Jesus has a crowd following him.
Mark 8:2 I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:
Mark 8:2 I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.
I feel upset about this crowd because they already stuck with me three days and don't have anything they might eat.
As with so many of Jesus's saying in Greek, there is an interesting bit of wordplay that is lost in the English translation. The term translated as "have compassion" is a rare word that means "to have an upset stomach" or, more simply, "feel upset." The word echoes what a hundred people feel, stomach pain.
The verb translated as "been" means "to remain attached when used with an indirect object. Jesus only uses this word twice though its root is a common word usually translated as "abide" or "remain" in the Bible.
The last word is not an infinitive "to eat" but something that might or should happen, "they might eat."
We ache when others ache.
- WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "have" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that happens at a specific point in time (past, present, or future).
- CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "now."
- CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "been."
- CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "nothing."
- WF --Wrong Form - The "enter" is an active subjunctive verb. not an infinitive, "they might eat."
- WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "people" should be something more like "crowd."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "because" is not shown in the English translation.
- WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "have" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that happens at a specific point in time (past, present, or future).
- CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "been."
- CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "nothing."
- WF --Wrong Form - The "enter" is an active subjunctive verb. not an infinitive, "they might eat."
I -- This is from the first-person form of the verb.
have compassion -- The Greek term that KJV translates as "I have compassion" is only used in the New Testament and only three times in Jesus's words. It doesn't exist elsewhere in Greek literature. It is based on the general Greek term for the inner organs. It is connected to the idea that the inner organs are the seat of human feelings (something supported by recent research into brain). The English terms "eating one's heart out" and having "gut feelings" or having one's "insides ache" carry a similar sensibility. There is also a religious side that has no parallel in English because the term is also linguistically related to the idea of eating the inner organs of an altar sacrifice.
on -- The word translated as "on" means "against", "before", "during", "by" or "on." With the objective noun, as used here, it means of place: "upon or on to a height," "up to," "as far as," "a little way," "a little," "towards," "to," in hostile sense: "against," of extension: "over," "over (a space)," of time: "for," "during," "up to" or "till," in a causal sense: "of (the object)," for (this purpose)," "as regards," "according to," and "by (this cause)."
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
multitude, -- The Greek word translated as "the multitude" means "a throng" or "multitude" but which also mean "trouble" and "annoyance." Our word "mob" really captures the idea best.
because -- The word translated as "because" introduces a statement of fact or cause.
they -- This is from the third person plural form of the verb.
have -- (WT) This helping verb "have" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here.
now -- (CW) "Now" is an adverb that means "already", "by this time", "forthwith", "after", "immediately," and "now." It means proximity in time, but also place. This is not the common word usually translated as "through."
been - (CW) "Been" is a verb that means "to wait" with a direct object, but "to remain attached," and "to cleave to" with an indirect object. The verb is plural.
with -- The form of the following noun requires that addition of a preposition in English to capture its meaning, a "to" as an indirect object, a "with" for instruments, an "in" for locations, an "as" for purposes, an "of" for possession, a "by" for agents, an "as" for comparisons, and an "in" for area of effect.
me -- The "me" is in the indirect object form on the first-person pronoun, so usually "to me", though the form has other uses in Greek.
three -- This is the Greek word for the number three.
days, -- The Greek word translated as "day" also means "time," in general, and refers specifically to the "daytime." The form of the word is a subject so the sense is "it is" three days".
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it is best translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as".
have -- The word translated as "have" means "to possess" or "to keep" but it isn't used in the same way as a "helper" verb that the English "have" is.
nothing -- (CW) This is from two Greek word meaning "not anything." The Greek word "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions nut it doesn't modify "anything" but the verb "have." It makes a negative statement of fact. When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words. The Greek word "anything" in the singular means "anyone", "someone," and "anything." This is not the common word meaning "nothing."
to -- (WF) This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English. This verb is not an infinitve, but an active verb.
eat: -- The word translated as "to eat" is one of the two common words used to mean "eat."It means "to eat", "to eat up," and "to devour." The form is third-person, plural, subjunctive. Its sense is "they should eat."
I -- This is from the first-person form of the verb.
have compassion -- The Greek term that KJV translates as "I have compassion" is only used in the New Testament and only three times in Jesus's words. It doesn't exist elsewhere in Greek literature. It is based on the general Greek term for the inner organs. It is connected to the idea that the inner organs are the seat of human feelings (something supported by recent research into brain). The English terms "eating one's heart out" and having "gut feelings" or having one's "insides ache" carry a similar sensibility. There is also a religious side that has no parallel in English because the term is also linguistically related to the idea of eating the inner organs of an altar sacrifice.
for -- The word translated as "on" means "against", "before", "during", "by" or "on." The word translated as "on" means "against", "before", "during", "by" or "on." With the objective noun, as used here, it means of place: "upon or on to a height," "up to," "as far as," "a little way," "a little," "towards," "to," in hostile sense: "against," of extension: "over," "over (a space)," of time: "for," "during," "up to" or "till," in a causal sense: "of (the object)," for (this purpose)," "as regards," "according to," and "by (this cause)."
these -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
people, -- (WW) The Greek word translated as "the multitude" means "a throng" or "multitude" but which also mean "trouble" and "annoyance." Our word "mob" or "crowd" really captures the idea best.
missing "because" -- (MW) The untranslated word The word translated as "because" introduces a statement of fact or cause.
they -- This is from the third person plural form of the verb.
have -- (WT) This helping verb "have" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here.
already -- "Already " is an adverb that means "already", "by this time", "forthwith", "after", "immediately," and "now." It means proximity in time, but also place.
been - (CW) "Been" is a verb that means "to wait" with a direct object, but "to remain attached," and "to cleave to" with an indirect object. The verb is plural.
with -- The form of the following noun requires that addition of a preposition in English to capture its meaning, a "to" as an indirect object, a "with" for instruments, an "in" for locations, an "as" for purposes, an "of" for possession, a "by" for agents, an "as" for comparisons, and an "in" for area of effect.
me -- The "me" is in the indirect object form on the first-person pronoun, so usually "to me", though the form has other uses in Greek.
three -- This is the Greek word for the number three.
days, -- The Greek word translated as "day" also means "time," in general, and refers specifically to the "daytime." The form of the word is a subject so the sense is "it is" three days".
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it is best translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as".
have -- The word translated as "have" means "to possess" or "to keep" but it isn't used in the same way as a "helper" verb that the English "have" is.
nothing -- (CW) This is from two Greek word meaning "not anything." The Greek word "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions nut it doesn't modify "anything" but the verb "have." It makes a negative statement of fact. When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words. The Greek word "anything" in the singular means "anyone", "someone," and "anything." This is not the common word meaning "nothing."
to -- (WF) This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English. This verb is not an infinitve, but an active verb.
eat: -- The word translated as "to eat" is one of the two common words used to mean "eat."It means "to eat", "to eat up," and "to devour." The form is third-person, plural, subjunctive. Its sense is "they should eat."
Σπλαγχνίζομαι [4 verses](verb 1st sg pres ind mp) "Have compassion" is from splagchnizomai, which means to "to feel great compassion." It is a New Testament word. It is from splanchnon which means one's insides, inner organs, which were seen as the seat of feelings among the Greeks, the "chest" the higher feelings and the belly the lower. It is also is related to splanchneuô, which means eating the inner organs of a sacrifice or prophesying from those inner.s organs.
ἐπὶ [138 verses](prep) (prep) "On" is from epi which means "on," "upon," "at," "by," "before," "across," and "against." With a noun in the possessive, genitive, it means "upon," "on" but not necessarily of Place, "by (of persons)," "deep (with numbers)," "in the presence of," "towards," "in the time of," and "over (referring to a person of authority)." With a noun indirect object, dative, it means of place: "upon," "on," or "over," of people: "against (in a hostile sense)," regarding a situation: "towards" or "in reference to," of an accumulation: "upon," "after," "addition to," and "besides," of position: "after," "behind," "in dependence upon," and "in the power of," of time: "by," and "after," and. in a causal sense: "of the occasion or cause," "of an end or purpose," "of the condition upon which a thing is done," "on condition that," and "of price." With the objective noun, an accusative, it means of place: "upon or on to a height," "up to," "as far as," "a little way," "a little," "towards," "to," in hostile sense: "against," of extension: "over," "over (a space)," of time: "for," "during," "up to" or "till," in a causal sense: "of (the object)," for (this purpose)," "as regards," "according to," and "by (this cause)." With verbs of perceiving, observing, judging, it means "in the case of."
τὸν [821 verses](article sg masc acc) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
ὄχλον (noun sg masc acc) "Multitude" is from ochlos, which means "a throng" or "multitude" but which also mean "trouble" and "annoyance." Our word "mob" really captures the idea best.
ὅτι [332 verses](adv/conj) "That" is hoti, which introduces a statement of fact "with regard to the fact that", "seeing that," and acts as a causal adverb meaning "for what", "because", "since," and "wherefore."
ἤδη [24 verses] (adv) "Now" is ede, which means "already", "by this time", "forthwith", "after", "immediately," and "now." It means proximity in time, but also place.
ἡμέραι [96 verses](noun pl fem nom) "Day" is hemera, which, as a noun, means "day" "a state or time of life", "a time (poetic)", "day break" and "day time." It is also and also has a second meaning, of "quiet", "tame (animals)", "cultivated (crops)," and "civilized (people)."
τρεῖς [5 verses](numeral pl fem nom) "Three" is from treis, which means the number three. --
προσμένουσίν[2 verses] (verb 3rd pl pres ind act ) "Been with me" is from prosmeno, which means "to wait", "to remain attached," and "to cleave to."
μοι [96 verses](pron 1st sg dat) "Me" is moi, which means "I", "me", and "my".
καὶ [1089 verses](conj) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "but." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even", "also," and "just."
οὐκ [269 verses](partic) "Not" is ou which is the negative adverb for facts and statements, negating both single words and sentences. The other negative adverb, μή applies to will and thought; οὐ denies, μή rejects; οὐ is absolute, μή relative; οὐ objective, μή subjective.
ἔχουσιν [181 verses](verb 3rd pl pres ind act) "Have" is echo, which means "to have", "to hold", "to possess", "to keep", "to have charge of", "to maintain", "to hold fast", "to bear", "to carry", "to keep close", "to keep safe," and "to have means to do."
τί [252 verses](pron sg neut acc) "Anything" is tis which can mean "someone", "any one", "everyone", "they [indefinite]", "many a one", "whoever", "anyone", "anything", "some sort", "some sort of", "each", "any", "the individual", "such," and so on. In a question, it can mean "who", "why," or "what." -
φάγωσιν: [20 verses](verb 3rd pl aor subj) "To eat" is phago which is a form of the word, phagein, which means "to eat", "to eat up," and "to devour." -
So, the statement is a play on words. Jesus's stomach is upset because others haven't eaten. In Greek, Jesus often seems light-hearted, playing word games even about serious matters. It also imples empathy: my insides ache because their insides ache.
On a deeper symbolic level, the statement also connects the physical and the emotional. Empathy is our emotional connection to others. No human can know another person's emotional pain, but our shared feeling of physical pain, as in hunger pains, provides us a basis for understanding each others feelings. In other words, physical pain is necessary for us to understand each other's emotional pain. We may see pain as evil, but Christ sees it a necessary condition to make a meaningful connection to one another. An idea that is discussed in more depth in my essay on the "problem" of evil.