Warnings about Causing Sin; Exhortations on Salt and Holiness
Mark 9:42-50
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Mark.9.42 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Και: CONJ
- ος: PRON,nom,sg,m
- αν: PART
- σκανδαλιση: VERB,aor,act,sub,3,sg
- ενα: NUM,acc,sg,m
- των: ART,gen,pl,m
- μικρων: ADJ,gen,pl,m
- τουτων: PRON,gen,pl,m
- των: ART,gen,pl,m
- πιστευοντων: PART,pres,act,gen,pl,m
- εις: PREP
- εμε: PRON,acc,sg,1
- καλον: ADJ,nom/acc,sg,neut
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- μαλλον: ADV
- ει: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,sg
- περικειται: VERB,pres,mid/pass,ind,3,sg
- μυλος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ονικος: ADJ,nom,sg,m
- περι: PREP
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- τραχηλον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- βεβληται: VERB,perf,pass,ind,3,sg
- εις: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- θαλασσαν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
Parallels
- Matthew 18:6 (verbal): Nearly identical warning about causing 'little ones' to sin, using the millstone-around-the-neck and drowning imagery.
- Luke 17:2 (verbal): Parallel saying that it would be better for one to be thrown into the sea with a millstone than to cause a 'little one' to sin.
- Mark 9:43-48 (structural): Immediate pericope in Mark with related hyperbolic admonitions (cutting off hand/eye) and warnings about Gehenna—same exhortation to avoid leading into sin.
- 1 Corinthians 8:9 (thematic): Paulic warning not to let Christian freedom become a stumbling block to the weak—echoes the ethical concern about causing others to sin.
Alternative generated candidates
- Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if a great millstone were tied about his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
- But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung about his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
Mark.9.43 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Και: CONJ
- εαν: CONJ
- σκανδαλιζη: VERB,pres,act,subj,3,sg
- σε: PRON,acc,sg,2
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- χειρ: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- σου: PRON,gen,sg,2
- αποκοψον: VERB,aor,act,imp,2,sg
- αυτην·καλον: PRON,acc,sg,f
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- σε: PRON,acc,sg,2
- κυλλον: ADJ,acc,sg,m
- εισελθειν: VERB,pres,mid,inf
- εις: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- ζωην: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- τας: ART,acc,pl,f
- δυο: NUM,acc,pl,m
- χειρας: NOUN,acc,pl,f
- εχοντα: VERB,pres,act,part,acc,pl,n
- απελθειν: VERB,aor,act,inf
- εις: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- γεενναν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- εις: PREP
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- πυρ: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- ασβεστον: ADJ,acc,sg,n
Parallels
- Matthew 5:29-30 (verbal): Immediate parallel teaching using hyperbolic amputation (pluck out eye, cut off hand) to avoid sin; same logic of preferring bodily loss to entering Gehenna.
- Matthew 18:8-9 (structural): Another Matthean parallel to Mark's saying, repeating the injunction to remove offending members to avoid falling into Gehenna—similar context of dealing with causes of sin.
- Mark 9:45 (verbal): Part of the same Markan pericope: the variant about the foot uses the same language and warning about Gehenna and unquenchable fire (parallel form and rhetoric).
- Mark 9:47 (verbal): Parallel line in the same passage concerning the eye; repeats the theme of removing offending members and the contrast between entering life and going into Gehenna.
- Isaiah 66:24 (allusion): Prophetic language about unquenchable fire and undying worm echoes the NT imagery of Gehenna and 'unquenchable fire,' providing a Jewish background for the expression.
Alternative generated candidates
- And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than, with two hands, to be thrown into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire.
- And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than, having two hands, to go into Gehenna, into unquenchable fire.
Mark.9.45 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- εαν: CONJ
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- πους: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- σου: PRON,gen,sg,2
- σκανδαλιζη: VERB,pres,act,subj,3,sg
- σε: PRON,acc,sg,2
- αποκοψον: VERB,aor,act,imp,2,sg
- αυτον·καλον: PRON,acc,sg,3+ADJ,nom,sg,n
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- σε: PRON,acc,sg,2
- εισελθειν: VERB,pres,mid,inf
- εις: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- ζωην: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- χωλον: ADJ,acc,sg,m
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- τους: ART,acc,pl,m
- δυο: NUM,acc,pl,m
- ποδας: NOUN,acc,pl,m
- εχοντα: VERB,pres,act,part,acc,pl,n
- βληθηναι: VERB,aor,pass,inf
- εις: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- γεενναν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
Parallels
- Matthew 5:29-30 (verbal): Very similar saying about plucking out an eye/hand or cutting off a foot to avoid sin and being thrown into Gehenna; shares the same hyperbolic bodily-amputation imagery and the contrast between entering life and being cast into hell.
- Matthew 18:8-9 (verbal): Parallel teaching using the same language of cutting off a limb that causes sin and the preferable fate of entering life lame rather than being cast into Gehenna; close verbal and thematic agreement with Mark 9:45.
- Mark 9:43 (structural): Immediate parallel within the same unit: the preceding verse issues the same command regarding the hand—'if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off'—forming a linked series of hyperbolic exhortations to remove causes of sin.
- Mark 9:47 (verbal): Close parallel in the same passage addressing the eye; repeats the 'better to enter life' / 'thrown into Gehenna' contrast, completing the triad of hand, foot, and eye warnings.
- Luke 17:1-2 (thematic): Thematic parallel warning about the seriousness of causing others to sin; Luke uses similarly severe imagery (millstone and drowning) to stress the dire consequences for those who lead others into sin.
Alternative generated candidates
- And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than, with two feet, to be thrown into Gehenna.
- And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than, having two feet, to be thrown into Gehenna.
Mark.9.47 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- εαν: CONJ
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- οφθαλμος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- σου: PRON,gen,sg,2
- σκανδαλιζη: VERB,pres,act,sub,3,sg
- σε: PRON,acc,sg,2
- εκβαλε: VERB,aor,act,imp,2,sg
- αυτον·καλον: PRON,acc,sg,m+ADJ,nom,sg,n
- σε: PRON,acc,sg,2
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- μονοφθαλμον: ADJ,acc,sg,m
- εισελθειν: VERB,pres,mid,inf
- εις: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- βασιλειαν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- θεου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- δυο: NUM,acc,pl,m
- οφθαλμους: NOUN,acc,pl,m
- εχοντα: VERB,pres,act,part,acc,pl,n
- βληθηναι: VERB,aor,pass,inf
- εις: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- γεενναν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
Parallels
- Matthew 5:29-30 (verbal): Nearly identical hyperbolic injunction to pluck out the eye (and cut off the hand) to avoid sin and Gehenna; shares language and moral point about radical removal of temptation.
- Matthew 18:8-9 (verbal): Parallel teaching using the same images (hand, foot, eye) and the same contrast—entering life maimed vs. being thrown into Gehenna—addressed in the context of causing others to stumble.
- Mark 9:43-45 (structural): Immediate literary parallels within the same Markan pericope: the preceding verses give the hand/foot analogues to the eye saying, forming a triad of hyperbolic commands to remove sources of sin.
- Luke 17:1-2 (thematic): Warns about the inevitability of offenses and pronounces severe woe on those who cause others to sin; thematically linked to Mark's drastic measures to prevent causing or committing sin.
Alternative generated candidates
- And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than, with two eyes, to be thrown into Gehenna.
- And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than, having two eyes, to be thrown into Gehenna,
Mark.9.48 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- οπου: ADV,rel
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- σκωληξ: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- αυτων: PRON,gen,pl,m
- ου: PART,neg
- τελευτα: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- πυρ: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- ου: PART,neg
- σβεννυται: VERB,pres,mid,ind,3,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 66:24 (quotation): Mark 9:48 directly echoes and cites Isaiah 66:24 (“Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched”), the Old Testament source of the phrase.
- Matthew 18:8-9 (verbal): A near-verbal parallel in Matthew’s Gospel where Jesus uses the same ‘worm does not die and fire is not quenched’ formula in warnings about avoiding Gehenna.
- Revelation 14:10-11 (thematic): Revelation depicts eternal torment associated with fire and unending smoke (‘the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever’), thematically paralleling the image of unquenchable fire.
- Luke 16:24-26 (thematic): The parable of the rich man in Hades portrays conscious, ongoing postmortem suffering and an irreversible separation from relief—a thematic parallel to Mark’s warning of persistent, inescapable punishment.
Alternative generated candidates
- where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.
- where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.
Mark.9.49 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Πας: ADJ,nom,sg,m
- γαρ: PART
- πυρι: NOUN,dat,sg,n
- αλισθησεται: VERB,fut,pass,ind,3,sg
Parallels
- Matthew 5:13 (verbal): Uses the salt imagery ('You are the salt of the earth') and the theme of seasoning/preservation that underlies Mark's saying about being 'salted'.
- Luke 14:34-35 (verbal): Parallel teaching about salt losing its saltiness and the need for salt to season, directly related to Mark 9:49–50's salt imagery.
- Leviticus 2:13 (allusion): 'You shall season all your grain offerings with salt' — OT sacrificial and covenantal practice provides background for the symbol of salt in Mark's saying (covenant salt, preservation, offering).
- Malachi 3:2-3 (thematic): Describes the Lord as a refiner's/fire that purifies — parallels the purification/disciplinary sense of 'salted with fire' as cleansing through fire.
- Matthew 3:11 (allusion): John the Baptist's promise that one will baptize 'with the Holy Spirit and fire' links fire imagery to divine purifying/judgmental action, echoing Mark's brief, paradoxical saying.
Alternative generated candidates
- For everyone will be salted with fire.
- For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.
Mark.9.50 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- καλον: ADJ,nom/acc,sg,neut
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- αλας·εαν: NOUN,nom,sg,n
- δε: CONJ
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- αλας: NOUN,nom,sg,n
- αναλον: ADJ,nom,sg,n
- γενηται: VERB,fut,mid,ind,3,sg
- εν: PREP
- τινι: PRON,dat,sg,neut
- αυτο: PRON,acc,sg,neut
- αρτυσετε: VERB,fut,act,ind,2,pl
- εχετε: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,pl
- εν: PREP
- εαυτοις: PRON,dat,pl,m
- αλα: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- και: CONJ
- ειρηνευετε: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,pl
- εν: PREP
- αλληλοις: PRON,dat,pl,m
Parallels
- Matthew 5:13 (verbal): Jesus calls his followers 'the salt of the earth' and warns that if salt loses its taste it is good for nothing—direct verbal and thematic parallel to Mark's salt image and warning about losing saltiness.
- Luke 14:34-35 (verbal): Luke records the same proverb about salt losing its taste and asks with what it can be seasoned—closely parallels Mark's wording and imagery.
- Colossians 4:6 (thematic): Paul uses the image of speech 'seasoned with salt' to describe gracious, wise communication—adopts the salt metaphor for morally edifying conduct, echoing Mark's call to 'have salt in yourselves.'
- Romans 12:18 (thematic): Paul's injunction 'If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all' parallels Mark's concluding admonition to 'be at peace with one another,' connecting the salt metaphor to communal harmony.
- James 3:18 (thematic): James links peacemaking with the fruit of righteousness—resonates with Mark's pairing of the salt image and the ethical command to maintain peace among one another.
Alternative generated candidates
- Salt is good; but if the salt loses its saltiness, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.
- Salt is good; but if the salt loses its saltiness, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.
Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble—better for him if a great millstone were hung about his neck and he were cast into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; better for you to enter life maimed than, having two hands, to be thrown into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; better for you to enter life lame than, having two feet, to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than, having two eyes, to be thrown into Gehenna,
where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.
For everyone will be salted with fire.
Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its taste, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.