Mark 8:3 And if I send them away fasting

Spoken to: 

Apostles

Jesus has a hungry crowd following him.

KJV: 

Mark 8:3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.

NIV : 

Mark 8:3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”

LISTENERS HEARD: 

And when I release them, starving, for a house of theirs, they will faint on the way and some of them have arrived from afar.

MY TAKE: 

Jesus doesn't want to free those starving for knowledge.

GREEK (Each Word Explained Bottom of Page): 

GREEK ORDER: 

καὶ ἐὰν ἀπολύσω αὐτοὺς νήστεις εἰς οἶκον αὐτῶν,
And when I release them, starving, for a house of theirs,

ἐκλυθήσονται ἐν τῇ ὁδῷκαί τινες      αὐτῶν ἀπὸ  μακρόθεν ἥκασιν.
they will faint on the way and some of them  from afar.          have arrived

LOST IN TRANSLATION: 

This is a verse where the Greek sources differ in minor ways. For the keywords, however, and those words have a lot of double meanings. The verb translated as "send away/send" also means "set free." The verb translated as "faint" also means "be set free." The "fasting/hungry" adjective also means hungry for knowledge. The word translated as "way" also means "philosophy" or a way of life.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES: 

8
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "if" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "send."
  • WN  --Wrong Number- The word "houses" is translated as plural but the Greek word is singular.
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "own" doesn't exist in the source.
  • OS -- Outdated Source -- The Greek word translated as "for" existed in the KJV Greek source but not the in most Greek sources we use today.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "divers" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "come."
  • WT --Wrong Tense - The English verb "came" is the past tense, but Greek is in the past perfect, a completed action, "have come."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "and" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "if" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "send."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "to" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "their" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "hungry."
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "collapse" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
  • WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "because" should be something more like "and."
  • CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "come."

EACH WORD of KJV : 

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".

if -- (CW) This is not the simple "if." It indicates more of an expectation of something happening than "if" alone. This is how we use the word "when."

I -- This is from the first-person form of the verb.

send - (CW) The Greek verb translated as "send" means "to loose from" "to set free", "to release", "to acquit",  and "to divorce [a wife]". This is not the word usually translated as "send."

them -- The word translated as "them" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English in the form of a plural object of a verb or preposition.

away -- - This completes the meaning of the verb. It is from the prefix.

fasting  -  "Fasting" is an adjective that means "not eating", "fasting", "causing hunger," and "starving." It is only used twice by Jesus, here and in the parallel verse in Matthew 15:32.

to - The word translated as "to" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure.

their -- The word translated as "their" is the Greek adjective that acts like our third-person pronoun. The form is the third person, plural in the genitive form. This pronoun follows the noun so "of theirs."

own -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "own" in the Greek source

houses, -- (WN) The Greek word translated as "houses," is any dwelling place but not exclusively a separate house. It means the household or clan that lives in the building as well. This word is not plural but singular.

they -- This is from the third-person, plural form of the verb.

will -- This is from the future tense of the verb.

faint -- "Faint" is a verb that means "faint," and "to set free", "to unloose," and "to relax." The form is passive so "be faint" or "be set free."

by  -- The word translated as "in" also means "within", "with," or "among."

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. 

way: -- "The way" is from a word meaning "the way" or "the road" but which is used symbolically to mean "a way of doing things" or "a philosophy of life." In Acts, followers of Jesus are described as those "belonging to the way". 

for -- -- (OS) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "for" in the source we use today but it does exist in the source that the KJV translators used. Today, this is the Greek word translated as "and"that is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").  It is not the word usually translated as "for."

divers -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "diver" in the plural means "some", "they," and "those." and  primarily "anything" or "anyone," but Jesus often uses it to start a question so it means "who", "what", or even "why". 

of -- This is from the genitive form of the pronoun.

them -- The word translated as "them" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.

came -- (CW, WT) The word translated as "came" is a complicated one because it indicates a "coming" that has been completed, that is, "to arrive" or, even, "to be present." As a metaphor, it means "to be a follower." Jesus seems to use it sometimes to mean "return." This verb appears in most versions of the Greek, and in the parallel version, Matthew 15:32, another word appears here that means "come," but it is not the word normally translated as "come" in the Gospels.

from -- The word translated as "from" means "from" in both location and when referring to a source.

far. -- "Far" is an adverb that means "from afar" (space) and "from a long since" (time). This is an uncommon word.

EACH WORD of NIV : 

missing "and"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  "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".

If -- (CW) This is not the simple "if." It indicates more of an expectation of something happening than "if" alone. This is how we use the word "when."

I -- This is from the first-person form of the verb.

send - (CW) The Greek verb translated as "send" means "to loose from" "to set free", "to release", "to acquit",  and "to divorce [a wife]".  This is not the word usually translated as "send."

them -- The word translated as "them" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English in the form of a plural object of a verb or preposition.

missing "to"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  "to" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure.

missing "their"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  "their" is the Greek adjective that acts like our third-person pronoun. The form is the third person, plural in the genitive form. This pronoun follows the noun so "of theirs."

home The Greek word translated as "houses," is any dwelling place but not exclusively a separate house. It means the household or clan that lives in the building as well.

hungry, -  (CW) "Hungry" is an adjective that means "not eating", "fasting", "causing hunger," and "starving." It is only used twice by Jesus, here and in the parallel verse in Matthew 15:32. This is not the word usually translated as "hungry."

they -- This is from the third-person, plural form of the verb.

will -- This is from the future tense of the verb.

collapse --  (CW)"Collapse " is a verb that means "faint," and "to set free", "to unloose," and "to relax." The form is passive so "be faint," "to fail," or "be set free." This is not the specific meaning of the word.

on -- The word translated as "on" also means "within", "with," or "among."

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. 

way: -- "The way" is from a word meaning "the way" or "the road" but which is used symbolically to mean "a way of doing things" or "a philosophy of life." In Acts, followers of Jesus are described as those "belonging to the way".

because -- (WW)  This is the Greek word usually translated as "and" that is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").  It is not the word usually translated as "because."

some -- The Greek word translated as "some" in the plural means "some", "they," and "those." and primarily "anything" or "anyone," but Jesus often uses it to start a question so it means "who", "what", or even "why". 

of -- This is from the genitive form of the pronoun.

them -- The word translated as "them" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.

have -- This helping verb "have" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past.

come -- (CW) The word translated as "come" is a complicated one because it indicates a "coming" that has been completed, that is, "to arrive" or, even, "to be present." As a metaphor, it means "to be a follower." Jesus seems to use it sometimes to mean "return." This verb appears in most versions of the Greek, and in the parallel version, Matthew 15:32, another word appears here that means "come," but it is not the word normally translated as "come" in the Gospels.

a long distance.” -- "A long distance" is an adverb that means "from afar" (space) and "from a long since" (time). This is an uncommon word.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV : 

καὶ [1089 verses](conj/adv) "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."

ἐὰν [162 verses](conj) "If" is ean, which is a conditional particle (derived from ei (if) and an (might), which makes reference to a time and experience in the future that introduces but does not determine an event.

ἀπολύσω [13 verses]( verb 1st sg aor subj act ) "I send them away" is apolyo which means "to loose from" "to set free", "to release", "to acquit", "to divorce [a wife]", "to do away with," and "to begin to count." In the passive, it means "to be released", "to be separated [combatants]," "to be brought forth [a child]," and "to be delivered [of a mother]," and "to be undone."

αὐτοὺς [62 verses](pron pl masc acc) "Them"  is autos, in the form of the plural, object, masculine pronoun "them"

νήστεις [2 verses]( noun pl masc acc ) "Fasting" is nestis, which means "not eating", "fasting", "causing hunger," and "starving."

εἰς [325 verses](prep) "Into" is eis, which means "into (of place)," "up to (of time)", "until (of time)", "as much as (of measure or limit)", "as far as (of measure or limit)", "towards (to express relation)", "in regard to (to express relation)", "of an end or limit," and "for (of purpose or object)." -

οἶκον [29 verses]( noun sg masc acc ) "Houses" is oikos, which means "house", "dwelling place", "room", "home", "meeting hall", "household goods", "substance," and "ruling family." It is any dwelling place but not exclusively a separate house.

αὐτῶν [86 verses](pron/adj pl masc/fem/neut gen) "Their" is autos, is the genitive case of the third-person, plural adjective that is used as a pronoun. The word also means "the same,""one's true self," and "the soul" as opposed to the body. It also means "of one's own accord."

ἐκλυθήσονται [2 verses]( verb 3rd pl fut ind pass ) "Faint" is from eklyo, which also means "to set free", "to unloose," and "to relax." In the passive, it means "to faint" and "to fail."

ἐν [413 verses](prep) "In" is en, which means "in", "on", "at", "by", "among", "within", "surrounded by", "in one's hands", "in one's power," and "with".

τῇ [821 verses] (article sg fem dat) "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."

ὁδῷ: [27 verses]( noun sg fem dat) "The way" is hodos, which means literally "the way" or "the road" but it also means "travel" and "journey."  It is interesting that a term joining a path with philosophy exists in many languages from the west to the east.

καί [1089 verses](conj/adv) "For" 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."

τινες [252 verses] ( pron pl masc nom ) "Divers" 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."

αὐτῶν [86 verses](pron/adj pl masc/fem/neut gen) "Their" is autos, is the genitive case of the third-person, plural adjective that is used as a pronoun. The word also means "the same,""one's true self," and "the soul" as opposed to the body. It also means "of one's own accord."

[ἀπὸ] [190 verses] (prep) "From" is apo, a preposition of separation which means "from" or "away from" from when referring to place or motion, "from" or "after" when referring to time, "from" as an origin or cause. Not in some manuscripts

μακρόθεν [3 verses](adv) "Far" is makrothen, which means "from afar" (space) and "from a long since" (time).

ἥκασιν [11 verses]( 3rd pl perfect ind act) "Shall come" is heko, which means "to arrive," "to have come," "to be present," "to have reached a point, "to pass though a point (geometry)," "to have come back," "returned," "to have come to table," "concern," "relate to," "to depend upon," and, as a metaphor, "to be a follower." -- (CW) The word translated as "shall come" is a complicated one because it indicates a "coming" that has been completed, that is, "to arrive" or, even, "to be present." As a metaphor, it means "to be a follower." Jesus seems to use it sometimes to mean "return." This is the word in most Greek manuscripts.

εἰσίν. [614 verses] (verb 3rd pl pres ind act) "Come" is eimi, which means "to be", "to exist", "to be the case," of circumstance and events "to happen",  and "is possible." This is the verb in the Greek source I use but not most manuscripts.

Wordplay: 

Since most of these plays on words only work in Greek (with the exception of "way," which works in Aramaic as meaning both roadway/way of life), we have choose to believe either if this cleverness comes from those translating Christ's words from Aramaic or from Christ himself.

Related Verses: 

Unimportant Opinions and Imaginings: 

This is a great example of Jesus's wordplay. The entire phrase has a double meaning. This double meaning goes back to Jesus's early statement in the Gospels, that we do not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from God.  Jesus is concerned both about their physical hunger, but about their philosophical hunger as well and this statement is constructed to capture exactly this idea.

Front Page Date: 

May 13 2023