Mark 6:14-29 - Revision of the Textus Receptus

The gospel according to Mark

Chapter 6

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14. και ηκουσεν ο βασιλευς ηρωδης φανερον γαρ εγενετο το ονομα αυτου και ελεγεν οτι ιωαννης ο βαπτιζων εκ νεκρων ηγερθη[1] και δια τουτο ενεργουσιν αι δυναμεις εν αυτω Now King Herod heard this, for his name had become known, and he said[2], “John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and for this reason these powers are at work in him.”

15. αλλοι δε[3] ελεγον οτι ηλιας εστιν αλλοι δε ελεγον οτι προφητης εστιν[4] ως εις των προφητων But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, [5] like one of the prophets.”

16. ακουσας δε ο[6] ηρωδης ειπεν[7] οτι[8] ον εγω απεκεφαλισα ιωαννην ουτος εστιν αυτος[9] ηγερθη εκ νεκρων But when Herod heard this, he said, “This is John, whom I beheaded. He has risen from the dead[10].”

17. αυτος γαρ ο ηρωδης αποστειλας εκρατησεν τον ιωαννην και εδησεν αυτον εν [11] φυλακη δια ηρωδιαδα την γυναικα φιλιππου του αδελφου αυτου οτι αυτην εγαμησεν For Herod himself had sent out and arrested John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, for he had married her.

18. ελεγεν γαρ ο ιωαννης τω ηρωδη οτι ουκ εξεστιν σοι εχειν την γυναικα του αδελφου σου For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

19. η δε ηρωδιας ενειχεν αυτω και ηθελεν αυτον αποκτειναι και ουκ ηδυνατο And Herodias was having a quarrel with him and desired to kill him, but she could not,

20. ο γαρ ηρωδης εφοβειτο τον ιωαννην ειδως αυτον ανδρα δικαιον και αγιον και συνετηρει αυτον και ακουσας αυτου πολλα εποιει[12] και ηδεως αυτου ηκουεν for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he did many things, and he heard him gladly.

21. και γενομενης ημερας ευκαιρου οτε ηρωδης τοις γενεσιοις αυτου δειπνον εποιει[13] τοις μεγιστασιν αυτου και τοις χιλιαρχοις και τοις πρωτοις της γαλιλαιας Then a convenient day came when Herod on his birthday made a supper for his nobles and the high captains and the chief men of Galilee.

22. και εισελθουσης της θυγατρος αυτης της[14] ηρωδιαδος και ορχησαμενης και αρεσασης[15] τω ηρωδη και τοις συνανακειμενοις ειπεν ο βασιλευς τω κορασιω αιτησον με ο εαν θελης και δωσω σοι And when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced and pleased Herod and those sitting with him, the king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.”

23. και ωμοσεν αυτη [16] οτι ο[17] εαν με αιτησης δωσω σοι εως ημισους της βασιλειας μου And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.”

24. η[18] δε[19] εξελθουσα ειπεν τη μητρι αυτης τι αιτησωμαι[20] η δε ειπεν την κεφαλην ιωαννου του βαπτιστου[21] And going out, she said to her mother, “What shall I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.”

25. και εισελθουσα ευθεως[22] μετα σπουδης προς τον βασιλεα ητησατο λεγουσα θελω ινα μοι δως εξαυτης επι πινακι την κεφαλην ιωαννου του βαπτιστου And immediately coming in with haste to the king, she asked, saying, “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

26. και περιλυπος γενομενος ο βασιλευς δια τους ορκους και τους συνανακειμενους[23] ουκ ηθελησεν αυτην αθετησαι And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of the oaths and of those who were sitting with him, he did not wish to refuse her.

27. και ευθεως[24] αποστειλας ο βασιλευς σπεκουλατορα[25] επεταξεν ενεχθηναι[26] την κεφαλην αυτου And immediately the king sent an executioner of his guard and commanded his head to be brought.

28. ο δε[27] απελθων απεκεφαλισεν αυτον εν τη φυλακη και ηνεγκεν την κεφαλην αυτου επι πινακι και εδωκεν αυτην τω κορασιω και το κορασιον εδωκεν αυτην τη μητρι αυτης And he went and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. And the girl gave it to her mother.

29. και ακουσαντες οι μαθηται αυτου ηλθον και ηραν το πτωμα αυτου και εθηκαν αυτο εν μνημειω And when his disciples heard this, they came and took up his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

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[1] NA-Text and Vg-St read “εγηγερται” (Latin equivalent: “resurrexit”, perfect instead of aorist), which is supported by codices א, B, D, L, Δ, minuscules 33, 565, 700 and 892. The aorist is supported by codices C, Θ, W, 0269, both families of manuscripts ƒ¹ and ƒ¹³, minuscules (1241), (1424 pc), the Byzantine manuscripts and Theophylact. Codices A and K read “ανεστη”, which is an equivalent verb, also an aorist. The parallel passage in Matthew 14:2 reads “ηγερθη” and Luke 9:7 reads “εγηγερται”. Verse 16 here in Mark reads the same “ηγερθη”, which is recounting the same saying of Herod. The verb in verse 14 in the Byzantine could be an adjustment to align the verbal tense with the 16^th verse. The perfect tense in the Alexandrian text is a strong variant.

[2] NA-Text reads “they said” (Gr.: “ελεγον”).

[3] NA-Text and Vg-St add “δε” (Latin equivalent: “autem”). The inclusion is supported by codices א, A, B, D, Θ and part of the Byzantine manuscripts. The omission is supported by part of the Byzantine manuscripts and Theophylact. The conjunction evidently belongs in the text and has been added to it.

[4] NA-Text omits “εστιν”

[5] NA-Text and M-Text omit “or” (Gr.: “η”). The omission is supported by codices א, B, Θ, the Byzantine manuscripts and Theohylact. Therefore, this particle has been omitted from the Greek text and the translation following the NA-Text and the M-Text.

[6] M-Text (Robinson-Pierpont text only) omits the definite article “ο” before Herod. The inclusion of the article is supported by codices א, B, Θ, part of the Byzantine manuscripts and Theophylact. The omission is supported by codex D and part of the Byzantine manuscripts. The support for the inclusion of the article is superior. It has been kept in the text.

[7] NA-Text reads “ελεγεν” (imperfect instead of second aorist).

[8] NA-Text omits “οτι” (imperfect instead of second aorist).

[9] NA-Text omits “εστιν αυτος”, likely due to a scribal error caused by visual homoeoteleuton (ουτος εστιν αυτος, thus missing “εστιν αυτος”).

[10] NA-Text omits “from the dead”. Even though 4 Alexandrian majuscules (א, B, L, and Δ) and codex W which is Caesarean in this portion of the gospel of Mark support this omission along with the Bohairic Coptic version, this omission has not been preserved in the Clementine vulgate, the vulgate of Stuttgart, the majority text, Wilbur-Pickering family 35 and the Patriarchal text. “from the dead” could be an addition from verse 14, but the issue is that the verbal tense is different in verses 14 and 16, “the Baptist” has not been transferred from verse 14 to 16 and the “raised from the dead” from verse 16 appears in a transposed order in verse 14 “from the dead raised” both in the Byzantine text and in the vulgate, which are signs that a scribe was not trying to mimic the contents of verse 14 into the 16th. Also, the wording is slightly different in the parallel passages in Luke 9:7 and Matthew 14:2. On the other hand, Mark uses this verb in 14:28, 16:6 and 16:16 to refer to Jesus’s resurrection without adding the qualifier “from the dead”. This is also used by Mark in the context of one getting up (Mark 1:31, 2:11-12, 3:3, 10:49 and 14:42), to rise after being dead (5:41-2 and 9:26-27), to wake up (4:27), to appear (13:22), one party rising up against another (13:8) or raising in the context of being “from the dead” (6:14 and 12:26). So, the qualifier “from the dead” is not necessary to make it a genuine Markan writing. Internal evidence is not conclusive, but the earliest witness for this verse in a slightly modified version is Origen in the 200’s and he included “from the dead” (Commentary on the gospel of John, book 6, Ch. 7, Gr.: “ον εγω απεκεφαλισα ιωαννην αυτος ηγερθη απο των νεκρων”). So, the earliest witness in Egypt and the consensus in the Greek and Latin church is for the inclusion of “from the dead”. Therefore, “from the dead” has been maintained in the text.

[11] NA-Text and M-Text omit the definite article “τη” before prison. The article is omitted in codices א, B, (D), (Θ) and Theophylact. The article has been removed from the Greek text.

[12] NA-Text reads “ηπορει”, same verbal tense spelled differently.

[13] NA-Text reads “ηπορει” (“was much perplexed” instead of “did many things”).

[14] NA-Text reads “αυτου” instead of “αυτης της” and renders “his daughter Herodias” instead of “the daughter of Herodias herself”.

[15] NA-Text reads “ηρεσεν” instead of “και αρεσασης” (indicative instead of participle plus omission of “and”)

[16] NA-Text adds in brackets “πολλα” (much)

[17] NA-Text omits “ο” and reads “ο τι”.

[18] NA-Text omits the definite article “η”

[19] NA-Text reads “και”, placing it before the verb at the beginning of the verse.

[20] NA-Text reads “αιτησωμαι” (aorist subjunctive instead of future indicative), which is supported by codices א, A, B, D and Θ. The TR is supported by Theophylact and the Byzantine manuscripts. The text has been adjusted to read this verb in the aorist subjunctive.

[21] NA-Text reads “βαπτιζοντος” (same meaning).

[22] NA-Text reads “ευθυς”. Same adverb, different spelling.

[23] NA-Text reads “ανακειμενους”, which omits “with” in the translation.

[24] NA-Text reads “ευθυς”. Same adverb, different spelling.

[25] NA-Text and M-Text read “σπεκουλατορα”, which is supported by codices א, B, D, Θ and the Byzantine manuscripts. The TR is supported by Theophylact. The spelling has been corrected following the M-Text and the NA-Text.

[26] NA-Text reads “ενεγκαι” (second aorist active instead of aorist passive).

[27] NA-Text and VgSt read “και” (Latin equivalent: “et”), placing it before the verb at the beginning of the verse. This arrangement is supported by codices B, C, L, W, Δ, family of manuscripts ƒ¹ and minuscule 28. The TR is supported by codices A, D, Θ, family of manuscripts ƒ¹³, the Byzantine manuscripts, the Harklean Syriac version and Thophylact. Both are well supported. The NA-Text also omits the definite article “ο” at the beginning of the verse. 

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