Mk 8:35-37, YUCH

Steven Craig Miller scmiller at www.plantnet.com
Sat Dec 18 18:59:32 EST 1999


To: Paul Dixon,

<< I find it interesting that all the translations of YUCH (not pronounced, 
yuck, to be sure) in Mk 8:35, 36 and 37 render it as: life, life, soul, and 
soul respectively. Surely one would think that in the same immediate 
context the nuance of YUCH would be the same, but rendering it as life in 
v. 35, then as soul in verses 36 and 37 seems to suggest otherwise. >>

Mainstream scholars would not necessarily assume that these sayings were 
originally made at one time. It is possible that Mark (or one of his 
sources) collected these saying together merely because they shared the 
same term YUCH (sort of based on word association).

On the other hand, the RV, RSV & NRSV translates every YUCH at Mark 8:35-37 
as "life." The KJV & NKJV have "life" at verse 35 and "soul" as verses 36-37.

There are also synoptic parallels at Mt 16:25-26 & Lk 9:24-25 (Luke appears 
to have omitted a parallel to Mk 8:37). See also Mt 10:39; Lk 17:33; and Jn 
12:25. In none of  these passages does the NRSV use the term "soul."

-Steven Craig Miller
Alton, Illinois (USA)
scmiller at www.plantnet.com
Disclaimer: "I'm just a simple house-husband (with no post-grad degree), 
what do I know?"




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