Mark 13:36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

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Jesus describes the destruction of the temple as an analogy for the end of Israel.

KJV

Mark 13:36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

NIV

Mark 13:36  If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.

3RD (NLT, if not otherwise identified)

Mark 13:36 Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning.

LISTENERS HEARD

Maybe not showing up immediately, he might discover you sleeping

MY TAKE

Some of us are asleep even when we think we are awake.

GREEK ORDER

μὴ   ἐλθὼν                     ἐξέφνης         εὕρῃ                     ὑμᾶς καθεύδοντας:
Not maybe showing up immediately, he might discover you sleeping

LOST IN TRANSLATION

This verse says something a little different than the translation. It suggests that if we expect the master to return immediately, he may find us sleeping.  The negative negates the participle "coming," not the entire phrase. The particle is in the form of possibility, that might or should happen. For a participle, we need an adverb to express this idea in English. The "find" is also in the form, which the sense of "he might find you sleeping." This way of saying it is lighter and more humorous than the English translation.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
2
  • MW -- Missing Word -- This verb is a subjunctive, which requires a "maybe" or "perhaps" when outside of a "when/if/whoever" clause.
  • MW -- Missing Word -- This verb is a subjunctive, which requires a "should" or "might" when outside of a "when/if/whoever" clause.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
6
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "if" doesn't exist in the source.
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "comes" is not an active verb but a participle, "coming."
  • WP -- Wrongly Placed -- The word "not" doesn't negate "let" but "comng."
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "let" doesn't exist in the source and isn't justified by the verb form.
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  The "him" is not the object of the verb but the subject, "he."
  • MW -- Missing Word -- This verb is a subjunctive, which requires a "should" or "might" when outside of a "when/if/whoever" clause.
# 3RD TRANSLATION ISSUES
6
  • WP -- Wrongly Placed -- The word "not" doesn't negate "let" but "comng."
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "let" doesn't exist in the source and isn't justified by the verb form.
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  The "him" is not the object of the verb but the subject, "he."
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "when" doesn't exist in the source.
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "arrives" is not an active verb but a participle, "arriving."
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "without warning" means "suddenly."
EACH WORD of KJV

Lest --  (CW) The negative "lest" used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion, commands, and requests. It can be translated as "lest," but  here it negates just the particle, "coming" not the whole clause.

missing "perhaps" or "maybe"-- (MW) An adverb is necessary because the following principle is in the form of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur. The helping verb is not needed in a clause beginning with an "if," "when," "whoever" and other conditional clauses.

coming -- The word translated as "coming" primarily means "to start out" but Christ usually uses it to mean "come" but not always. It indicates movement, especially its beginning, without indicating a direction toward or away from anything, so it works either as "come" or "go," but it is more like our phrase "being underway." Our English word "show up" captures both the "start" and "come" ideas.  The form is an adjective, "showing up". It is in the form of possibility, something that might happen.

suddenly The adverb translated as "suddenly" is unique for Jesus to use. It is spelled in an uncommon way. The meaning is "at a moment."

he -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the following verb.

missing "should" or "might"-- (MW) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a verb of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur. The helping verb is not needed in a clause beginning with an "if," "when," "whoever" and other conditional clauses.

find -- The term used for "he find" is the source of our word, "heuristic," meaning enabling a person to find out something for themselves. It means "find out" and "discover."  The form is one of possibly happening at some time, "might discover."

you -- The "you" here is plural, indicating it was addressed to a group of Christ's listeners as the object, "you all".  There is a sense that the problem isn't want person sleeping but everyone in the group.

sleeping. -- The Greek word translated as "sleeping" means "to lie down to sleep", "to sleep," and "to lie asleep." The form is that of an adjective, "sleeping".

EACH WORD of NIV

If -- (IW) There is no Greek word that can be translated as "if" in the Greek source. While the "if" indicates something that might happen, that is not the word used here.

he -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the following verb.

comes -- (WF) The word translated as "comes" primarily means "to start out" but Christ usually uses it to mean "come" but not always. It indicates movement, especially its beginning, without indicating a direction toward or away from anything, so it works either as "come" or "go," but it is more like our phrase "being underway." Our English word "show up" captures both the "start" and "come" ideas.  The form is an adjective, "showing up".

suddenly, The adverb translated as "suddenly" is unique for Jesus to use. It is spelled in an uncommon way. The meaning is "at a moment."

do -- This English helping verb is used to create questions, commands, negative statements, and smooth word flow in translation from Greek This word is inserted to negate a verb that doesn't exist in the Greek.

not --  (WP) The negative "not" used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion, commands, and requests. This negative appears before the participle, "coming" or "showing up." In Greek, the negative negates the following word, or, the whole clause when it is before the verb.  The negative doesn't mean that he doesn't show up, but that you "don't want him coming.:

let - (IW) This verb does not exist in the source. There is not command to the listeners.

him -- (WF) This is from the third-person, singular form of the following verb. It is a subject, "he" not an object "him.

missing "should" or "might"-- (MW) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a verb of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur. The helping verb is not needed in a clause beginning with an "if," "when," "whoever" and other conditional clauses.

find -- The term used for "find" is the source of our word, "heuristic," meaning enabling a person to find out something for themselves. It means "find out" and "discover."  The form is one of possibly happening at some time, "might discover."

you -- The "you" here is plural, indicating it was addressed to a group of Christ's listeners as the object, "you all".  There is a sense that the problem isn't want person sleeping but everyone in the group.

sleeping. -- The Greek word translated as "sleeping" means "to lie down to sleep", "to sleep," and "to lie asleep." The form is that of an adjective, "sleeping".

EACH WORD 3RD (NLT or as noted)

Do -- - This English helping verb is used to create questions, commands, negative statements, and smooth word flow in translation from Greek This word is inserted to negate a verb that doesn't exist in the Greek.

n't --  (WP) The negative "not" used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion, commands, and requests. This negative appears before the participle, "coming" or "showing up." In Greek, the negative negates the following word, or, the whole clause when it is before the verb.  The negative doesn't mean that he doesn't show up, but that you "don't want him coming.:

let - (IW) This verb does not exist in the source. There is not command to the listeners.

him -- (WF) This is from the third-person, singular form of the following verb. It is a subject, "he" not an object "him.

missing "should" or "might"-- (MW) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a verb of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur. The helping verb is not needed in a clause beginning with an "if," "when," "whoever" and other conditional clauses.

find -- The term used for "he find" is the source of our word, "heuristic," meaning enabling a person to find out something for themselves. It means "find out" and "discover."  The form is one of possibly happening at some time, "might discover."

you -- The "you" here is plural, indicating it was addressed to a group of Christ's listeners as the object, "you all".  There is a sense that the problem isn't want person sleeping but everyone in the group.

sleeping. -- The Greek word translated as "sleeping" means "to lie down to sleep", "to sleep," and "to lie asleep." The form is that of an adjective, "sleeping".

when -- (IW) There is no Greek word that can be translated as "when" in the Greek source. While the "when" indicates something that might happen, that is not the word used here.

he -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the following verb.

arrives -- (WF) The word translated as "comes" primarily means "to start out" but Christ usually uses it to mean "come" but not always. It indicates movement, especially its beginning, without indicating a direction toward or away from anything, so it works either as "come" or "go," but it is more like our phrase "being underway." Our English word "show up" captures both the "start" and "come" ideas.  The form is an adjective, "showing up".

without warning, -- (WW) The adverb translated as "without " is unique for Jesus to use. It is spelled in an uncommon way. The meaning is "at a moment."

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

μὴ [447 verses](conj) "Lest" is me , which is the negative used in prohibitions and expressions of doubt meaning "not" and "no." As οὐ (ou) negates fact and statement; μή rejects, οὐ denies; μή is relative, οὐ absolute; μή subjective, οὐ objective. --

ἐλθὼν [198 verses]( part sg aor act masc nom ) "Coming" is erchomai, which means "to start," "to set out", "to come", "to go," and any kind of motion. It means both "to go" on a journey and "to arrive" at a place. --

ἐξέφνης {ἐξαίφνης}[1 verse](adv) "Suddenly" is  exaiphnēs, which means " on a sudden", "the moment then", and "instantaneously". However, the spelling is different than the word translated. As spelled, the word does not appear in the Perseus repository of ancient texts, but the word means "crazy" in modern Greek. 

εὕρῃ [43 verses]( verb 3rd sg aor subj act ) "He find" is heurisko, which means "to find", "to find out", "to discover", "to devise", "to invent", "to get," and "to gain." --

ὑμᾶς [210 verses](pron 2nd pl acc) "You" is humas which is the plural objective form of the second-person pronoun, "you.

καθεύδοντας: [12 verses] ( part pl pres act masc acc ) "Sleeping" is katheudo, which means "to lie down to sleep," "to sleep," and "to lie asleep." 

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