Mark 6:48

6:48 It was about three o’clock in the morning (literally about the fourth watch of the night, which began at 3:00 am): This was a Roman designation of time (Jews reckoned only three watches), which supports the view that Mark wrote for Christians in Rome. • Mark does not explain how Jesus saw his disciples’ plight late at night in the middle of the lake (cp. John 6:19), as it is not important to the story. • Jesus came toward them, walking on the water: It appears that Jesus’ purpose was to rescue the disciples from the storm. However, Mark then states that Jesus intended to go past them. Numerous attempts have been made to explain this, but the best explanation is that “to go past them” speaks of a divine manifestation (cp. Exod 33:18–34:6; 1 Kgs 19:11-13): Jesus apparently sought to show his divine glory to the disciples. This understanding is supported by the disciples’ fear, a response often associated with theophany. • Many have tried to rationalize the miracle of Jesus’ walking on the sea, but Mark, Matthew, and John clearly understood this as a miracle, beyond natural explanation. If Jesus is in fact the Son of God, there is no need to find another explanation.

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

Mar 6:48. Εἶδεν, He saw) And yet He did not come to them, before that it was the full [proper] time.—ἤθελε, was wishing [would have]) Comp. Luk 24:28.

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

Mar 6:48 . ἐν τῷ ἐλαύνειν , in pro pelling (the ship with oars). περὶ τετ . φυλ ., about the fourth watch, between three and six in the morning, towards dawn. ἤθελε παρελθεῖν , He wished to pass them “praeterire eos,” Vul.; it appeared so to them.

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

48. he saw them toiling in rowing] The word translated “toiling,” which also occurs in Mat_14:24, is a very striking expression. It denotes (1) to test metals with the touchstone, (2) to rack, torture, (3) to torment as in Mat_8:29, “art Thou come to torment us before the time?”, and Mat_8:6, “Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.” Here it seems to imply that they were tortured, baffled, by the waves, which were boisterous by reason of the strong wind that blew (Joh_6:18). Wyclif translates it “travailing in rowing;” Tyndale and Cranmer, “troubled in rowing.”

the fourth watch] The proper Jewish reckoning recognised only three watches or periods, for which sentinels or pickets remained on duty. They were entitled (1) the first, or beginning of the watches, from sunset to 10 p.m. (Lam_2:19), (2) the middle watch, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. (Jdg_7:19), and (3) the morning watch, from 2 a.m. to sunrise (Exo_14:24; 1Sa_11:11). After the Roman supremacy the number of watches was increased to four, sometimes described by their numerical order, as here and in Mat_14:25; sometimes by the terms (1) even, closing at 9 p.m.; midnight; cock-crowing, at 3 a.m.; morning, at 6 a.m.

would have passed by them] He came quite near their vessel on the storm-tost waves, and seemed to wish to lead the way before them to the western shore. Comp. Luk_24:28-29.

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.

But when they saw him walking on the sea,.... See Gill on Mat 14:26;

they supposed it had been a spirit; a phantom, a spectre, an apparition, a nocturnal demon:

and cried out; as men affrighted at the sight, and fearing they should be hurt by it, or that it portended some evil to them; See Gill on Mat 14:26.

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

48 And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.

Ver. 48. Would have passed by them] Either the more to try them, or rather to spare them, because he foresaw they would be further frightened else.

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.

Thus the divine mercy often seems to desert the faithful in the height of tribulation, but God only acts thus, that he may try their patience, and reward them more abundantly. (Nicholas of Lyra)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Vers. 48-50. And he saw them toiling in rowing. The Greek is, according to the best readings kai idwn (not eiden) autounouv en tw elaunein . The word basanixomenouv means more than "toiling;" it means literally, tormented. It is well rendered in the Revised Version by distressed. It was only by painful effort that they could make head against the driving storm blowing upon them from the west, that is, from the Mediterranean Sea. About the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking on the sea. The Jews formerly divided the night into three watches; but when Judaea became a Roman province they adopted the Roman division. The Romans changed the watches every three hours, lest through too long watches the guards might slumber at their posts. These periods were called "watches." If the night was short, they divided it into three watches; if long, into four. Therefore the fourth watch began at the tenth hour of the night, that is, at three o"clock in the morning, and continued to the twelfth, that is, to six o"clock. It would seem, therefore, that this storm lasted for nine hours. During that time the disciples had rowed about twenty-five or thirty furlongs, that is about three Roman miles eight furlongs making a mile. The Sea of Galilee is not more than six miles broad at its widest part. They were therefore now (en mesw thv yalasshv) "in the midst of the sea," as St. Mark expresses it; so that, after rowing for nine hours, they had hardly crossed more than half over the sea. The Sea of Galilee is, speaking roughly, about twelve miles from north to south and six from east to west. It may be asked why our Lord suffered them to be tempest-tossed so long; and the answer is:

1. It was a trial of their faith, so as to urge them to seek more earnestly the help of God.

2. It was a lesson to accustom them to endure bard-ness.

3. It made the stilling of so tedious and dangerous a storm all the more grateful and welcome to them at last. The Fathers find a fine spiritual meaning in this. Jerome says, "The fourth watch is the last. So, too, St. Augustine, who adds that "he who has watched the ship of his Church will come at length at the fourth watch, at the end of the world, when the night of sin and evil is ended, to judge the quick and the dead." Theophylact says, "He allows his disciples to be tried by dangers, that they may be taught patience, and does not come to them till morning, that they may learn perseverance and faith." Hilary says, "The first watch was the age of the Law, the second of the prophets, the third of the gospel, the fourth of his glorious advent, when he will find her buffeted by the spirit of antichrist and by the storms of the world. And by his reception into the ship and the consequent calm is prefigured the eternal peace of the Church after his second coming" (see Wordsworth"s "New Testament:" St. Matthew 14). He walked on the sea. This he did by his Divine power, which he possessed as God, and which, when he pleased, he could assume as man. Infidelity is at fault here. Paulus the rationalist, revived the ridiculous idea that Christ walking on the sea merely meant Christ walking on the shore, elevated above the sea; but the interpretation was rightly denounced by Lavater as "a laughable insult on logic, hermeneutics, good sense, and honesty." Was it because our Lord simply walked on the shore that the disciples "cried out and were troubled"? Was it merely for this that they were "sore amazed at themselves beyond measure and wondered"? Yet such are the shifts to which unbelief is reduced when it ventures to measure itself against the acts of Omnipotence. He would have passed by them. An expression something like that in St. Luke, (Luk_24:28) "He made as though he would go further," although there the Greek in St. Luke is different (prosepoieito porrwterw poreuesyai). Here it is hyele parelyein : literally, he wished to pass by them; so at least it appeared to the disciples. It has been suggested that our Lord did this that the disciples might more clearly see how the wind was stilled in his presence. They supposed that it was an apparition (edoxan oti fantasma einai ); literally, a phantom. Why did they suppose this? Partly from the idea that spectres appear in the night and in the darkness to terrify men, and partly because in the darkness they could not so readily recognize that it was Jesus. Then the fact that our Lord" would bare passed by them," flitting past them as though he eared nothing for them and had nothing to do with them, but was going elsewhere; this must have increased their terror. But now came the moment for him to calm their fears. Straightway he talked with them soothingly. Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. Now, Christ did this that he might teach his disciples to conquer fear and temptation, even when they are very great, and that so the deliverance and the consolation might impress them all the more powerfully and sweetly in proportion to their former terror. is I I, your Lord and Master, whom you know so well, and of whose goodness and omnipotence you have already had so much experience; I, your Master, who do not come to mock you as a phantom, but to deliver you both from fear and from storm." It will be observed that St. Mark omits all mention of Peter"s act of faith "in going down from the boat, and walking upon the waters to come to Jesus," as recorded by St. Matthew. (Mat_14:28) Throughout this Gospel, as already noticed, St. Peter is kept in the background.

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

And he saw them - For the darkness could veil nothing from him. And would have passed by them - That is, walked, as if he was passing by.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Connecting Statement:

A storm arises while the disciples are trying to cross the lake. Seeing Jesus walking on the water terrifies them. They do not understand how Jesus can calm the storm.

fourth watch

This is the time between 3 a.m. and sunrise. (See: Ordinal Numbers)

a ghost

the spirit of a dead person or some other kind of spirit

Be courageous! ... Do not be afraid!

These two sentences are similar in meaning, emphasizing to his disciples that they did not need to be afraid. They can be combined into one if necessary. AT: "Do not fear me!" (See: Parallelism)

translationWords

watch (biblical time)

cry

terror

courage

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

48. ἰδὼν αὐτοὺς βασανιζομένους. There is no need to suppose supernatural power of sight. The Paschal moon would give light enough. See on Mar 5:7. Syr-Sin. has “tormented with the fear of the waves.”

ἐν τῷ ἐλαύνειν.See on Mar 4:4. It was too stormy for sailing, and for hours they had been rowing against the wind making very little progress. Syr-Sin. omits.

τετάρτην φυλακήν. Mk (Mar 13:35) and Mt. (Mar 14:25) follow the Roman division into four watches. Lk. (Luk 12:38) probably follows the Jewish division into three (Jdg 7:19); but see Act 12:4. Syr-Sin, omits the mention of the hour.

ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης. Cf. ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς (Mar 6:47), and περιπατῶν ὡς ἐπʼ ἐδάφους ἐπὶ θαλάσσης (Job 9:8). Christ was walking not by the sea, but on it, over the surface of its stormy waters. His walking by the sea would not have terrified them, nor could He and they have conversed. We may refuse to believe the miracle, but the narrative has not arisen through misinterpretation of language. Nor is it an imitation of O.T. miracles; Christ does not divide the Jordan and walk over on dry land (Jos 3:14-17; 2Ki 2:8; 2Ki 2:14). “These attempts are usually unconvincing, and provoke the remark how much ingenuity can be combined with a lack of common sense” (Salmon, Human Element, p. 323). It is rash to be positive as to what would be possible or impossible for a unique Personality such as that of Jesus Christ.

ἤθελεν παρελθεῖν. Cf. Mar 7:27; Luk 24:28; and for the conative imperf. Mat 3:14; Luk 1:59. We have here the impression of an eye-witness; the figure looked as if it meant to pass by them. Mt. omits this; see on Mar 1:45 and Mar 7:24.

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.

48.] κ. ἤθ. παρ. αὐτ., peculiar to Mark. “A silent note of Inspiration. He was about to pass by them. He intended so to do. But what man could say this? Who knoweth the mind of Christ but the Spirit of God? Compare 1Co 2:11.” Wordsw. But it may be doubted whether this is either a safe or a sober comment. ἤθελεν has here but a faint subjective reference, and is more nearly the “would have passed by them” of the E. V. See on Luk 24:28, for the meaning. Lange, Leben Jesu, ii. p. 788 note, well remarks, that this ἤθελεν παρελθεῖν, and the ἤθελον οὖν of Joh 6:21, mutually explain one another.

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

48. ἰδὼν … ἔρχεται—And seeing them … he comes … instead of he saw them … and comes.

ἰδὼν, instead of εἶδεν, Tisch. Treg. WH. RV. א BDL Δ mss. Lat. Vet. Vulg. Memph. Omit καὶ, Tisch. Treg. WH. RV. א BL Δ.

βασανιζομένους—distressed. This is one of the words in which the notion of trial or testing has run over into that of distress, since difficulty and hardship are so frequent forms of testing. The verb is formed from βάσανος, a touchstone. ἐλαύνειν—literally, driving. But the word is used frequently of rowing or sailing a boat. τετάρτην φυλακὴν—the fourth watch. The Jews at this time divided the night into four watches of three hours each, and this was therefore the last watch, from three to six o’clock. They had been having a hard time therefore, having been, at a moderate estimate, some eight hours in rowing three miles. Cf. J. 6:19.

ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης—on the sea. It is one of the absurdities of rationalizing exegesis, that this has been made to mean on the shore of the sea, or in view of the obvious fact that the author cannot possibly have meant that, that the story, as it stands, is supposed to have arisen from a mythical handling of so common-place an event as walking on the shore. The miracle is one of those, moreover, that cannot, in our present state of knowledge, be explained away. Jesus’ miracles of healing can, most of them, be attributed to his extraordinary influence over the minds of those healed, though it may be doubted if the exceptional cases, such as the raising of the dead and the healing at a distance, do not so give the law to the rest as to turn even this possibility into an improbability. But here is a miracle upon inanimate matter, overcoming the difference in specific gravity between water and the human body, so that the water will support the heavier body. This miracle will yield to no rationalizing treatment, and in it, therefore, we are confronted with the problem of the miraculous without any alleviation. Nor does it yield any more to a legitimate historical criticism, which leaves our Lord’s miracles untouched, unless we accept it as an axiom of that criticism that the miraculous does not happen. And so it is with the problem of the miraculous as a fact, with which the life of our Lord confronts us.

καὶ ἤθελε παρελθεῖν αὐτούς—and he purposed to pass by them, or was on the point of passing by them. See Thay.-Grm. Lex. Would have passed by them, EV., would be expressed by the aor. ind. of παρέρχομαι, with ἄν. This was what he was on the point of doing when he was interrupted by their cry. His purpose at the time was that, and he waited for some demonstration on their part to change it.

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

He saw [ιδων] . Participle. Rev., seeing. Better, however, the literal having seen. It was this which induced him to go to them.

Toiling [βασανιζομενους] . Lit., tormented. Rev., distressed. See on Mt 4:24. Wyc., travailing. Tynd., troubled.

Fourth watch. Between 3 and 6 A. M.

Would have passed by them. Peculiar to Mark.

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