Mark 11

Mc 11.1Et cum appropinquārent Ierosolymae et Bēthaniae ad montem Olīvārum, mittit duōs ex discipulīs suīs,

And when they were approaching Jerusalem and Bethany, to the mountain of the Olives, he sends two out of his disciples,

Note. Ierosolymae et Bēthaniae: datives with appropinquō, 'draw near to'. Bethany was a village on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives (mōns Olīvārum), about three kilometres from Jerusalem.

Mc 11.2et ait illīs: Īte in castellum, quod contrā vōs est, et statim introëuntēs illūc, inveniētis pullum ligātum, super quem nēmō adhūc hominum sēdit: solvite illum, et addūcite.

and says to them: Go into the village which is opposite you, and at once, going in there, you will find a colt bound, on which no one yet of men has sat: loose it, and lead it here.

Note. Īte: imperative plural of eō. introëuntēs: the diaeresis (ë) shows that e and u are pronounced separately: intro-euntēs. super quem nēmō … sēdit: an animal never ridden was fit for a sacred use.

Mc 11.3Et sī quis vōbīs dīxerit: Quid facitis? dīcite, quia Dominō necessārius est: et continuō illum dīmittet hūc.

And if anyone says to you: What are you doing? say that the Lord has need of it; and immediately he will let it go here.

Note. sī quis: after sī, quis is indefinite, 'anyone'. dīcite quia …: recitative quia again, introducing the words to be said.

Mc 11.4Et abeuntēs invēnērunt pullum ligātum ante iānuam forīs in biviō: et solvunt eum.

And going away, they found the colt bound before a door, outside, at a fork of two roads; and they loose it.

Note. ante iānuam forīs in biviō: 'at a door, outside, where two roads meet'.

Mc 11.5Et quīdam dē illīc stantibus dīcēbant illīs: Quid facitis solventēs pullum?

And certain men from those standing there were saying to them: What are you doing, loosing the colt?

Note. Quid facitis solventēs …?: 'what are you doing, untying …?', a present participle with the subject of facitis.

Mc 11.6Quī dīxērunt eīs sīcut praecēperat illīs Iēsus, et dīmīsērunt eīs.

They said to them just as Jesus had ordered them, and they let them go.

Mc 11.7Et dūxērunt pullum ad Iēsum: et impōnunt illī vestīmenta sua, et sēdit super eum.

And they led the colt to Jesus; and they place on it their garments, and he sat upon it.

Mc 11.8Multī autem vestīmenta sua strāvērunt in viā: aliī autem frondēs caedēbant dē arboribus, et sternēbant in viā.

Many, moreover, spread their garments in the road; others, moreover, were cutting leafy boughs from the trees, and were spreading them in the road.

Note. strāvērunt: perfect of sternō, 'spread'. Spreading garments and branches before someone was a way of greeting a king.

Mc 11.9Et quī praeībant, et quī sequēbantur, clāmābant, dīcentēs: Hosanna: benedictus quī venit in nōmine Dominī:

And those who were going ahead and those who were following were crying out, saying: Hosanna; blessed the one who comes in the name of the Lord;

Note. Hosanna: a Hebrew cry, originally 'save, please', used as a shout of praise; it is kept untranslated. benedictus quī venit: supply est. The words come from Psalm 118.

Mc 11.10benedictum quod venit regnum patris nostrī David: hosanna in excelsīs.

blessed the kingdom of our father David which comes; hosanna in the heights.

Note. benedictum quod venit regnum: 'blessed (is) the kingdom that is coming'. in excelsīs: 'in the highest (places)', i.e. in heaven.

Mc 11.11Et introīvit Ierosolymam in templum: et circumspectīs omnibus, cum iam vespera esset hōra, exiit in Bēthaniam cum duodecim.

And he went into Jerusalem, into the temple; and, all things having been looked over, since it was already the evening hour, he went out into Bethany with the twelve.

Note. circumspectīs omnibus: ablative absolute, 'when he had looked round at everything'. vespera … hōra: 'the evening hour'. duodecim: 'the Twelve', the inner group of disciples.

Mc 11.12Et aliā diē cum exīrent ā Bēthaniā, ēsuriit.

And on another day, when they were going out from Bethany, he was hungry.

Mc 11.13Cumque vīdisset ā longē fīcum habentem folia, vēnit sī quid forte invenīret in eā: et cum vēnisset ad eam, nihil invēnit praeter folia: nōn enim erat tempus fīcōrum.

And when he had seen from far off a fig tree having leaves, he came, to see if by chance he might find anything on it; and when he had come to it, he found nothing except leaves; for it was not the time of figs.

Note. Cumque = cum + que. vēnit sī quid forte invenīret: sī + subjunctive of purpose or expectation, 'came (to see) whether he might find anything'. The fig tree in leaf seemed to promise early fruit; tempus fīcōrum is 'the season for figs'.

Mc 11.14Et respondēns dīxit eī: Iam nōn amplius in aeternum ex tē frūctum quisquam mandūcet. Et audiēbant discipulī eius.

And answering, he said to it: Now no longer, forever, let anyone eat fruit from you. And his disciples were hearing.

Note. Iam nōn amplius in aeternum … quisquam mandūcet: a curse in the jussive subjunctive, 'may no one ever again eat'. mandūcō, 'eat', is the everyday late Latin verb (compare French manger).

Mc 11.15Et veniunt in Ierosolymam. Et cum introīsset in templum, coepit ēiicere vēndentēs et ementēs in templō: et mēnsās numulāriōrum, et cathedrās vēndentium columbās ēvertit:

And they come into Jerusalem. And when he had gone into the temple, he began to throw out those selling and buying in the temple; and the tables of the money-changers, and the chairs of those selling doves, he turned over;

Note. ēiicere = ēicere. The dealers sold animals for sacrifice in the Temple's outer court; the nummulāriī changed ordinary money into the coinage accepted for the Temple tax.

Mc 11.16et nōn sinēbat ut quisquam trānsferret vās per templum:

and he was not allowing that anyone carry a vessel through the temple.

Note. nōn sinēbat ut …: sinō with an ut-clause instead of the classical infinitive.

Mc 11.17et docēbat, dīcēns eīs: Nōnne scrīptum est: Quia domus mea, domus ōrātiōnis vocābitur omnibus gentibus? vōs autem fēcistis eam spēluncam latrōnum.

And he was teaching, saying to them: Has it not been written: That my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a cave of bandits.

Note. Nōnne scrīptum est: 'Is it not written?' expects the answer 'yes'. Quia introduces the quotation (from Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11). omnibus gentibus: dative, 'for all the nations'.

Mc 11.18Quō audītō prīncipēs sacerdōtum et scrībae, quaerēbant quōmodo eum perderent: timēbant enim eum, quoniam ūniversa turba admīrābātur super doctrīnā eius.

When this had been heard, the leaders of the priests and the scribes were seeking how they might destroy him; for they were afraid of him, since the whole crowd was marvelling over his teaching.

Note. Quō audītō: ablative absolute with a connecting relative, 'when this had been heard'. quōmodo eum perderent: indirect question. quoniam + indicative: 'because'. super doctrīnā: 'at his teaching'.

Mc 11.19Et cum vespera facta esset, ēgrediēbātur dē cīvitāte.

And when evening had come, he was going out from the city.

Mc 11.20Et cum māne trānsīrent, vīdērunt fīcum āridam factam ā rādīcibus.

And when in the morning they were passing by, they saw the fig tree made dry from the roots.

Note. fīcum āridam factam ā rādīcibus: 'the fig tree made dry from the roots', a perfect passive participle of faciō used as 'become'.

Mc 11.21Et recordātus Petrus, dīxit eī: Rabbi, ecce fīcus, cui maledīxistī, āruit.

And Peter, remembering, said to him: Rabbi, see, the fig tree which you cursed has dried up.

Note. Rabbi: Hebrew 'my master', a respectful address to a teacher. cui maledīxistī: maledīcō takes the dative, 'which you cursed'.

Mc 11.22Et respondēns Iēsus ait illīs: Habēte fidem Deī.

And answering, Jesus says to them: Have faith in God.

Note. fidem Deī: objective genitive, 'faith in God'.

Mc 11.23Āmēn dīcō vōbīs, quia quīcumque dīxerit huic montī: Tollere, et mittere in mare, et nōn haesitāverit in corde suō, sed crēdiderit, quia quodcumque dīxerit fīat, fīet eī.

Amen I say to you, that whoever says to this mountain: Be lifted, and be cast into the sea, and has not hesitated in his heart, but has believed that whatever he has said comes about, it will come about for him.

Note. Tollere et mittere: these are not infinitives but passive imperatives (2nd singular), 'be lifted up and be thrown'. crēdiderit quia … fīat: quia with the subjunctive here, 'believes that whatever he says comes about'.

Mc 11.24Proptereā dīcō vōbīs, omnia quaecumque ōrantēs petitis, crēdite quia accipiētis, et ēvenient vōbīs.

On account of this I say to you, all things whatever you seek praying, believe that you will receive, and they will come about for you.

Note. omnia quaecumque … petitis: 'all things whatever you ask for'. crēdite quia accipiētis: 'believe that you will receive'.

Mc 11.25Et cum stābitis ad ōrandum, dīmittite sī quid habētis adversus aliquem: ut et Pater vester, quī in caelīs est, dīmittat vōbīs peccāta vestra.

And when you stand for praying, let it go, if you have anything against someone, so that your Father also, who is in the heavens, may let go for you your sins.

Note. cum stābitis ad ōrandum: ad + gerund expresses purpose, 'to pray'. Jews often prayed standing. dīmittite: 'forgive', literally 'let go'. Pater vester quī in caelīs est: 'your Father in heaven'; in biblical Latin caelī (plural) is often masculine.

Mc 11.26Quod sī vōs nōn dīmīseritis: nec Pater vester, quī in caelīs est, dīmittet vōbīs peccāta vestra.

But if you do not let it go, neither will your Father, who is in the heavens, let go for you your sins.

Note. Quod sī: 'but if'.

Mc 11.27Et veniunt rūrsus Ierosolymam. Et cum ambulāret in templō, accēdunt ad eum summī sacerdōtēs, et scrībae, et seniōrēs:

And they come again to Jerusalem. And when he was walking in the temple, there come up to him the highest priests, and the scribes, and the elders,

Mc 11.28et dīcunt eī: In quā potestāte haec facis? et quis dedit tibi hanc potestātem ut ista faciās?

and they say to him: In what power do you do these things? and who gave you this power, that you do those things?

Note. In quā potestāte: 'by what authority'; quā is an interrogative adjective. ut ista faciās: an ut-clause explaining hanc potestātem.

Mc 11.29Iēsus autem respondēns, ait illīs: Interrogābō vōs et ego ūnum verbum, et respondēte mihi: et dīcam vōbīs in quā potestāte haec faciam.

But Jesus, answering, said to them: I also will question you one word, and answer me; and I will tell you in what power I do these things.

Note. Interrogābō vōs … ūnum verbum: interrogō with two accusatives, 'I will ask you one thing'. verbum often means 'matter, thing' in the Vulgate (a Hebraism).

Mc 11.30Baptismus Iōannis, dē caelō erat, an ex hominibus? Respondēte mihi.

The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men? Answer me.

Note. Baptismus Iōannis: John the Baptist's baptism of repentance. dē caelō: 'from heaven', i.e. from God.

Mc 11.31At illī cōgitābant sēcum, dīcentēs: Sī dīxerimus: Dē caelō, dīcet: Quārē ergō nōn crēdidistis eī?

But they were thinking with themselves, saying: If we say, From heaven, he will say: Why then did you not believe him?

Note. cōgitābant sēcum: 'they reasoned among themselves'. Sī dīxerimus: future perfect in a future condition, 'if we (shall) say'.

Mc 11.32Sī dīxerimus: Ex hominibus, timēmus populum: omnēs enim habēbant Iōannem quia vērē prophēta esset.

If we say, From men, we fear the people; for all were holding John that he truly was a prophet.

Note. habēbant Iōannem quia … esset: habeō here means 'regard'. quia + subjunctive: 'held John (to be) truly a prophet'.

Mc 11.33Et respondentēs dīcunt Iēsū: Nescīmus. Et respondēns Iēsus ait illīs: Neque ego dīcō vōbīs in quā potestāte haec faciam.

And answering, they say to Jesus: We do not know. And answering, Jesus says to them: Neither do I tell you in what power I do these things.

Note. Nescīmus: 'we do not know', from nesciō.