Mark 2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Spoken to
The Pharisees

Jesus defended himself and his followers for gleaning a field on the Sabbath, by the Pharisees.

KJV

Mark 2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

NIV

Mark 2:28  So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

LISTENERS HEARD

Therefore a master is the son of the man and of the Sabbath. 

MY TAKE

We are all the children of our parents and their leisure.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

This version is very different of the parallel verses Matthew 12:8 and Luke 6:5. As we usually see, the English translation is made to make them look more alike than they are.

The sentence begins with the subject, "a lord is" or "a master is."  Jesus then describes himself as  "the child of the man and of the Sabbath." This is disguised because the English translations translated "and" as "also." Since the previous verse states that the Sabbath comes into being though "the man," Jesus is claiming to be an offspring of both the Sabbath and the man who made the Sabbath possible.  What does it mean to be "a child of the Sabbath?" The Sabbath was not a day of worship as much as a day of rest.

The punchline of the joke is " and of the sabbath" since Jesus normally just described huimself as "the son of man."

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
2
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "heaven" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "also" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
2
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "heaven" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "even" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
EACH WORD of KJV

Therefore -- "Therefore" is an adverb that marks the power or virtue by which one does a thing, "as being," "inasmuch as," expresses the actual. At the beginning of a sentence, to mark a strong conclusion, "and so," "therefore," and with subj. " in order that."

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article; without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

Son -- The word translated as "son" more generally means "child" or "children." It can refer to all offspring in later generations, just like "father" refers to all previous generations. Jesus also used it metaphorically to describe those who follow a way of thought or set of beliefs that descend from an individual. More about it in this article.

of -- This word "of"  comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession.

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. 

man -- The Greek word for "man" means "man," "person" and "humanity" in the singular. In the plural, it means "men," "people," and "peoples."

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.  The word also means "to exist" and where it doesn't connect to characteristics or conditions.

Lord -- The word translated as "master" is the same word that is often translated as "Lord" or "the Lord" in the NT. It also means "lord," "master of the house," and "head of the family." It is the specific terms for the master of slaves or servants, but it was a common term of respect both for those in authority and who were honored. It was the term people used to address Christ, even though he had no formal authority. Today, we would say "boss" or "chief." For the sake of consistency, this should be the Greek word translated as "master."

also -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "also" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). While it can mean also, the form of the sentence seems to indicate that it joins to possessive clauses.

of -- This word "of"  comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession.

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article; without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

sabbath. -- The word translated as the "the Sabbath day" is the Greek version of the Hebrew word "shabbat" meaning "rest" or "day of rest."

EACH WORD of NIV

Therefore -- "Therefore" is an adverb that marks the power or virtue by which one does a thing, "as being," "inasmuch as," expresses the actual. At the beginning of a sentence, to mark a strong conclusion, "and so," "therefore," and with subj. " in order that."

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article; without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

Son -- The word translated as "son" more generally means "child" or "children." It can refer to all offspring in later generations, just like "father" refers to all previous generations. Jesus also used it metaphorically to describe those who follow a way of thought or set of beliefs that descend from an individual. More about it in this article.

of -- This word "of"  comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession.

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. 

man -- The Greek word for "man" means "man," "person" and "humanity" in the singular. In the plural, it means "men," "people," and "peoples."

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.  The word also means "to exist" and where it doesn't connect to characteristics or conditions.

Lord -- The word translated as "master" is the same word that is often translated as "Lord" or "the Lord" in the NT. It also means "lord," "master of the house," and "head of the family." It is the specific terms for the master of slaves or servants, but it was a common term of respect both for those in authority and who were honored. It was the term people used to address Christ, even though he had no formal authority. Today, we would say "boss" or "chief." For the sake of consistency, this should be the Greek word translated as "master."

even-- (CW) The Greek word translated as "even" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also," "even"). While it can mean "even," the form of the sentence seems to indicate that it joins to possessive clauses.

of -- This word "of"  comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession.

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article; without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

Sabbath. -- The word translated as the "the Sabbath day" is the Greek version of the Hebrew word "shabbat" meaning "rest" or "day of rest."

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

ὥστε [9 verses](adv/conj) "Therefore" is hoste, which marks the power or virtue by which one does a thing. At the beginning of a sentence, it marks a strong conclusion, "and so," "therefore," and with subj. " in order that."

κύριός [92 verses](noun sg masc acc) "Lord" is kyrios, which means "having power," "being in authority" and "being in possession of." It also means "lord," "master of the house," and "head of the family."

ἐστίν.[614 verses](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." With the genitive object, the sense is "belongs to." With the dative, it means "have" where the subject and object are reversed.

  [821 verses](article sg masc nom)  "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). 

υἱὸς [158 verses](noun sg masc nom​) "The Son" is huios, which means a "son," and more generally, a "child." It is used generally to refer to any male descendant.

τοῦ [821 verses](article sg masc gen)  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").  -

ἀνθρώπου [209 verses](noun sg masc gen) "Of man" is anthropos, which is "man," and, in plural, "mankind." It also means "humanity" and that which is human and opposed to that which is animal or inanimate.

καὶ [1089 verses](conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." 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."

τοῦ [821 verses](article sg neut gen)  "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). 

σαββάτου. [17 verses](noun sg neut gen)   "Sabbath day" is from sabbaton, which means "Sabbath," "seven days of week," and "first day of week."

Wordplay

Christ is calling himself a master at resting.

The word translated as "Lord" is in the form where it could be the name of God or a word meaning simply "a lord". 

Christ seems t use the phrase "son of man" to refer both to himself and to a generic concept of a new generation of humanity.

Unimportant Opinions and Imaginings

This is how a lord is the son of the man, also of the Sabbath. 

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