Spoken to:
At the end of the Parable of the Vineyard.
KJV :
Mark 12:11 This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?
NIV :
Mark 12:11 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’
3rd Version (NLT, if not otherwise identified):
NLT Mark 12:11 This is the LORD’s doing, and it is wonderful to see
Listeners Heard:
Issuing from [the] LORD, it comes into being and it is wonderful in our eyes.
Lost in Translation:
Jesus is quoting from Psalm 118:23. He uses the exact same Greek as we find in the Septuagint.
The first verb here is mistranslated as "doing," when it really means "becoming." The previous verse, Mark 12:10, uses the verb to describe how the rejected stone comes to be the "head." In that verse, however, the "becoming" was passive, something done to the stone. That changes here. However, here, the "becoming" head acts on itself.
In this transformation, a key preposition is left out. The head is acting on itself "along with" God. The preposition "along with" is left out, making the Divine the only actor here. This is not what the Psalm or Jesus said.
Wordplay:
Since "eyes" means the "the dearest and the best" in Greek, the phrase "marvelous in our eyes" has the sense of the dearest and best of all things wonderful.
Original Word Order:
WORD-BY-WORD COMPARISON OF THE GREEK TO ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS:
παρὰ [45 verses](prep) Untranslated is para, which means "beside", "from the side of", "from beside,", "from", "issuing from", "near", "by", "with", "along", "past", "beyond", "parallel (geometry)", "like (metaphor)", "a parody of (metaphor)", "precisely at the moment of (time)," and "throughout (time)." With the genitive, the sense is always motion, "from the side of," "from beside," "issuing from", and generally "from."
Κυρίου[92 verses] (noun sg masc gen) "Lord's" is kyrios, which means "having power," "being in authority" and "being in possession of." It also means "lord," "master of the house," and "head of the family."
ἐγένετο [117 verses](verb 3rd sg aor ind mid) "was...doing" is from ginomai, which means "to become", "to come into being", "to happen", "to be produced," and "to be." It means changing into a new state of being. It is the complementary opposite of the verb "to be" (eimi)which indicates existence in the same state.
αὐτὴ [42 verses]( adj sg fem nom ) "She/It" is aute, which means is the singular adjective used as the subject pronoun in the feminine. It also means "it" because feminine pronouns refer to things or ideas as much as to people. This is also the adverbial form meaning "there."
καὶ [1089 verses](conj/adv) "And" is from 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." -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also") and, In a series, it is best translated as "not only...but also."
ἔστιν[614 verses (verb 3rd sg pres ind act) "Is" is from eimi, which means "to be", "to exist", "to be the case," and "is possible." (The future form is esomai. The 3rd person present indicative is "esti.")
θαυμαστὴ [2 verses](adj sg fem nom) "Marvelous" is thaumastos, which means "wonderful", "marvelous", "admirable", "excellent," and "to be worshipped."
ἐν [413 verses](prep) "In" is en, which means, with a dative object, "in," "on," "at," "by," "among," "within," "surrounded by," "in one's hands," "in one's power," "during," and "with." With the accusative, it means "into," "on," and "for." Referring to time, it means. "in the course of" or "during."
ὀφθαλμοῖς [26 verses](noun pl masc dat) "Eyes" is from ophthalmos, which means "eye", "sight", "the dearest and best", "light", "cheer", "comfort," and "the bud [of a plant]."
ἡμῶν [17 verses](pro 1st pl gen) "Our" is hemon, which is the plural possessive (genitive) form of the first-personal pronoun.
KJV Analysis:
This -- (WW) This pronoun is in the the subject of the clause, but it is not a demonstrative pronoun, "this", but the regular pronoun, "it." This pronoun is important also because it shows the gender of the subject, something we don't get in the verb. The gender is feminine, so the pronoun refers to the "head" in the previous verse, Mark 12:11.
was -- This helping verb indicates that the verb is the past tense.
missing "from" -- (MW) The verse starts with an untranslated preposition that means "from," "besides", "with," and "beyond." It also has a number of specialized meanings.
the -- There is no Greek word that is translated as "the" in the source.. However, this article is added to recognize that in the Hebrew verse this word was the name of God, which is Yĕhovah.
Lord's -- (WF) The word translated as "Lord" means having power. It means "lord", "master of the house," and "head of the family." Most importantly, it is the word the the Greek Septuagint uses to refer to God's name, Yĕhovah, which is how it is used here, since this is a quote from the Greek OT. This is in the possessive form because of the preposition before it. It does NOT ownership of the "doing" which is not a noun. With the untranslated preposition above, the two words means "from the Lord." It most likely modifies the capstone phrase in the previous verse, Mark 12:11.. The form is not possessive but an object of the preposition.
doing, -- (WW) The verb translated as "doing" means "to become," that is, to enter into a new state. This verb appears after the introductory phrase, "from a Lord. The form is third-person, singular so "it becomes" or "it comes into being." The verb is in the middle voice where the subject acts on itself. This is emphasized with the pronoun that appears after it and is not translated. This has no relation to the verb usually translated as "to do" in the NT. This verb also has a number of special meanings with different prepositions. I
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also")
it -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the following verb.
is -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. It is the opposite of the "was...doing" above. When the verb "to be" appears early in the clause before the subject, the sense is more like "it is" or, in the plural, "there are."
marvelous -- "Marvelous" is an adjective that Jesus only uses twice which means "wonderful", "marvelous", "admirable", "excellent," and "to be worshipped." The gender is again feminine and refers to the "head" in the previous verse.
in -- The word translated as "in" also means "within", "with," or "among." With the accusative, it means "into," "on," and "for."
our -- The "our" is the plural possessive first-person pronoun. It follows the noun, so "of ours."
eyes --The word translated as "eye," also means "sight", "the dearest and best", "light", "cheer", "comfort," and "the bud [of a plant]."
KJV Translation Issues:
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "this" means "it."
- MW - Missing Word -- The preposition "from" is not shown in the English translation.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "Lord" is not possessive but an object.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "doing" means "became."
NIV Analysis:
missing "from" -- (MW) The verse starts with an untranslated preposition that means "from," "besides", "with," and "beyond." It also has a number of specialized meanings.
the -- There is no Greek word that is translated as "the" in the source.. However, this article is added to recognize that in the Hebrew verse this word was the name of God, which is Yĕhovah.
Lord -- (WF) The word translated as "Lord" means having power. It means "lord", "master of the house," and "head of the family." Most importantly, it is the word the the Greek Septuagint uses to refer to God's name, Yĕhovah, which is how it is used here, since this is a quote from the Greek OT. This is in the possessive form because of the preposition before it. It does NOT ownership of the "doing" which is not a noun. With the untranslated preposition above, the two words means "from the Lord." It most likely modifies the capstone phrase in the previous verse, Mark 12:11.. The form is not a subject but an object of the preposition.
has -- (WT) This helping verb indicates that the verb is the past perfect tense, but it isn't. It is in a form that can be translated as the simple past, present, or future.
done, -- (WW) The verb translated as "doing" means "to become," that is, to enter into a new state. This verb appears after the introductory phrase, "from a Lord. The form is third-person, singular so "it becomes" or "it comes into being." The verb is in the middle voice where the subject acts on itself. This is emphasized with the pronoun that appears after it and is not translated. This has no relation to the verb usually translated as "to do" in the NT.
this -- (WW) This pronoun is in the the subject of the clause, but it is not a demonstrative pronoun, "this", but the regular pronoun, "it." This pronoun is important also because it shows the gender of the subject, something we don't get in the verb. The gender is feminine, so the pronoun refers to the "head" in the previous verse, Mark 12:11.
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also")
it -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the following verb.
is -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. It is the opposite of the "was...doing" above. When the verb "to be" appears early in the clause before the subject, the sense is more like "it is" or, in the plural, "there are."
marvelous -- "Marvelous" is an adjective that Jesus only uses twice which means "wonderful", "marvelous", "admirable", "excellent," and "to be worshipped." The gender is again feminine and refers to the "head" in the previous verse.
in -- The word translated as "in" also means "within", "with," or "among." With the accusative, it means "into," "on," and "for."
our -- The "our" is the plural possessive first-person pronoun. It follows the noun, so "of ours."
eyes --The word translated as "eye," also means "sight", "the dearest and best", "light", "cheer", "comfort," and "the bud [of a plant]."
NIV Translation Issues:
- MW - Missing Word -- The preposition "from" is not shown in the English translation.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "Lord" is not possessive but an object.
- WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "has" seems to indicate an action completed in the past, but the tense is something happening at a point in time past, present, or future
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "done" means "became."
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "this" means "it."
3rd Analysis (NLT, in not otherwise identified):
NLT
This -- (WW) This pronoun is in the the subject of the clause, but it is not a demonstrative pronoun, "this", but the regular pronoun, "it." This pronoun is important also because it shows the gender of the subject, something we don't get in the verb. The gender is feminine, so the pronoun refers to the "head" in the previous verse, Mark 12:11.
is -- This helping verb indicates that the verb is the past tense.
missing "from"-- (MW) The verse starts with an untranslated preposition that means "from," "besides", "with," and "beyond." It also has a number of specialized meanings.
the -- There is no Greek word that is translated as "the" in the source.. However, this article is added to recognize that in the Hebrew verse this word was the name of God, which is Yĕhovah.
Lord's -- (WF) The word translated as "Lord" means having power. It means "lord", "master of the house," and "head of the family." Most importantly, it is the word the the Greek Septuagint uses to refer to God's name, Yĕhovah, which is how it is used here, since this is a quote from the Greek OT. This is in the possessive form because of the preposition before it. It does NOT ownership of the "doing" which is not a noun. With the untranslated preposition above, the two words means "from the Lord." It most likely modifies the capstone phrase in the previous verse, Mark 12:11.. The form is not possessive but an object of the preposition.
doing, -- (WW) The verb translated as "doing" means "to become," that is, to enter into a new state. This verb appears after the introductory phrase, "from a Lord. The form is third-person, singular so "it becomes" or "it comes into being." The verb is in the middle voice where the subject acts on itself. This is emphasized with the pronoun that appears after it and is not translated. This has no relation to the verb usually translated as "to do" in the NT.
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also")
it -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the following verb.
is -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. It is the opposite of the "was...doing" above. When the verb "to be" appears early in the clause before the subject, the sense is more like "it is" or, in the plural, "there are."
wonderful -- "Wonderful" is an adjective that Jesus only uses twice which means "wonderful", "marvelous", "admirable", "excellent," and "to be worshipped." The gender is again feminine and refers to the "head" in the previous verse.
to see. -- (IP) There are no Greek words that can be translated as "to see" in the Greek source.
missing "in"-- (MW) The untranslated word"in" also means "within", "with," or "among." With the accusative, it means "into," "on," and "for."
missing "our"-- (MW) The untranslated word is the plural possessive first-person pronoun. It follows the noun, so "of ours."
missing "eyes"-- (MW) The untranslated word "eyes," also means "sight", "the dearest and best", "light", "cheer", "comfort," and "the bud [of a plant]."
3rd Issue Count:
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "this" means "it."
- MW - Missing Word -- The preposition "from" is not shown in the English translation.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "Lord" is not possessive but an object.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "doing" means "became."
- IP - Inserted phrase-- The phrase "to see" doesn't exist in the source and isn't otherwise justified.
- MW - Missing Word -- The preposition "in" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The pronoun "our" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The noun "eyes" is not shown in the English translation.
Related Verses:
Matthew 21:42 Did you never read in the scriptures...
Psa 118:23 (LXX 117:23) παρὰ κυρίου ἐγένετο αὕτη καὶ ἔστιν θαυμαστὴ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῗς ἡμῶν
Possible Symbolic Meaning:
Here, Jesus says that this "becoming" is a gift from God.