 2:17-19 New English Translation
17 When Jesus heard this he said to them, “Those who are healthy don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do.[a] I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
The Superiority of the New
18 Now[b] John’s[c] disciples and the Pharisees[d] were fasting.[e] So[f] they came to Jesus[g] and said, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don’t fast?” 19 Jesus[h] said to them, “The wedding guests[i] cannot fast while the bridegroom[j] is with them, can they?[k] As long as they have the bridegroom with them they do not fast.
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- Mark 2:17 sn Jesus’ point is that he associates with those who are sick because they have the need and will respond to the offer of help. A person who is healthy (or who thinks mistakenly that he is) will not seek treatment.
- Mark 2:18 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
- Mark 2:18 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
- Mark 2:18 sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.
- Mark 2:18 sn John’s disciples and the Pharisees followed typical practices with regard to fasting and prayer. Many Jews fasted regularly (Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.
- Mark 2:18 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate that in the narrative this question happened as a result of the fasting of John’s disciples and the Pharisees.
- Mark 2:18 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Mark 2:19 tn Grk “And Jesus.”
- Mark 2:19 tn Grk “sons of the wedding hall,” an idiom referring to wedding guests, or more specifically, friends of the bridegroom present at the wedding celebration (L&N 11.7).
- Mark 2:19 sn The expression while the bridegroom is with them is an allusion to messianic times (John 3:29; Isa 54:5-6; 62:4-5).
- Mark 2:19 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mē) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “can they?”).
New English Translation (NET)
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