After Jesus warns them about tripping up kids.
Mark 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Mark 9:43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.
And when that hand of yours trips you up, chop it off. It is good your entering maimed into this life rather than having those two hands to depart into the Gehenna into that pyre the unquenchable.
Uncontrolled hands are fuel fo the fire.
Καὶ ἐὰν σκανδαλίσῃ σε ἡ χείρ σου, ἀπόκοψον αὐτήν: καλόν ἐστίν σε κυλλὸν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ζωὴν ἢ τὰς δύο χεῖρας ἔχοντα ἀπελθεῖν εἰς τὴν γέενναν, εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἄσβεστον.
And when that hand of yours trips you up, cut it off. It is good your entering maimed into this life rather than having those two hands to depart into the Gehenna into that pyre the unquenchable.
The first unusual aspect of this verse is that all the second-person pronouns are in the singular, addressed to one person, rather than a group. This indicates a comment or question from someone that Jesus is answering. The Matthew version of this verse appears in the Sermon on the Mount rather than being addressed to the apostles towards the end of Jesus's ministry.
This verse should be seen primarily as humorous. The keyword here is a "Greek" word translated as "offend/cause to stumble," a verb found only in the Bible. It ties this verse to the previous one, Mark 9:42, which also used this word. It refers to putting a stumbling block before someone so that they trip and thereby offending them. In English, we would simply say, "trips you up." See the article on this word here.
The verb that means "chop it off" also means "to cut loose" and, in the middle voice to "make yourself a eunuch." While this sounds extreme, there is also humor in it.
The word here is "good" not "better." Jesus never uses the comparative form of the adjective. However, positive attributes can be used in comparisons simply by translating the Greek "than" as "rather than."
The "for you" comes from the indirect object form of the "you" in the KJV's Greek source but in today''s source the you is the subject of the "to enter" which translated into English as "your entering."
The final phrase is not anything like the clauses "never shall be quenched" or "where the fire never goes out." It is an adjective with a definate article, "the unquenchable one."
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "if" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "hand" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW --Confusing Word -- The "offend" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
- CW --Confusing Word -- The "better" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
- OS -- Outdated Source -- The Greek word translated as "for" existed in the KJV Greek source but not the source we use today.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "life" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW --Confusing Word -- The "than" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "hands" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "hell" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW --Confusing Word -- The "hell" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
- CW --Confusing Word -- The "never shall be quenched" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "and" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "if" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "hand" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW --Confusing Word -- The "better" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "for" doesn't exist in the source.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "life" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW --Confusing Word -- The "than" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
- WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "with" should be something more like "having."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "hands" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "hell" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW --Confusing Word -- The "hell" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
- WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "where" should be something more like "into."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "unquenchable" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW --Confusing Word -- The "never goes out" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
And -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
if - (CW) "If" indicates more of an expectation of something happening than "if" alone. This is how we use the word "when." It can be used after a demonstrative pronoun to mean "that possibly," "whosoever," or "whatsoever." This is not the simple "if."
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.
thy -- The word translated as "thy" is the possessive form of the second person pronoun. It follows the noun so "of yours."
hand -- The Greek word translated as "hand" means "the hand and forearm". It can mean both the idea of a helping hand and being in someone's control.
offend -- -- (CW) "Offend" is a verb that means "to cause to stumble" or "to trip up." From there it is assumed by its translators to mean "to give offense" and "to scandalize." Our word "scandalize" come directly from the Greek. However, this interpretation of the word only comes from the translators of the Gospels. This is a Koine word that is found originally only in the New Testament, but based on a noun found only in the Greek Old Testament meaning "snare," or "stumbling block." The noun is changed to a verb by adding an ending very much like we add "ize" to a noun in order to make it a verb. So, literally it would mean to "make or performing a stumble." In English, we would simply say, "trips up" capturing the same idea exactly. See the article on this word here.
thee, -- The "thee/you" here is the singular, accusative (objective,) second-person pronoun. The "you" here is singular. This usually indicates that Jesus was likely addressing to an individual instead of all his listeners. It is the object of the action of the verb.
cut -- "Cut off" is an uncommon verb for Jesus, used only here and in the next verse, that means "cut off", "hew off", "exclude from reckoning", "cut short", "bring to an abrupt close," and "smite in the breast from mourning." It is in the form of a command or request.
it -- The word translated as "it" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.
off -- This is from the prefix of the previous verb. This prefix is different than the one used in Matthew's version.
it -- This pronoun comes from the singular/plural, third-person form of the verb.
is -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. When the verb "to be" appears early in the clause before the subject, the sense is more like "it is" or, in the plural, "there are."
better -- (WF) The word translated as "good means "good", "beautiful", "noble," or "of good quality." See this article on the real Greek meaning of the terms translated as "good" and "evil." The word translated as "well" means, as an adverb, "well", "rightly", "happily", "thoroughly", "altogether", and "deservedly". It is not the comparative form "better," which Jesus never uses.
for -- (OS) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "for" in the source we use today but it does exist in the source that the KJV translators used where the following word was an indirect object.
thee - The "you" here is singular. This usually indicates that Jesus was likely addressing to an individual instead of all his listeners. This objective form is the subject of the infinitive, "to enter," which acts like a gerund in English,
"your entering."
to -- This is from the infinitive form of the verb.
enter -- "Enter" is a word that means "go or come into" and has the double meaning of "coming into one's mind."
into -- The word translated as "into" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure.
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.
life -- The word translated as "life" means "living" but it also means "substance", "existence," and "property." Jesus also uses it to mean "existence" beyond physical life.
maimed, -- "Maimed" is a word Jesus only uses here. It means "club-footed", "deformed", "crooked," and "crippled." This word appears in the Greek as an adjective modifying, "you(r)" above.
than -- (CW) "Than" is translated from a Greek word that serves as "than" in a comparison. However, when used with a positive adjective, rather than a comparative adjective, it should be translated as "rather than."
having -- The word translated as "have" means to "have", "possess", "bear", "keep close", "have means to do", "to have due to one", or "keep" and many specific uses. The form is that of an adjective, "having."
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.
two -- The Greek word for "two" means "two" or a "couple."
hands -- The Greek word translated as "hands" means "the hand and forearm". It can mean both the idea of a helping hand and being in someone's control.
to -- This is from the infinitive form of the verb.
go -- (CW) The Greek verb translated as "go" means "to go away," "to depart from", "to spread abroad," and "to depart from life." It is not the simple "go."
into -- The word translated as "into" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure.
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.
hell, -- (CW) The word "hell" is the name of an area, Gehenna, where a constant fire was kept for disposing of trash from Jerusalem. See this article for more.
into -- The word translated as "into" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure.
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
fire -- "Fire" is a noun that means "fire", "sacrificial fire", "funeral fire", and so on, but Christ only uses this word to describe the fire of a trash dump. He usually uses it with the word that is translated as "hell" but which was the name of the burning trash dump outside of Jerusalem.
that -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
never shall be quenched: -- (CW) "Never shall be quenched" is a single adjective that means "unquenchable," and "inextinguishable." Though an adjective, the preceding article makes it more like a noun, "the unquenchable one."
missing "and" -- (MW) The untranslated word "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
If - (CW) "If" indicates more of an expectation of something happening than "if" alone. This is how we use the word "when." It can be used after a demonstrative pronoun to mean "that possibly," "whosoever," or "whatsoever." This is not the simple "if."
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.
your -- The word translated as "your " is the possessive form of the second person pronoun. It follows the noun so "of yours."
hand -- The Greek word translated as "hand" means "the hand and forearm". It can mean both the idea of a helping hand and being in someone's control.
causes -- -- "Causes...to stumble" is a verb that means "to cause to stumble" or "to trip up." From there it is assumed by its translators to mean "to give offense" and "to scandalize." Our word "scandalize" come directly from the Greek. However, this interpretation of the word only comes from the translators of the Gospels. This is a Koine word that is found originally only in the New Testament, but based on a noun found only in the Greek Old Testament meaning "snare," or "stumbling block." The noun is changed to a verb by adding an ending very much like we add "ize" to a noun in order to make it a verb. So, literally it would mean to "make or performing a stumble." In English, we would simply say, "trips up" capturing the same idea exactly. See the article on this word here.
you , -- The "you" here is the singular, accusative (objective,) second-person pronoun. The "you" here is singular. This usually indicates that Jesus was likely addressing to an individual instead of all his listeners. It is the object of the action of the verb.
to stumble - This completes the idea of the verb.
cut -- "Cut off" is an uncommon verb for Jesus, used only here and in the next verse, that means "cut off", "hew off", "exclude from reckoning", "cut short", "bring to an abrupt close," and "smite in the breast from mourning." It is in the form of a command or request.
it -- The word translated as "it" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.
off -- This is from the prefix of the previous verb. This prefix is different than the one used in Matthew's version.
It -- This pronoun comes from the singular/plural, third-person form of the verb.
is -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. When the verb "to be" appears early in the clause before the subject, the sense is more like "it is" or, in the plural, "there are."
better -- (WF) The word translated as "good means "good", "beautiful", "noble," or "of good quality." See this article on the real Greek meaning of the terms translated as "good" and "evil." The word translated as "well" means, as an adverb, "well", "rightly", "happily", "thoroughly", "altogether", and "deservedly". It is not the comparative form "better," which Jesus never uses.
for -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "for" in the Greek source.
you - The "you" here is singular. This usually indicates that Jesus was likely addressing to an individual instead of all his listeners. This objective form is the subject of the infinitive, "to enter," which acts like a gerund in English, "your entering." The "maimed" below is as an adjective in a form modifying this pronoun.
to -- This is from the infinitive form of the verb.
enter -- "Enter" is a word that means "go or come into" and has the double meaning of "coming into one's mind."
into -- The word translated as "into" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure.
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.
life -- The word translated as "life" means "living" but it also means "substance", "existence," and "property." Jesus also uses it to mean "existence" beyond physical life.
maimed, -- "Maimed" is a word Jesus only uses here. It means "club-footed", "deformed", "crooked," and "crippled." This word appears in the Greek as an adjective modifying, "you."
than -- (CW) "Than" is translated from a Greek word that serves as "than" in a comparison. However, when used with a positive adjective, rather than a comparative adjective, it should be translated as "rather than."
with -- (WW) The word translated as "with" means to "have", "possess", "bear", "keep close", "have means to do", "to have due to one", or "keep" and many specific uses. The form is that of an adjective, "having."
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.
two -- The Greek word for "two" means "two" or a "couple."
hands -- The Greek word translated as "hands" means "the hand and forearm". It can mean both the idea of a helping hand and being in someone's control.
to -- This is from the infinitive form of the verb.
go -- (CW) The Greek verb translated as "go" means "to go away," "to depart from", "to spread abroad," and "to depart from life." It is not the simple "go."
into -- The word translated as "into" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure.
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.
hell, -- (CW) The word "hell" is the name of an area, Gehenna, where a constant fire was kept for disposing of trash from Jerusalem. This area was originally where children were sacrificed to Baal, and Baal (Beelzebub, "lord of the flies"), Christ's personification of evil. See this article for more.
where -- The word translated as "whare" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure.
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
fire -- "Fire" is a noun that means "fire", "sacrificial fire", "funeral fire", and so on, but Christ only uses this word to describe the fire of a trash dump. He usually uses it with the word that is translated as "hell" but which was the name of the burning trash dump outside of Jerusalem.
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.
never goes out.-- (CW) "Never goes out." is a single adjective that means "unquenchable," and "inextinguishable." Though an adjective, the preceding article makes it more like a noun, "the unquenchable one."
Καὶ [1089 verses] (conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "but." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even", "also," and "just."
ἐὰν [163 verses] (conj) "If" is ean, which is a conditional particle (derived from ei (if) and an (might), which makes reference to a time and experience in the future that introduces but does not determine an event.
σκανδαλίσῃ [20 verses]( verb 2nd sg aor subj mid ) "Offend" is skandalizo, which means "to cause to stumble," "to give offense," and "to scandalize." This is the verb form of skandolon, meaning "trap," "snare," or "stumbling block," that appears twenty-five times in the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament. and fifteen in the NT.
σε: [48 verses](pron 2nd sg acc) "You" is from see, the objective form of the second-person, singular pronoun.
ἡ [821 verses] (article sg fem nom ) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
χείρ [25 verses]( noun sg fem nom ) "Hand" is cheir,which means "the hand and arm," and "with the help of agency of another." Like "hand" in English, it has a lot of meanings including "an act or deed," "a body of people," and the measurement "handful."
σου, [144 verses](pron 2nd sg gen) "Thy" is sou is the genitive form of the second-person, singular pronoun that means "of you" and "your."
ἀπόκοψον [2 verses]( verb 2nd sg aor imperat act ) "Cut off" is apokopto, which means "cut off", "hew off", "exclude from reckoning", "cut short", "bring to an abrupt close," and "smite in the breast from mourning."
αὐτὴν [39 verses](adj sg fem acc) "It" is auten, in the form of the singular, object, feminine pronoun "her"
καλόν [48 verses] ( noun sg neut nom/acc ) "Good" "Good" is kalos, which means "beautiful," "good," "of fine quality," "noble," and "honorable." Referring to parts of the body, "fair" and "shapely."As an adverb, kalos, the word translated as "well" means, "well," "rightly," "happily," "thoroughly," "altogether," and "deservedly."
ἐστίν .[614 verses] (verb 3rd sg pres ind act) "Is" is eimi, which means "to be", "to exist", "to be the case," of circumstance and events "to happen", and "is possible." (The future form is esomai. The 3rd person present indicative is "esti.")
σε [48 verses](pron 2nd sg acc) "You" is from see, the objective form of the second-person, singular pronoun.
κυλλὸν [2 verses] (adj sg masc acc) "Maimed" is kyllos, which means "club-footed," "deformed," "crooked," and "crippled."
εἰσελθεῖν [68 verses] ( verb aor inf act ) "To enter" is eiserchomai which means both "to go into", "to come in", "to enter", "to enter an office", "to enter a charge," (as in court) and "to come into one's mind."
εἰς [325 verses] (prep) "Into" is eis, which means "into (of place)," "up to (of time)", "until (of time)", "as much as (of measure or limit)", "as far as (of measure or limit)", "towards (to express relation)", "in regard to (to express relation)", "of an end or limit," and "for (of purpose or object)."
τὴν [821 verses](article sg fem acc) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
ζωὴν [42 verses] ( noun sg fem acc ) "Life" is zoe, which means "living", "substance", "property", "existence," and, incidentally, "the scum on milk." It has the sense of how we say "make a living" to mean property. Homer used it more to mean the opposite of death.
ἢ [92 verses](conj/adv/exclam) "Or" is e, which is a particle used as a disjunctive, "either," "or," , or as a comparative, "than" or "rather than." It is also an exclamation, "hi!" and an adverb meaning "in truth" and "of a surety." It is used with comparative forms of adjective or with positive adjective implying a comparison. -
τὰς [821 verses](article pl fem acc) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
δύο [36 verses](number) "Two" is duo, which means the number "two", "a couple," and "a pair."
χεῖρας [25 verses] (noun pl fem acc) "Hands" is cheir which means "the hand and arm," and "with the help of agency of another." Like "hand" in English, it has a lot of meanings including "an act or deed", "a body of people," and the measurement "handful."
ἔχοντα [181 verses] ( part sg pres act masc acc ) "Having" is echo, which means "to have", "to hold", "to possess", "to keep", "to have charge of", "to have due to one", "to maintain", "to hold fast", "to bear", "to carry", "to keep close", "to keep safe," and "to have means to do."
ἀπελθεῖν [22 verses]( verb aor inf act ) "Go into" is aperchomai, which means "to go away," "to depart from", "to spread abroad," and "to depart from life."
εἰς [325 verses](prep) "Into" is eis, which means "into (of place)," "up to (of time)", "until (of time)", "as much as (of measure or limit)", "as far as (of measure or limit)", "towards (to express relation)", "in regard to (to express relation)", "of an end or limit," and "for (of purpose or object)." -- The word translated as "unto" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure.
τὴν [821 verses](article sg fem acc) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
γέενναν, [11 verses] ( noun sg fem acc ) "Hell" is geenna which is Greek for Gehenna, the valley of Hinnom (the Hebrew word), south of Jerusalem where trash, including diseased animals and human corpses was burned. A constant fire was kept burning there.
εἰς [325 verses](prep) "Into" is eis, which means "into (of place)," "up to (of time)", "until (of time)", "as much as (of measure or limit)", "as far as (of measure or limit)", "towards (to express relation)", "in regard to (to express relation)", "of an end or limit," and "for (of purpose or object)." -- The word translated as "unto" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure.
τὸ [821 verses] (article noun sg neut acc) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
πῦρ [14 verses] (noun sg neut acc) "Fire" is pyr (pur), which means "fire", "sacrificial fire", "funeral fire", "hearth-fire", "lightning", "the light of torches," and "heat of fever."
τὸ [821 verses](article sg fem acc) "That" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
ἄσβεστον. [1 verse](adj sg neut acc) "Never shall be quenched" is from asbestos which means "unquenchable," and "inextinguishable."
The word chosen as "go into hell" means "to depart from life."
To mean, this verse appears to be a humorous reference to stopping masturbation as symbol for immoral sexual activity. This is clearer in the Sermon on the Mount where if follows other verses about adultery and an "eye" "tripping you up." The "hand" is a feminine verb. The "cut it off" means "to cut loose" and, in the middle voice, "make yourself a eunuch". The "it" is really the feminine pronoun, "her."