Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Mark 1:12

Καὶ εὐθύς. All three Synoptists intimate that the Temptation followed immediately after the Baptism, and that it took place under the guidance of the Spirit. Mt. has his favourite τότε, and Mk his favourite εὐθύς. Jesus knows that He is the Messiah, and He must meditate on His work, and the means, and the method. Cf. Luke 14:25 f.; Galatians 1:15-18. The information must have come from Christ Himself. The hypothesis of fiction is inadmissible, for no one at the time when the first Gospels were written had sufficient insight to invent such temptations. Indeed, but for His own statement, the first Christians would not have supposed that He ever was tempted. We know of later temptations (Matthew 16:23; Luke 22:28; Luke 22:42-44), and we may believe in earlier ones. But here Satan attempts to vanquish the Messiah just as He is about to begin the work of rescuing mankind from his power.

ἐκβάλλει. Neither Mt. (ἀνήχθη) nor Lk. (ἤγετο) adopts this verb, perhaps because it might seem to imply that the Lord was unwilling to go. Expellit (Vulg.) and “driveth forth” (R.V.) suggest the same idea. Cod. Brixianus (f), the best representative of the Old Latin, has eduxit; others have duxit (a) or tulit (ff2), and perhaps urgeth or sendeth forth would suffice. Βάλλω in late Greek is often reduced in meaning; see on John 5:7. Here we have the first of the historic presents which are such a strong characteristic of Mk (151) and Jn (162), as compared with Mt. (78) and Lk. (4 to 6). Mt. 69 times alters or omits the historic presents of Mk, as here. In this chapter we have seven other instances, mostly λέγει or λέγουσιν (Mark 1:21; Mark 1:30; Mark 1:37-38; Mark 1:40-41; Mark 1:44). In LXX., 337 instances have been counted, nearly all of them in historical passages. Hawkins, Hor. Syn.2 pp. 143 f., 213. This pres. is followed by three imperfects of what continued for some time.

εἰς τὴν ἔρημον. Apparently not the wilderness of Mark 1:4, for Christ leaves the Jordan to go to it. Hastings’ D.C.G. art. “Wilderness” and “Temptation.”

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Mark 1:12

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