Mark 1:1-9

1 The beginning of the Good News of Yeshua the Messiah, the Son of God.

2 As it is written in the prophets, "Behold, I send my messenger before your face, Who will prepare your way before you.

3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make ready the way of the Lord! Make his paths straight!'"

4 Yochanan came immersing in the wilderness and preaching the immersion of repentance for forgiveness of sins.

5 All the country of Yehudah and all those of Yerushalayim went out to him. They were immersed by him in the Yarden river, confessing their sins.

6 Yochanan was clothed with camel's hair and a leather belt around his loins. He ate locusts and wild honey.

7 He preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen.

8 I immersed you in water, but he will immerse you in the Ruach HaKodesh."

9 It happened in those days, that Yeshua came from Natzeret of the Galil, and was immersed by Yochanan in the Yarden.

Mark 1:1-9 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO MARK

This is the title of the book, the subject of which is the Gospel; a joyful account of the ministry, miracles, actions, and sufferings of Christ: the writer of it was not one of the twelve apostles, but an evangelist; the same with John Mark, or John, whose surname was Mark: John was his Hebrew name, and Mark his Gentile name, Ac 12:12,25, and was Barnabas's sister's son, Col 4:10, his mother's name was Mary, Ac 12:12. The Apostle Peter calls him his son, 1Pe 5:13, if he is the same; and he is thought to have wrote his Gospel from him {a}, and by his order, and which was afterwards examined and approved by him {b} it is said to have been wrote originally in Latin, or in the Roman tongue: so say the Arabic and Persic versions at the beginning of it, and the Syriac version says the same at the end: but of this there is no evidence, any more, nor so much, as of Matthew's writing his Gospel in Hebrew. The old Latin copy of this, is a version from the Greek; it is most likely that it was originally written in Greek, as the rest of the New Testament.

{a} Papias apud Euseb. Hist. l. 3. c. 39. Tertull. adv. Marcion. l. 4. c. 5. {b} Hieron. Catalog. Script. Eccles. p. 91. sect. 18.