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Mark 1:1

New American Standard Bible (NASB ©1995) [2]
— The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
King James Version (KJV 1769) [2]
— The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
English Revised Version (ERV 1885)
— The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
American Standard Version (ASV 1901) [2]
— The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Webster's Revision of the KJB (WEB 1833)
— The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God;
Darby's Translation (DBY 1890)
— Beginning of the glad tidings of Jesus Christ, Son of God;
Rotherham's Emphasized Bible (EBR 1902)
— Beginning of the glad-message of Jesus Christ.
Young's Literal Translation (YLT 1898)
— A beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, Son of God.
Douay-Rheims Challoner Revision (DR 1750)
— The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Geneva Bible (GNV 1560)
— The beginning of the Gospel of Iesus Christ, the Sonne of God:
Original King James Bible (AV 1611) [2]
— The beginning of the Gospel of Iesus Christ, the Sonne of God,
Lamsa Bible (1957)
— THE beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
John Etheridge Peshitta-Aramaic NT (1849)
— THE beginning of the Gospel of Jeshu Meshicha, the Son of Aloha.
James Murdock Peshitta-Aramaic NT (1852)
— THE beginning of the gospel of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.

Strong's Numbers & Red-LettersGreek New TestamentColor-Code/Key Word Studies
The beginning 746
{0746} Prime
ἀρχή
arche
{ar-khay'}
From G0756; (properly abstract) a commencement, or (concrete) chief (in various applications of order, time, place or rank).
of the x3588
(3588) Complement

ho
{ho}
The masculine, feminine (second) and neuter (third) forms, in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom).
gospel 2098
{2098} Prime
εὐαγγέλιον
euaggelion
{yoo-ang-ghel'-ee-on}
From the same as G2097; a good message, that is, the gospel.
of Jesus 2424
{2424} Prime
Ἰησοῦς
Iesous
{ee-ay-sooce'}
Of Hebrew origin [H3091]; Jesus (that is, Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites.
Christ, 5547
{5547} Prime
Χριστός
Christos
{khris-tos'}
From G5548; anointed, that is, the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.
the Son 5207
{5207} Prime
υἱός
huios
{hwee-os'}
Apparently a primary word; a 'son' (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figurative kinship.
of God; 2316
{2316} Prime
θεός
theos
{theh'-os}
Of uncertain affinity; a deity, especially (with G3588) the supreme Divinity; figuratively a magistrate; by Hebraism very.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary

Mark 1:1

_ _ Mark 1:1-8. The preaching and baptism of John. ( = Matthew 3:1-12; Luke 3:1-18).

_ _ The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God — By the “Gospel” of Jesus Christ here is evidently meant the blessed Story which our Evangelist is about to tell of His Life, Ministry, Death, Resurrection, and Glorification, and of the begun Gathering of Believers in His Name. The abruptness with which he announces his subject, and the energetic brevity with which, passing by all preceding events, he hastens over the ministry of John and records the Baptism and Temptation of Jesus — as if impatient to come to the Public Life of the Lord of glory — have often been noticed as characteristic of this Gospel — a Gospel whose direct, practical, and singularly vivid setting imparts to it a preciousness peculiar to itself. What strikes every one is, that though the briefest of all the Gospels, this is in some of the principal scenes of our Lord’s history the fullest. But what is not so obvious is, that wherever the finer and subtler feelings of humanity, or the deeper and more peculiar hues of our Lord’s character were brought out, these, though they should be lightly passed over by all the other Evangelists, are sure to be found here, and in touches of such quiet delicacy and power, that though scarce observed by the cursory reader, they leave indelible impressions upon all the thoughtful and furnish a key to much that is in the other Gospels. These few opening words of the Second Gospel are enough to show, that though it was the purpose of this Evangelist to record chiefly the outward and palpable facts of our Lord’s public life, he recognized in Him, in common with the Fourth Evangelist, the glory of the Only-begotten of the Father.

Matthew Henry's Commentary

Mark 1:1-8

_ _ We may observe here,

_ _ I. What the New Testament is — the divine testament, to which we adhere above all that is human; the new testament, which we advance above that which was old. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God, Mark 1:1. 1. It is gospel; it is God's word, and is faithful and true; see Revelation 19:9; Revelation 21:5; Revelation 22:6. It is a good word, and well worthy of all acceptation; it brings us glad tidings. 2. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the anointed Saviour, the Messiah promised and expected. The foregoing gospel began with the generation of Jesus Christ — that was but preliminary, this comes immediately to the business — the gospel of Christ. It is called his, not only because he is the Author of it, and it comes from him, but because he is the Subject of it, and it treats wholly concerning him. 3. This Jesus is the Son of God. That truth is the foundation on which the gospel is built, and which it is written to demonstrate; for is Jesus be not the Son of God, our faith is vain.

_ _ II. What the reference of the New Testament is to the Old, and its coherence with it. The gospel of Jesus Christ begins, and so we shall find it goes on, just as it is written in the prophets (Mark 1:2); for it saith no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said should come (Acts 26:22), which was most proper and powerful for the conviction of the Jews, who believed the Old Testament prophets to be sent of God and ought to have evidenced that they did so by welcoming the accomplishment of their prophecies in its season; but it is of use to us all, for the confirmation of our faith both in the Old Testament and in the New, for the exact harmony that there is between both shows that they both have the same divine original.

_ _ Quotations are here borrowed from two prophecies — that of Isaiah, which was the longest, and that of Malachi, which was the latest (and there were above three hundred years between them), both of whom spoke to the same purport concerning the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in the ministry of John.

_ _ 1. Malachi, in whom we had the Old Testament farewell, spoke very plainly (Malachi 3:1) concerning John Baptist, who was to give the New Testament welcome. Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, Mark 1:2. Christ himself had taken notice of this, and applied it to John (Matthew 11:10), who was God's messenger, sent to prepare Christ's way.

_ _ 2. Isaiah, the most evangelical of all the prophets, begins the evangelical part of his prophecy with this, which points to the beginning of the gospel of Christ (Isaiah 40:3); The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Mark 1:3. Matthew had taken notice of this, and applied it to John, Matthew 3:3. But from these two put together here, we may observe, (1.) That Christ, in his gospel, comes among us, bringing with him a treasure of grace, and a sceptre of government. (2.) Such is the corruption of the world, that there is something to do to make room for him, and to remove that which gives not only obstruction, but opposition to his progress. (3.) When God sent his Son into the world, he took care, and when he sends him into the heart, he takes care, effectual care, to prepare his way before him; for the designs of his grace shall not be frustrated; nor may any expect the comforts of that grace, but such as, by conviction of sin and humiliation for it, are prepared for those comforts, and disposed to receive them. (4.) When the paths that were crooked, are made straight (the mistakes of the judgment rectified, and the crooked ways of the affections), then way is made for Christ's comforts. (5.) It is in a wilderness, for such this world is, that Christ's way is prepared, and theirs that follow him, like that which Israel passed through to Canaan. (6.) The messengers of conviction and terror, that come to prepare Christ's way, are God's messengers, whom he sends and will own, and must be received as such. (7.) They that are sent to prepare the way of the Lord, in such a vast howling wilderness as this is, have need to cry aloud, and not spare, and to lift up their voice like a trumpet.

_ _ III. What the beginning of the New Testament was. The gospel began in John Baptist; for the law and the prophets were, until John, the only divine revelation, but then the kingdom of God began to be preached, Luke 16:16. Peter begins from the baptism of John, Acts 1:22. The gospel did not begin so soon as the birth of Christ, for he took time to increase in wisdom and stature, not so late as his entering upon his public ministry, but half a year before, when John began to preach the same doctrine that Christ afterward preached. His baptism was the dawning of the gospel day; for,

_ _ 1. In John's way of living there was the beginning of a gospel spirit; for it bespoke great self-denial, mortification of the flesh, a holy contempt of the world, and nonconformity to it, which may truly be called the beginning of the gospel of Christ in any soul, Mark 1:6. He was clothed with camels' hair, not with soft raiment; was girt, not with a golden, but with a leathern girdle; and, in contempt of dainties and delicate things, his meat was locusts and wild honey. Note, The more we sit loose to the body, and live above the world, the better we are prepared for Jesus Christ.

_ _ 2. In John's preaching and baptizing there was the beginning of the gospel doctrines and ordinances, and the first fruits of them. (1.) He preached the remission of sins, which is the great gospel privilege; showed people their need of it, that they were undone without it, and that it might be obtained. (2.) He preached repentance, in order to it; he told people that there must be a renovation of their hearts and a reformation of their lives, that they must forsake their sins and turn to God, and upon those terms and no other, their sins should be forgiven. Repentance for the remission of sins, was what the apostles were commissioned to preach to all nations, Luke 24:27. (3.) He preached Christ, and directed his hearers to expect him speedily to appear, and to expect great things from him. The preaching of Christ is pure gospel, and that was John Baptist's preaching, Mark 1:7, Mark 1:8. Like a true gospel minister, he preaches, [1.] The great pre-eminence Christ is advanced to; so high, so great, is Christ, that John, though one of the greatest that was born of women, thinks himself unworthy to be employed in the meanest office about him, even to stoop down, and untie his shoes. Thus industrious is he to give honour to him, and to bring others to do so too. [2.] The great power Christ is invested with; He comes after me in time, but he is mightier than I, mightier than the mighty ones of the earth, for he is able to baptize with the Holy Ghost; he can give the Spirit of God, and by him govern the spirits of men. [3.] The great promise Christ makes in his gospel to those who have repented, and have had their sins forgiven them; They shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, shall be purified by his graces, and refreshed by his comforts. And, lastly, All those who received his doctrine, and submitted to his institution, he baptized with water, as the manner of the Jews was to admit proselytes, in token of their cleansing themselves by repentance and reformation (which were the duties required), and of God's cleansing them both by remission and by sanctification, which were the blessings promised. Now this was afterward to be advanced into a gospel ordinance, which John's using it was a preface to.

_ _ 3. In the success of John's preaching, and the disciples he admitted by baptism, there was the beginning of a gospel church. He baptized in the wilderness, and declined going into the cities; but there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, inhabitants both of city and country, families of them, and were all baptized of him. They entered themselves his disciples, and bound themselves to his discipline; in token of which, they confessed their sins; he admitted them his disciples, in token of which, he baptized them. Here were the stamina of the gospel church, the dew of its youth from the womb of the morning, Psalms 110:3. Many of these afterward became followers of Christ, and preachers of his gospel, and this grain of mustard-seed became a tree.

John Wesley's Explanatory Notes

Mark 1:1

The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ — The evangelist speaks with strict propriety: for the beginning of the Gospel is in the account of John the Baptist, contained in the first paragraph; the Gospel itself in the rest of the book. Matthew 3:1; Luke 3:1

Geneva Bible Translation Notes

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Cross-Reference Topical ResearchStrong's Concordance
beginning:

Luke 1:2-3 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; ... It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
Luke 2:10-11 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ... For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Acts 1:1-2 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, ... Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

Christ:

John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Romans 1:1-4 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called [to be] an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, ... And declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
1 John 1:1-3 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; ... That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship [is] with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
1 John 5:11-12 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ... He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

son:

Psalms 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou [art] my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Matthew 14:33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
Matthew 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
John 1:49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 6:69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Romans 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, ... Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
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Chain-Reference Bible SearchCross References with Concordance

Ps 2:7. Mt 3:17; 14:33; 17:5. Lk 1:2, 35; 2:10. Jn 1:14, 34, 49; 3:16; 6:69; 20:31. Ac 1:1. Ro 1:1; 8:3, 32. He 1:1. 1Jn 1:1; 5:11.

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