Mark 11:4

Mar 11:4-10. And they went their way, and found the colt, &c. — Found all the particulars contained in Christ’s prediction exactly true. See on Mat 21:6-11. Blessed be the kingdom of our father David — May the kingdom of the Messiah, promised to our father David, be speedily established, and may it long flourish; that cometh — Which is now to be erected; in the name of the Lord — And therefore will be fitly termed the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of heaven. Hosanna in the highest — Repeat again and again your songs and congratulations. Thus they expressed their joyful and rapturous expectations of his assuming the royal dignity, and vindicating Israel from the Roman yoke; and, imboldened by the display of his power in the resurrection of Lazarus, which he had lately effected, they feared not the resentment of their present masters, for declaring themselves thus openly in his favour.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11:4-6 The disciples carried out Jesus’ instructions and found things as he had said.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Mar 11:4. Ἀμφόδυ) Ἄμφοδον, a way, a broad street [Eng. Vers. where two ways meet].

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar 11:4 . ἀμφόζου ( ἄμφοδον and - ος from ἀμφί and ὁδός , here only in N. T.), the road round the farmyard. In Jer 17:27 , Sept [101] , it seems to denote some part of a town: “the palaces of Jerusalem” (R. V [102] ).

[101]Septuagint.

[102] Revised Version.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(4) Without in a place where two ways met.—Each touch is characteristic of St. Mark, and implies personal observation on the part of his informant. The colt was at the door—outside, not inside, the court-yard; it was not at “a place,” but at “the place,” as we speak of “the cross-roads,” where two ways met.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. in a place where two ways met] So Wyclif, “in þe meeting of tweye weyes,” following the Vulgate bivium. The word in the original thus rendered denotes (1) any road that leads round a place, a street, or a crooked lane; (2) a block of houses surrounded by streets; (3) the quarter of a town = Lat. vicus. Here it means the passage round the house. They went and found the ass tied at the door, and the colt with her, not in the highway, but in a back way or alley, which went round the house. Observe the minuteness of the circumstances specified. The Apostles would find the colt tied; it had never been ridden; it would be found not in the courtyard, but outside, at the door of the house; not in the highway, but in a back lane or alley skirting the house; and persons would be near it, and the words which they would speak are predicted, and the answer is suggested which the Apostles were to make. The colt, untamed, and tied at the back gate, as if ready for a rider, has been interpreted as a symbol of the Gentile world to be brought to Christ from the lanes and alleys of Heathendom (Luk_14:21); the she-ass as symbolizing God’s ancient people who were familiar with the yoke of the Law.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And they went their way,.... The two disciples went to the village, where Christ sent them, without objecting any difficulties that might present, in the execution of these orders:

and found the colt tied by the door without; in the street, fastened to the door of the owner's house, at the town's end:

in a place where two ways met; to go into and out of the village; at the corner house, where two ways met; so that the place was very public, and such an affair could not be transacted, without being seen:

and they loose him; as soon as ever they came to the place, they immediately began to untie the colt, and were going away with him.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.

Ver. 4. {See Trapp on "Mat 21:6"} {See Trapp on "Luk 19:32"}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. Where two ways met — Some understand by this the fork of a road; but it more properly signifies a street or thoroughfare. The original word signifies “a circular or winding way,” as the streets of ancient towns generally were. The apostles also found these animals, Mark tells us, by the door without; that is, probably, before the door of the owner, who had just used or was just about to use them.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

By the door without, in a place where two ways met (epi tou amfodou) literally, in the open street.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The disciples carry out tile order:

v. 4. And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.

v. 5. And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt?

v. 6. And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded; and they let them go.

v. 7. And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and He sat upon him.

The disciples carried out Christ’s instructions. Coming to the hamlet or group of farm buildings, they followed the road around the farmyard. And there, tied to the door, probably of a stable, or at the door-post of a larger building in the square of the hamlet, they found the colt, which they promptly proceeded to unloose. Some of those that were standing nearby, very likely some of tile laborers of the place, objected and asked for all explanation. But tile disciples used tile words which Jesus had taught them. And so the men, having full assurance that the beast would be safely and speedily restored to the owner, gave them leave to lead tile colt off. And so they brought tile animal to Jesus, throwing their mantles upon him for a saddle, so that Jesus could sit upon the colt.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

They went

"The two disciples went"

colt

This refers to a young donkey that is large enough to carry a man. See how you translated this in Mark 11:2.

They spoke

"They responded"

as Jesus told them

"as Jesus had told them to respond." This refers to how Jesus had told them to respond to people's questions about taking the colt.

let them go their way

This means that they allowed them to continue doing what they were doing. AT: "let them take the donkey with them" (See: Idiom)

translationWords

Jesus

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

4. καὶ ἀπῆλθον ([2483][2484][2485][2486]) rather than ἀπῆλθον δέ. See on Mar 1:14.

[2483] Codex Sinaiticus. 4th cent. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the Monastery of St Katharine on Mount Sinai. Now at St Petersburg. The whole Gospel, ending at Mar 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1911.

[2484] Codex Vaticanus. 4th cent., but perhaps a little later than א. In the Vatican Library almost since its foundation by Pope Nicolas V., and one of its greatest treasures. The whole Gospel, ending at Mar 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1889.

[2485] Codex Regius. 8th cent. An important witness. At Paris. Contains Mar 1:1 to Mar 10:15; Mar 10:30 to Mar 15:1; Mar 15:20 to Mar 16:20, but the shorter ending is inserted between Mar 16:8 and Mar 16:9, showing that the scribe preferred it to the longer one.

[2486] Codex Sangallensis. 9th or 10th cent. Contains the Gospels nearly complete, with an interlinear Latin translation. The text of Mark is specially good, agreeing often with CL. At St Gall.

4. πρὸς [τὴν] θύραν Towards the door, “close to it”; cf. Mar 1:33, Mar 2:2, Mar 4:1. Neither πῶλον nor θύραν has the art. in the true text.

ἔξω ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀμφόδον. Superfluous fulness; there is no need to say both “out of doors” and “in the open street.” See on Mar 6:25. The exact meaning of ἄμφοδον is uncertain; it originally meant a road round some building, and then it seems to have been used for any public road or street. Syr-Sin. has “a court in the street,” Vulg. bivium, which is too definite. In LXX. (Jer 17:27; Jer 49:2; Jer 49:7) it represents buildings, “palaces”; but Aquila (Jer 7:17; Jer 11:6; Jer 14:16) uses it of “streets.” In the [2618] text of Act 19:28, d has in campo for εἰς τὸ ἄμφοδον. Evidently the meaning was elastic.

[2618] Codex Bezae. 6th cent. Has a Latin translation (d) side by side with the Greek text, and the two do not quite always agree. Presented by Beza to the University Library of Cambridge in 1581. Remarkable for its frequent divergences from other texts. Contains Mark, except Mar 16:15-20, which has been added by a later hand. Photographic facsimile, 1899.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4.] The report of one of those sent: qu. Peter?

ἄμφοδ. (a road leading round a place) is probably the street: see reff. Wordsw. interprets it, ‘the back way, which led round the house:’ But there does not appear to be any reason for supposing the ἀμφι- to refer to the house, rather than to the whole block, or neighbourhood, of houses, round about which the street led. [Archbp. Trench, on the A.V. p. 116. would render it “a way round,” “a crooked lane.”]

8,

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. Καὶ ἀπῆλθον, καὶ εὖρον πῶλον δεδεμένον πρὸς (τὴν) θύραν ἔξω ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀμφόδου—And they departed, and found a colt tied at a (the) door upon the street outside.

Καὶ ἀπῆλθον, instead of ἀπῆλθον δὲ, Tisch. Treg. WH. RV. א BL Δ, one ms. Lat. Vet. Omit τὸν, the, before πῶλον, colt, Treg. WH. RV. ABDLX ΓΠ Memph. Omit τὴν, the, before θύραν, door, Treg. WH. BL Δ Egyptt.

πρὸς (τὴν) θύραν ἔξω ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀμφόδον—These details are evidently the report of an eyewitness. The first part, at the door outside, is easy of explanation. The better class of houses were built about an open court, from which a passageway under the house led to the street outside. It was at this outside opening to the street, that the colt was tied. But the ἀμφόδου is more difficult. Probably, it differs from ὁδοῦ simply in denoting a roundabout road. The AV. where two ways met, confounds the prep. ἀμφί and ἄμφω meaning both.1 The village may have been built on such a rounding road, that lay off from the straight highway, and the narrator places this in the story of the event in his ἀμφόδου. Such a descriptive touch is quite in Mk.’s manner.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

In a place where two ways met [επι του αμφοδου] . Amfodon is literally any road which leads round [αμφι] a place or a block of buildings. Hence the winding way. The word occurs only here in the New Testament. Rev., in the open street, which in an Eastern town is usually crooked. Perhaps, by contrast with the usual crookedness, the street in Damascus where Paul lodged was called Straight (Act 9:11). "It is a topographical note," says Dr. Morison, "that could only be given by an eye - witness." The detail of verse 4 is peculiar to Mark. According to Luke (xxii. 8), Peter was one of those sent, and his stamp is probably on the narrative.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.