Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Mark 2:2

2. [226][227][228] 33 and versions omit εὐθύς.

[226] 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 Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1911.

[227] 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 Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1889.

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

2. ὥστε μηκέτι χωρεῖν. So that there was no longer room, no, not even about the door. A.V. ignores μηκέτι (cf. Mark 1:45) and renders ἐλάλει “He preached,” which would be ἐκήρυσσε. The imperf. indicates the continuation of Christ’s discourse indoors while the crowd in the street blocked the entrance. The multitude would not lose the opportunity of witnessing miracles; Christ would not lose the opportunity of instructing them. Mt., as usual, omits the impeding crowd; see on Mark 1:33; Mark 1:44. For συνήχθησαν cf. Matthew 24:28; Revelation 19:17 : for χωρεῖν cf. John 2:6; John 21:25. This graphic verse has no parallel in Mt. or Lk., who are here very independent of Mk. Of the narrative as a whole even Loisy admits: La scène est prise sur le vif, et on croirait la recueillir de la bouche d’un témoin.

τὸν λόγον. We have ἐλάλει τὸν λόγον again Mark 4:33, which shows that the first Christians used ὁ λόγος as a technical term for “the good tidings”; cf. Mark 4:14; Acts 14:25; Acts 8:4. He was speaking the word.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Mark 2:2

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