A blind man comes to Jesus
Mark 10:51 What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?
Mark 10:51 What do you want me to do for you?
NLT Mark 10:51 What do you want me to do for you?”
What do you want for yourself? I might do it.
What we want and what Jesus does are two separate things.
Spoken to a blind man, this verse is identical to Luke 18:41. The beginning pronoun usually indicates a question, and the structure demonstrates the difference between Greek and English statements about wanting someone to act for you. The verses is two independent clauses with active verbs. in English, the "I might do it" clause would be dependent on the first, "what do you want" clause, either using a connective pronoun or the use of an infinitive. I represent it as two sentences, which is more like what was said.
In Mark 10:36, most sources show Jesus using the infinitive form "to do" after "you want," but sources differ.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "wilt" does not mean the future tense.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "me" is not an active verb but a participle, "I."
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "to" should be "should" or "might."
- WF - Wrong Form - The "me" is not an active verb but a participle, "I."
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "to" should be "should" or "might."
What -- The word translated as "what" means primarily "anything" or "anyone," but Jesus often uses it to start a question so it means "who", "what", or even "why".
wilt -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "wilt " is not the same as the helper verb "will" in English, which primarily expresses the future tense. Its primary purpose is to express consent and even a delight in doing something. It means "to desire", "to consent", and "to be resolved to a purpose".
thou -- This comes from the second-person singular form of the verb above.
that -- This word does not exist in the Greek source. It is a repeat of the initial "what," but in Greek the same object is assumed to apply to the following verbs.
I -- This is from the first=person singular form of the following verb.
should -- This is uses to capture the subjective mood of the verb, which suggests that something is possible. "Might" works as well.
do -- The Greek word translated as "do" has the primary meaning of "making" or producing" something or "causing" or "performing" as service. It describes a productive action. It is not as broad a word as the English "do", which covers all actions, productive or not.
unto -- This word "to" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English, but the translator must decide which preposition to use: a "to" as an indirect object, a "with" for instruments, an "in" for locations, an "as" for purposes, an "of" for possession, a "by" for agents, an "as" for comparisons, "at" or "on" a time, and an "in" for area of effect.
thee? -- The word for "thee" is the indirect object form of the second-person pronoun. This word follow "what" at the beginning of the question describing it. In Greek, the indirect object can mean doing something for someone's benefit as well as doing something to them.
What -- The word translated as "what" means primarily "anything" or "anyone," but Jesus often uses it to start a question so it means "who", "what", or even "why".
do -- This is from the present tense of the verb expresses as a question.
you -- This comes from the second-person singular form of the verb above.
want -- The Greek word translated as "want" expresses consent and even a delight in doing something. It means "to desire", "to consent", and "to be resolved to a purpose".
me -- (WF) This is from the first-person singular form of the following verb, but that verb is not an infinitive so it should be
to -- (WW) This helping verb indicates that the verb is an infinitive but it isn't an infinitive. It is a verb in a subjective mood of the verb, which suggests that something is possible. "Might" or "should" are required to express it. .
do -- The Greek word translated as "do" has the primary meaning of "making" or producing" something or "causing" or "performing" as service. It describes a productive action. It is not as broad a word as the English "do", which covers all actions, productive or not.
for -- - This word "to" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English, but the translator must decide which preposition to use: a "to" as an indirect object, a "with" for instruments, an "in" for locations, an "as" for purposes, an "of" for possession, a "by" for agents, an "as" for comparisons, "at" or "on" a time, and an "in" for area of effect.
you? -- The word for "thee" is the indirect object form of the second-person pronoun. This word follow "what" at the beginning of the question describing it. In Greek, the indirect object can mean doing something for someone's benefit as well as doing something to them.
NLT
What -- The word translated as "what" means primarily "anything" or "anyone," but Jesus often uses it to start a question so it means "who", "what", or even "why".
do -- This is from the present tense of the verb expresses as a question.
you -- This comes from the second-person singular form of the verb above.
want -- The Greek word translated as "want" expresses consent and even a delight in doing something. It means "to desire", "to consent", and "to be resolved to a purpose".
me -- (WF) This is from the first-person singular form of the following verb, but that verb is not an infinitive so it should be
to -- (WW) This helping verb indicates that the verb is an infinitive but it isn't an infinitive. It is a verb in a subjective mood of the verb, which suggests that something is possible. "Might" or "should" are required to express it. .
do -- The Greek word translated as "do" has the primary meaning of "making" or producing" something or "causing" or "performing" as service. It describes a productive action. It is not as broad a word as the English "do", which covers all actions, productive or not.
for -- - This word "to" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English, but the translator must decide which preposition to use: a "to" as an indirect object, a "with" for instruments, an "in" for locations, an "as" for purposes, an "of" for possession, a "by" for agents, an "as" for comparisons, "at" or "on" a time, and an "in" for area of effect.
you? -- The word for "thee" is the indirect object form of the second-person pronoun. This word follow "what" at the beginning of the question describing it. In Greek, the indirect object can mean doing something for someone's benefit as well as doing something to them.
Τί [252 verses]( irreg sg neut nom/acc ) "What" is tis, which can mean "someone," "something," "any one," "everyone," "they [indefinite]," "many a one," "whoever," "anyone," "anything," "some sort," "some sort of," "each," "any," "the individual," "such," and so on. In a question, it can mean "who," "why," or "what."
σοὶ [81 verses](pron 2nd sg dat) "You" is soi which is the singular, second-person pronoun, "you," in the form of an indirect pronoun.
θέλεις [64 verses]( verb 2nd sg pres ind act ) "Wilt thou" is thelo, which as a verb means "to be willing (of consent rather than desire)", "to wish", "to ordain", "to decree", "to be resolved to a purpose" "to maintain", "to hold", "to delight in, and "will (too express a future event with inanimate objects)." As a participle, it means "being willing" or, adverbially, "willingly," and "gladly".
ποιήσω; [168 verses]( verb 1st sg aor subj act ) "I should do" is poieo, which means "to make", "to produce", "to create", "to bring into existence", "to bring about", "to cause", "to perform", "to render", "to consider", "to prepare", "to make ready," and "to do."
This phrase relates directly to the theme of this chapter, serving others.
This is the second time that Jesus has asked a similar question in this chapter. The first was Mar 10:36, in answering James and John. The main vocabulary is the same. The difference is slight. Christ asked James and John what he could do for them, while here he asks the blind man what he can do to him.
Both represent satisfying our desire. The first is, "doing for us," about changing our environment. The second is about changing us, "doing to us." Note that Jesus denies the first request, but grants the second. Jesus cannot change our environment. Only we and the Father can do that. Jesus, however, can change us.