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Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were two days away, and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a covert way to arrest Jesus and kill Him.
Berean Standard Bible · CC0
Greek — tap a word ↓
de to pascha kai ta azyma Ēn dyo hēmeras meta kai hoi archiereis kai hoi grammateis ezētoun en dolō pōs kratēsantes auton apokteinōsin
Word by word23 · parsed
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
δέ: but, and A soft connective, not an adversative here; it hinges the plot onto the discourse just ended.
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Neuter Singular
√ πάσχα — the Passover (the meal, the day, the festival or the special sacrifices connected with it)NounNominative Neuter Singular
πάσχα: the Passover Strong's spreads the word over the whole complex: “the Passover (the meal, the day, the festival or the special sacrifices connected with it).” Gill supplies the content: it “was kept in commemoration of God's passing over the houses of the Israelites, when he destroyed the firstborn of Egypt,” and “was kept by eating the passover lamb.” Mark's first word of the Passion narrative is therefore a word about a slain lamb and a spared people, and he sets it two days before the arrest, which fixes the whole conspiracy inside a liturgical clock the conspirators did not set.
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Neuter Plural
√ ἄζυμος — unleavened, iAdjectiveNominative Neuter Plural
ἄζυμα: unleavened An adjective (G106) in the neuter plural used as a name, “the unleavened things,” which is why BSB has to supply “[Feast of].” Cambridge dates it: “The Passover took place on the 14th of Nisan, and the ‘Feast of unleavened bread’ commenced on the 15th and lasted for seven days, deriving its name from the Mazzoth, or unleavened cakes,” citing Exodus 12:34, Exodus 12:39 and Deuteronomy 16:3. Ellicott adds that naming the feast twice is Mark's and Luke's habit, “an explanation intended for Gentile readers.”
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
εἰμί: to be (imperfect singular) One verb for two names. The singular is the grammatical form of Pulpit's claim that “It was one and the same festival.”
√ δύο — "two"AdjectiveAccusative Feminine Plural
√ ἡμέρα — day, iNounAccusative Feminine Plural
ἡμέρα: day The accusative of extent measures the interval. JFB reads it forward: “two days after what is about to be mentioned the passover would arrive.” Two days is not atmosphere, it is the countdown that makes every act in this chapter dated.
√ μετά — properly, denoting accompanimentPreposition
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
√ ἀρχιερεύς — the high-priest (literally, of the Jews, typically, Christ)NounNominative Masculine Plural
ἀρχιερεύς: high priest Strong's own entry is unusually loaded: “the high-priest (literally, of the Jews, typically, Christ).” The plural here names the serving and deposed holders of the office plus the priestly aristocracy; Cambridge locates them “in the court of the palace of Caiaphas.” The office charged with presenting the Passover sacrifice is here convened to procure a death, and Ellicott notes that Mark and Luke both omit Caiaphas by name.
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
√ γραμματεύς — scribe, town-clerkNounNominative Masculine Plural
γραμματεύς: scribe The legal experts. Pulpit: “The two classes in the Sanhedrim who actually combined to put our Lord to death were those here mentioned by St. Mark,” where Matthew names the chief priests and the elders.
√ ζητέω — to seek (literally or figuratively)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
ζητέω: to seek The imperfect makes the search a condition rather than an event, and it is the same verb that will govern Judas at v. 11. Pulpit: “the verb with its tense implies continuous and eager desire.” Cambridge supplies the motive: their influence “was lost unless they were willing to take extreme measures.”
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
√ δόλος — compare G1185 (δελεάζω))NounDative Masculine Singular
δόλος: guile, bait Rare in the Greek Testament (11 verses). The lexicon ties it to G1185 δελεάζω, to entice with bait, so the word carries the picture of a trap baited for prey. Cambridge: “It was formally resolved therefore to take Him by craft, and for this purpose to wait and take advantage of the course of events.” The guile is forced on them by the crowd: Pulpit says “They used subtlety, because they feared lest he should escape out of their hands.”
√ πῶς — an interrogative particle of mannerAdverb
√ κρατέω — to use strength, iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
κρατέω: to seize, to use strength Aorist participle of attendant circumstance. The word is plain physical apprehension, and the same root recurs through the arrest in the garden and the trial. Grammatically it is the means; the purpose clause that follows is the end.
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
√ ἀποκτείνω — to kill outrightVerbAorist Subjunctive Active3rd Person Plural
ἀποκτείνω: to kill outright Aorist subjunctive in a deliberative purpose construction governed by πῶς: the question they debate is not whether but how. Mark states the verdict before any trial has been held, which means every legal proceeding in the chapters ahead is, on Mark's own account, a procedure in search of a sentence already reached.