Mark 4:35

4:35-41 Christ was asleep in the storm, to try the faith of his disciples, and to stir them up to pray. Their faith appeared weak, and their prayers strong. When our wicked hearts are like the troubled sea which cannot rest, when our passions are unruly, let us think we hear the law of Christ, saying, Be silent, be dumb. When without are fightings, and within are fears, and the spirits are in a tumult, if he say, Peace, be still, there is a great calm at once. Why are ye so fearful? Though there may be cause for some fear, yet not for such fear as this. Those may suspect their faith, who can have such a thought as that Jesus careth not though his people perish. How imperfect are the best of saints! Faith and fear take their turns while we are in this world; but ere long, fear will be overcome, and faith will be lost in sight.

Mark 4:35-41 . The same day, when the even was come — See note on Matthew 8:18 . They took him even as he was in the ship — They carried him immediately, in the same vessel from which he had been preaching to the people. And there arose a great storm — See note on Matthew 8:23-27 . He was asleep in the hinder part of the ship — So we translate the words επι τη πρυμνη , for want of a proper English expression for that particular part of the vessel near the rudder, on which he lay. Peace — Cease thy tossing; be still — Cease thy roaring. The Greek word, πεφιμωσο , is, literally, Be thou gagged.

Mark 4:35-41 . See on Matthew 8:18 ; Matthew 8:23-27 . Comp. Luke 8:22-25 . ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ] Mark 4:1 f.; a difference in respect of time from Matthew 8:18 . Luke 8:22 is altogether indefinite. ὡς ἦν ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ ] to be taken together; as He was in the ship (comp. Mark 4:1 ) without delay for further preparation they take possession of Him. For examples of this mode of expression, see Kypke and Fritzsche. καὶ ἄλλα δέ ] but other ships also (Hartung, Partikell. I. p. 182; Ellendt, Lex. Soph. I. p. 884) were in His train ( μετʼ αὐτοῦ ) during the voyage; a characteristic descriptive trait in Mark. Mark 4:37 . On λαῖλαψ ἀνέμου , comp. Hom. Il. xvii. 57; Anthol. Anacr. 82. On the accent of λαῖλαψ , see Lipsius, gramm. Untersuch. p. 36 f. ἐπέβαλεν ] intransitive (comp. on Mark 4:29 , Plat. Phaedr. p. 248 A, and frequently) not transitive , so that the storm would be the subject (Vulgate, Luther, Zeger, Homberg, and several others). The τὰ δέ κύματα , for this purpose prefixed, indicates itself as the subject. Mark 4:38 . And He Himself was at the stem , laid down on the pillow that was there, asleep . It was a part of the vessel intended for the sailors to sit or lie down, Poll. v. 40; more strictly, according to Smith ( Voyage and Shipwreck of St. Paul , p. 296 ff.), the cushion of the rowers’ bench. Mark 4:39 . σιώπα , πεφίμωσο ] be silent! be dumb! asyndetic, and so much the more forcible (Nägelsbach, Anm. z. Ilias , ed. 3, p. 247, 359), Eur. Hec. 532.

The sea is personified ; hence the less are we to conjecture, with Schleiermacher, L. J. p. 230, that Jesus has addressed the disciples (ye shall see that it will immediately be still). ἐκόπασεν ὁ ἄνεμος ] Herod vii. 191. Comp. Mark 6:51 ; Matthew 14:32 , from which passage de Wette arbitrarily derives the expression of Mark. Mark 4:40 . πῶς ] how is it possible , etc.? They had already so often been the witnesses of His divine power,[90] under the protection of which they needed not to tremble. Mark 4:41 . ἐφοβήθησαν ] not the people (Grotius and others), which agrees with Matthew but not with the context, but the disciples , who were thrown (psychologically) into fear at the quite extraordinary phenomenon, and were not yet clear as to the divine causa efficiens in Jesus ( τίς ἄρα οὗτος , etc.). As to φοβεῖσθαι φόβον μέγαν , comp. on Matthew 2:10 . On τίς ἄρα , in which the perplexity is not expressed by the ἄρα , but is implied in the context (in opposition to Hartung), and ἄρα means: igitur, rebus ita comparatis , see Klotz, ad Devar. p. 176. Comp. Nägelsbach, Anm. z. Ilias , ed. 3, p. 10 f. [90] With this agrees neither the half-naturalizing view of Lange, L. J. II. p. 314, that the immediate causes of the calm setting in lay in the atmosphere, and that so far the threatening word of Jesus was prophetical (comp.

(35-41) And the same day. —Better, in that day. See Notes on Matthew 8:23-27 . The connection of the events, as given by St. Mark, seems to be precise enough, but it differs widely from that in St. Matthew and St. Luke, and it must remain uncertain which was the actual order. The other side.—The voyage was from Capernaum—from the west to the east side of the lake.

Mark 4:35 . Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ , on that day ) See App. Crit. Ed. ii. on this passage. The pronoun ἐκείνῃ , that , does not denote precisely that day on which the Saviour put forth the parables of the sower and the rest of the parables, as Grotius, besides other commentators, acknowledge; but, with less definiteness, is to be referred to a day marked in the former course of this gospel, namely, ch. Mark 2:1 . So Jdg 13:10 , ביום , LXX. ἐν ἡμέρᾳ , or, as it is better read in the Cod. Alex. τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ . So Matthew 24:48 , ὁ κακὸς δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος .[41] And indeed Mark applies ἐκεῖνος in various senses; see notes ch. Mark 2:20 , Mark 13:24 . As to the time of this voyage, comp. Harmon. Evang. § 49. [41] Where the more immediate antecedent to ἐκεῖνος is the faithful and wise servant , and the antecedent intended must be supplied from the course of the previous discourse, Mark 4:38-39 , etc.—ED.

Mark 4:35-41 . Crossing the lake ( Matthew 8:18 ; Matthew 8:23-27 , Luke 8:22-25 ).— ἐν ἐκείνῃ τ . ἡ ., on that day, the day of the parable discourse, the more to be noted that Mark does not usually trouble himself about temporal connection.— διέλθωμεν , let us cross over, spoken to the Twelve, who are in the boat with Jesus.

35–41 . The Stilling of the Storm 35 . he saith unto them ] The three Synoptic Evangelists all agree in placing the Stilling of the Storm before the healing of the possessed in the country of the Gadarenes. the other side ] After a long and exhausting day he needed retirement, and repose could nowhere be more readily obtained than in the solitude of the eastern shore.

Verses 35, 36. - And on that day , - the day, that is, on which the parables were delivered, at least those recorded by St. Mark - when even was come, he saith unto them, Let us go over unto the other side. And leaving the multitude, they take him with them, even as he was, in the boat . It was the boat from which he had been preaching. They made no special preparation. They did not land first to obtain provisions. It would have been inconvenient to go ashore in the midst of the crowd. They made at once, as he told them to do, for the other side. And other boats were with him . This is another interesting circumstance. Probably those who were in these boats had availed themselves of them to get nearer to the great Prophet, the boatmen themselves having seen the vast crowd that was gathered on the shore, and so having been attracted thither. Thus he had a large audience on the sea as well as on the land. And not it was so ordered that he was surrounded by a fleet and by a multitude of witnesses when he stilled the tempest. Mark 4:35

Ver. 35-41. This piece of history is related by Matthew and Luke as well as by our evangelist, and that with no considerable variations one from another; what in it wanteth explication, See Poole on "Matthew 8:23" , and following verses to Matthew 8:27 . Christ had been preaching, and being wearied and tired with the multitude still pressing upon him, gave order to cross the sea, and to go over to the other side; then (to show us he was truly man, and took upon him the infirmities of our nature) he composes himself to sleep on a pillow, in the hinder part of the ship. There happeneth a great storm of wind, not without Christ’s knowledge and ordering, that he might upon this occasion both try his people’s faith, and also show his Divine power in stilling the raging of the sea. As man he slept, but at the same time he was the true Watchman of Israel, who never slumbereth nor sleepeth. The storm increaseth till there was a great quantity of water come into the ship, and they were ready to perish. In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen, Genesis 22:14 . God often forbears from helping his people till the last hour. Then they awake him, he ariseth, rebukes the wind and the waves, useth no means, but by the word of his power commandeth the wind and waves to be still; and he also rebuketh his disciples for want of faith, who yet did not discern that he was not man only, but the Almighty God, as appears by their words, they said one to another, What manner of man is this?