Mark 4:35-41, The Calming of a Storm (The Study of Mark)

     35 And in that day when the evening came he says to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the sea.” 36 And after leaving the crowd, they take him along as he was1, in the boat, and other boats were with him. 37 And a great storm of wind came and the waves were breaking over2 the boat, so that the boat was already filling up with water. 38 And he was in the back of the boat3 sleeping on a cushion4. And they woke5 him up and says to him, “Teacher, does it not concern you that we are perishing?” 39 And after getting up, he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Calm down, Be silent!” And the wind stopped and there became a great calm. 40 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid6? Don’t you have faith yet7?” 41 And they were terrified8 and were saying9 to one another, “Who can this be10 that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Mark 4:35-41

1 ὡς ἦν ἐν (as he was)

Jesus was already in the boat teaching. Mark is trying to indicate that Jesus didn’t have to get into a boat to go across as he was already in a boat.

2 ἐπέβαλλεν (were breaking over)

Greek: “were throwing over” or “were throwing on”. Since the waves were causing the boat to fill up with water, the translation “were breaking over” best suits this passage.

3 ἐν τῇ πρύμνῃ (in the back of the boat) 

Greek: “in the stern”.

4 ἐπὶ τὸ προσκεφάλαιον (on a cushion) 

Greek: “on a pillow”.

5 ἐγείρουσιν αὐτὸν (they woke him up) 

Greek: “they got him up”.

6 τί δειλοί ἐστε; (Why are you afraid?) 

Greek: “Why are you cowardly?” In a battle in war time, this would mean “to run away from battle”.

7 οὔπω ἔχετε πίστιν; (Don’t you have faith yet?)

This implies that Jesus was getting a little frustrated with his disciples. They had seen many miracles up to this point, but still didn’t understand who he was.

8 καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν (And they were terrified)

Greek: “And they feared a great fear”. They were not terrified of the storm and the sea, but of what Jesus had done to the storm and the sea and what he had just spoken to them. Mark gives us a very vivid picture of the lack of understanding on the disciples part.

9 λεγον πρὸς ἀλλήλους (were saying to one another) 

This indicates that they were saying this over and over or in a continual fashion.

10τίς ἄρα οὗτός ἐστιν (Who can this be)

Greek: “Who then is this”. This has been rendered in more common english than “Who then is this”.

The Greek

Μάρκον 4·35 Καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ὀψίας γενομένης· διέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πέραν. 36 καὶ ἀφέντες τὸν ὄχλον παραλαμβάνουσιν αὐτὸν ὡς ἦν ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ, καὶ ἄλλα πλοῖα ἦν μετ ̓ αὐτοῦ. 37 καὶ γίνεται λαῖλαψ μεγάλη ἀνέμου καὶ τὰ κύματα ἐπέβαλλεν εἰς τὸ πλοῖον, ὥστε ἤδη γεμίζεσθαι τὸ πλοῖον. 38 καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν ἐν τῇ πρύμνῃ ἐπὶ τὸ προσκεφάλαιον καθεύδων. καὶ ἐγείρουσιν αὐτὸν καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· διδάσκαλε, οὐ μέλει σοι ὅτι ἀπολλύμεθα; 39 καὶ διεγερθεὶς ἐπετίμησεν τῷ ἀνέμῳ καὶ εἶπεν τῇ θαλάσσῃ· σιώπα, πεφίμωσο. καὶ ἐκόπασεν ὁ ἄνεμος καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη μεγάλη. 40 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· τί δειλοί ἐστε; οὔπω ἔχετε πίστιν; 41 καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν καὶ ἔλεγον πρὸς ἀλλήλους· τίς ἄρα οὗτός ἐστιν ὅτι καὶ ὁ ἄνεμος καὶ ἡ θάλασσα ὑπακούει αὐτῷ;