Luke 8:22-25
New English Translation
Stilling of a Storm
22 One[a] day Jesus[b] got into a boat[c] with his disciples and said to them, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” So[d] they set out, 23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. Now a violent windstorm[e] came down on the lake,[f] and the boat[g] started filling up with water, and they were in danger. 24 They[h] came[i] and woke him, saying, “Master, Master,[j] we are about to die!” So[k] he got up and rebuked[l] the wind and the raging waves;[m] they died down, and it was calm. 25 Then[n] he said to them, “Where is your faith?”[o] But they were afraid and amazed,[p] saying to one another, “Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the water,[q] and they obey him!”
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- Luke 8:22 tn Grk “Now it happened that one.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Here δέ (de) has not been translated either.
- Luke 8:22 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Luke 8:22 sn A boat that held all the disciples would be of significant size. See the note at Luke 5:3 for a description of the first-century fishing boat discovered in 1986 near Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
- Luke 8:22 tn Grk “lake, and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the response to Jesus’ request. In addition, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
- Luke 8:23 tn Or “a squall.”
- Luke 8:23 sn A violent windstorm came down on the lake. The Sea of Galilee is located in a depression some 700 ft (200 m) below sea level and is surrounded by hills. Frequently a rush of wind and the right mix of temperatures can cause a storm to come suddenly on the lake. Storms on the Sea of Galilee were known for their suddenness and violence.
- Luke 8:23 tn Grk “they were being swamped,” but English idiom speaks of the boat being swamped rather than the people in it, so the referent (the boat) has been supplied to reflect this usage.
- Luke 8:24 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Luke 8:24 tn The participle προσελθόντες (proselthontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
- Luke 8:24 tn The double vocative shows great emotion.
- Luke 8:24 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the connection to the preceding events.
- Luke 8:24 tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).
- Luke 8:24 sn Who has authority over the seas and winds is discussed in the OT: Pss 104:3; 135:7; 107:23-30. When Jesus rebuked the wind and the raging waves he was making a statement about who he was.
- Luke 8:25 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
- Luke 8:25 sn “Where is your faith?” The call is to trust God and realize that those who exercise faith can trust in his care.
- Luke 8:25 sn The combination of fear and respect (afraid and amazed) shows that the disciples are becoming impressed with the great power at work in Jesus, a realization that fuels their question. For a similar reaction, see Luke 5:9.
- Luke 8:25 sn Jesus’ authority over creation raised a question for the disciples about who he was exactly (“Who then is this?”). This verse shows that the disciples followed Jesus even though they did not know all about him yet.
Matthew 8:23-27
New English Translation
Stilling of a Storm
23 As he got into the boat,[a] his disciples followed him.[b] 24 And a great storm developed on the sea so that the waves began to swamp the boat.[c] But he was asleep. 25 So they came[d] and woke him up saying, “Lord, save us! We are about to die!” 26 But[e] he said to them, “Why are you cowardly, you people of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked[f] the winds and the sea,[g] and it was dead calm. 27 And the men[h] were amazed and said,[i] “What sort of person is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him!”[j]
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- Matthew 8:23 sn See the note at Matt 4:21 for a description of the first-century fishing boat discovered in 1986 near Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
- Matthew 8:23 sn The evangelist’s observation that Jesus’ disciples followed him into the boat continues the theme of discipleship (following Jesus) from the preceding context. Here the disciples are probably to be understood as only the Twelve, and even that would have required a boat of moderate size.
- Matthew 8:24 sn The Sea of Galilee is well known for its sudden and violent storms, caused by winds blowing down the ravines from the surrounding heights.
- Matthew 8:25 tn The participle προσελθόντες (proselthontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
- Matthew 8:26 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
- Matthew 8:26 tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331). The verb indicates strong disapproval or even censure (BDAG 384 s.v. ἐπιτιμάω 1).
- Matthew 8:26 sn Who has authority over the seas and winds is discussed in the OT: Pss 104:3, 7; 135:7; 107:23-30; also 106:9. What is portrayed here is a power struggle, and the text leaves no doubt who is in control. When Jesus rebuked the winds and the sea he demonstrated his authority over nature, making by implication a statement about who he was.
- Matthew 8:27 tn It is difficult to know whether ἄνθρωποι (anthrōpoi) should be translated as “men” or “people” (in a generic sense) here. At issue is whether (1) only the Twelve were with Jesus in the boat, as opposed to other disciples (cf. v. 23), and (2) whether any of those other disciples would have been women. The issue is complicated further by the parallel in Mark (4:35-41), where the author writes (4:36) that other boats accompanied them on this journey.
- Matthew 8:27 tn Grk “the men were amazed, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) has been translated as a finite verb to make the sequence of events clear in English.
- Matthew 8:27 sn Jesus’ authority over creation raised a question for the disciples about his identity (What sort of person is this?). This verse shows that although the disciples followed Jesus, their understanding of who he was at this point was incomplete.
Mark 4:36-41
New English Translation
36 So[a] after leaving the crowd, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat,[b] and other boats were with him. 37 Now[c] a great windstorm[d] developed and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped. 38 But[e] he was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?” 39 So[f] he got up and rebuked[g] the wind, and said to the sea,[h] “Be quiet! Calm down!” Then[i] the wind stopped, and it was dead calm. 40 And he said to them, “Why are you cowardly? Do you still not have faith?” 41 They were overwhelmed by fear and said to one another, “Who then is this?[j] Even the wind and sea obey him!”[k]
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- Mark 4:36 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the response to Jesus’ request.
- Mark 4:36 tn It is possible that this prepositional phrase modifies “as he was,” not “they took him along.” The meaning would then be “they took him along in the boat in which he was already sitting” (see 4:1).sn A boat that held all the disciples would be of significant size. See the note at Mark 1:19 for a description of the first-century fishing boat discovered in 1986 near Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
- Mark 4:37 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
- Mark 4:37 tn Or “a squall.”sn The Sea of Galilee is located in a depression some 700 ft (200 m) below sea level and is surrounded by hills. Frequently a rush of wind and the right mix of temperatures can cause a storm to come suddenly on the lake. Storms on the Sea of Galilee were known for their suddenness and violence.
- Mark 4:38 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
- Mark 4:39 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
- Mark 4:39 tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).
- Mark 4:39 sn Who has authority over the seas and winds is discussed in the OT: Pss 104:3; 135:7; 107:23-30. When Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea he was making a statement about who he was.
- Mark 4:39 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
- Mark 4:41 sn Jesus’ authority over creation raised a question for the disciples about who he was exactly (Who then is this?). This verse shows that the disciples followed Jesus even though they did not know all about him yet.
- Mark 4:41 sn This section in Mark (4:35-5:43) contains four miracles: (1) the calming of the storm; (2) the exorcism of the demon-possessed man; (3) the giving of life to Jairus’ daughter; (4) the healing of the woman hemorrhaging for twelve years. All these miracles demonstrate Jesus’ right to proclaim the kingdom message and his sovereign authority over forces, directly or indirectly, hostile to the kingdom. The last three may have been brought together to show that Jesus had power over all defilement, since contact with graves, blood, or a corpse was regarded under Jewish law as causing a state of ritual uncleanness.
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