Mark 3:7,8

7, 8. ἀνεχώρησεν πρὸς τὴν θάλασσαν. The verb does not imply retreat from danger (John 6:15; Acts 23:19; Acts 26:31), but it is often used in this sense (Matthew 2:14; Matthew 4:12; Matthew 14:13). Arrest or assassination would be more easy in a town; by the Lake there were boats in which He could escape. Euthymius remarks that it was right to take these precautions, for He had still much teaching and healing to do.

καὶ πολὺ πλῆθος. “And a great multitude”; contrast πλῆθος πολύ in Mark 3:8. This is the nom. to ἠκολούθησεν, and this constr. may be continued down to Σιδῶνα, by which time both nom. and verb are almost forgotten, and therefore πλῆθος is repeated and a new verb (ἦλθον) is supplied (A.V.). But it is better to put a colon at ἠκολούθησεν and take all the items that follow with ἦλθον (R.V.). Only the Galileans followed Him to the Lake, and there were a great many of them, for they had seen His mighty works. The others could hardly be said to follow Him, but they came to Him afterwards, for they had heard of the many things which He did. Almost the whole of Palestine is represented; but there is no contingent from Samaria. Here, as in Mark 10:1 and Matthew 4:25, the art. is omitted before πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου. For Ἰεροσόλυμα see on Mark 10:32.

As the persecution which followed the martyrdom of Stephen caused a great extension of the Gospel, so also this conspiracy against Christ; it drove Him to become a roving Teacher and Healer.

ἀκούοντες ὅσα ποιεῖ. One expects ἀκούαντες ὅσα ἐποίει, which many texts have (see crit. note); but the pres. part. and verb are more vivid. The whole is a process which continues. “As they hear (almost, ‘as fast as they hear’) how many things He is doing, they came to Him.” The ἦλθον, rather than ἤρχοντο, is determined by ἠκολούθησεν: the Galileans followed, the rest came. Both A.V. and R.V. have “what great things He did”; but ὅσα refers to number rather than to importance (Mark 3:10; Mark 6:30; Mark 6:56; Mark 10:21; Mark 11:24; Mark 12:44, etc.). These multitudes are not disciples; it is not His teaching which attracts them, but His cures. They want to be healed, or to see Him heal. The disciples are the four fishermen (Mark 1:16-20), and possibly Levi.