Mark 4:30-41 - Revision of the Textus Receptus

The gospel according to Mark

Chapter 4

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30. και ελεγεν τινι ομοιωσωμεν την βασιλειαν του θεου η εν ποια παραβολη παραβαλωμεν αυτην And he said, “To what[1] shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we illustrate it[2]?

31. ως κοκκον[15] σιναπεως ος οταν σπαρη επι της γης μικροτερος[3] παντων των σπερματων εστιν[4] των επι της γης It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds that are on the earth,

32. και οταν σπαρη αναβαινει και γινεται μειζον[5] παντων των λαχανων και ποιει κλαδους μεγαλους ωστε δυνασθαι υπο την σκιαν αυτου τα πετεινα του ουρανου κατασκηνουν yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the air can lodge under its shade.”

33. και τοιαυταις παραβολαις πολλαις ελαλει αυτοις τον λογον καθως ηδυναντο[6] ακουειν And with many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.

34. χωρις δε παραβολης ουκ ελαλει αυτοις κατ ιδιαν δε τοις μαθηταις αυτου επελυεν παντα And he did not speak to them without a parable, but privately he explained everything to his[7] disciples.

35. και λεγει αυτοις εν εκεινη τη ημερα οψιας γενομενης διελθωμεν εις το περαν And, on that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.”

36. και αφεντες τον οχλον παραλαμβανουσιν αυτον ως ην εν τω πλοιω και αλλα δε πλοιαρια ην μετ αυτου And leaving the multitude, they took him with them as he was in the boat. And other small boats were also with him[8].

37. και γινεται λαιλαψ ανεμου μεγαλη τα δε[9] κυματα επεβαλλεν εις το πλοιον ωστε αυτο ηδη γεμιζεσθαι And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it[10] was already filling.

38. και ην αυτος επι[11] τη πρυμνη επι το προσκεφαλαιον καθευδων και διεγειρουσιν[12] αυτον και λεγουσιν αυτω διδασκαλε ου μελει σοι οτι απολλυμεθα And he was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. And they awoke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

39. και διεγερθεις επετιμησεν τω ανεμω και ειπεν τη θαλασση σιωπα πεφιμωσο και εκοπασεν ο ανεμος και εγενετο γαληνη μεγαλη And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

40. και ειπεν αυτοις τι δειλοι εστε ουτως πως ουκ εχετε πιστιν And he said to them, “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?” [13]

41. και εφοβηθησαν φοβον μεγαν και ελεγον προς αλληλους τις αρα ουτος εστιν οτι και ο ανεμος και η θαλασσα υπακουουσιν[14] αυτω 4 And they feared exceedingly and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

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[1] NA-Text reads “How”.

[2] NA-Text reads “In what parable shall we set it forth” (Gr.: “τινι αυτην παραβολη θωμεν”). This is most likely a reconstructed sentence after a scribal error in the copying process caused by visual homoeoarcton (παραβολη παραβαλωμεν, thus missing “shall we Illustrate”).

[3] NA-Text reads “μικροτερον ον” (being the smallest) and then removes the verb “εστιν” (is) after “σπερματων”.

[4] NA-Text omits “εστιν”. See previous footnote.

[5] NA-Text reads “μειζον” (neuter instead of masculine), which is supported by codices א, A, B and Θ. The TR is supported by codex D, the Byzantine manuscripts and Theophlact. The text has been adjusted, following the same word order of the NA-Text which coincides with the vulgate of Stuttgart.

[6] M-Text reads “εδυναντο”, which is supported by codices D, Θ and the majority of the early Byzantine manuscripts. The TR is supported by codices א, B and Theophylact. No need of correction.

[7] NA-Text reads “his own” by replacing “αυτου” by “ιδιοις”. Even though this Alexandrian reading has not been preserved in the Latin or Byzantine compilations, it is well supported by 5 Alexandrian majuscules (א, B, C, L and Δ), whose “own” may have been missed in other transmission lines by visual homoeoteleuton (ιδιοις τοις, thus missing “own”). But it is also possible that “ιδιοις” was accidentally created by the similarity with “ιδιαν”. Some Greek copies preserved both words “ιδιοις” and “αυτου” like minuscules 1071 and 2427, but the “αυτου”, being redundant, may have been dropped later. In any event, this is a strong variant that deserves attention.

[8] NA-Text and VgSt omit “also” and “small”, whose omissions are supported by codices א, B, C*, (Δ), minuscules 579, 892 and 2427 and 4 old Latin codices (it^aur, it^c, it^f and it^l). The TR is supported by codices A, C², L and (0133), family of manuscripts ƒ¹³, the Byzantine manuscripts, the Harklean Syriac version and Theophylact. Codex D, Θ, (family of manuscripts ƒ¹), minuscules (28), 33, (700) and 565, 6 old Latin codices (it^b, it^d, it^ff2, itⁱ, it^q and it^r1) read “boat”. “Boat” is likely a harmonization within verse 36 and 37 where the word “boat” occurs 3 times in the Alexandrian text. The Byzantine text has preserved the harder reading and should be preferred here.

[9] NA-Text and VgSt read “και” (Latin equivalent “et”), placing it before the verb at the beginning of the verse, which is supported by codices א, B, D and Θ. The TR is supported by the byzantine manuscripts and Theophylact. The meaning is the same and both forms are acceptable in the Greek text.  

[10] NA-Text and VgSt replaces the pronoun “it” by “the boat”, which is supported by codices א, B and D. Codex Θ, the Byzantine manuscripts and Theophylact support the pronoun instead of the noun. There was a scribal tendency to miss pronouns, which stands out especially in codices א and B. What may have happened here was that after the pronoun “αυτο” was missed, “the boat” was added at the end of the sentence to complete its sense.

[11] NA-Text and VgSt read “εν” (Latin equivalent “in”), which is supported by codices א, B, C, L, Δ and minuscule 892. The TR is supported by codices A, D, W, Θ, both families of manuscripts ƒ¹ and ƒ¹³, the Byzantine manuscripts, the Harklean Syriac version and Theophylact. “In” appears to be an Alexandrian adjustment to the text. The Byzantine reading is widespread and should be preferred here.  

[12] NA-Text and VgSt read “γειρουσιν”. Same meaning.

[13] NA-Text and VgSt read “Have you still no faith” (Gr.: “ουπω εχετε πιστιν”, Latin equivalent: “necdum habetis fidem”), which is supported by codices א, B, D, L, Δ, Θ, minuscules 565, 700, 722, 858, 892*, 1342, 1416, 2427, 2737 and 2808, 8 old Latin codices (it^a, it^aur, it^b, it^c, it^d, it^ff2, itⁱ and it^l), the Sahidic and the Bohairic Coptic versions, the Ethiopic version and Augustine. The TR is supported by codices A, C, E, F, G, H, K, Π, Σ, 0167, minuscules 33, 157, 180, 597, 1006, 1009, 1010, 1071, 1079, 1195, 1216, 1230, 1241, 1242, 1243, (1253), 1344, 1365, 1505, 1546, 1646, 2148 and 2174, the Byzantine minuscules, the old Latin codex (it^f), the (Peshitta), the Harklean Syriac, the Gothic and the Slavic version, the Diatessaron, Basil and Theophylact. Papyrus 45^vid, codex 0167, both families of manuscripts ƒ¹ and ƒ¹³, minuscules 28, 205, 892^c, 2542, the Armenian and Georgian¹ versions read “ουπως δειλοι εστε ουπω”. Codex W reads “ουπως δειλοι εστε”. There is nothing in context or in the parallel passages in Matt. 8:26 or Luke 8:25 that could possibly have furnished material for the expansion found in the Byzantine text. It is much easier to see the Alexandrian text as a product of first a scribal error creating a non-sensical reading by visual homoieuteleuton (ουτως πως ουκ, thus creating the reading “ουπως ουκ”) that was then clearly perceived as an error by the next scribe who would have seen the “not yet” (Gr.: “ουπω”) and the “not” (Gr.: “ουκ”) as a clear error, which caused him to drop the 4 letters after “ουπω” (“ουπως ουκ” = “ουπω”).

[14] NA-Text reads “υπακουει” (singular instead of plural)

[15] M-Text, P-Text and WPF³⁵ reads “κοκκον” (accusative instead of dative), which is supported by codex A, L, W, Θ (κοκον), 0107, 0133, both families of manuscripts ƒ¹ and ƒ¹³, the Byzantine manuscripts and Theophylact. The TR is supported by codices א, B, C^vid, D, Δ and minuscule 565. The support for the Byzantine reading is better and has been adopted in the Greek text.

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Notes:

1. Text in red letters are places where the original reading in the Textus Receptus has been revised and corrected;

2. The English translation used as a reference is the WEB brought to conformity as literal as possible to the Textus Receptus. The end product though is not the WEB or a revised WEB and it should not be called WEB. The content of this post is freely available to everyone and it is not supposed to be copyrighted;

3. TR: Textus Receptus. This text is not copyrighted;

4. NA-Text: Nestle-Aland text commonly known as critical text;

5. M-Text: Majority Text;

6. VgSt: Vulgate of Stuttgart;  

7. WPF³⁵: Wilbur Pickering-family 35;

8. PT: Patriarchal Text, also known as Patriarchal Greek New Testament, published by the ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

9. The creator of the variant apparatus available in the VarApp kindly gave me permission to freely use the information contained in the material he put together.

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To God all the glory for the preservation of the scriptures! He reigns!