Mark 3:31

Καὶ ἔρχονται. Mk has his historic pres.; Mt. and Lk. have past tenses. It is possible that ἔρχονται, arrival at destination, is meant to correspond with ἐξῆλθον, departure from home, in Mark 3:21. Neither Mk nor Lk. gives any connexion; Mt. says that this visit of Christ’s Mother and brethren took place while He was still speaking. Both she and they are mentioned by name, Mark 6:3, where sisters also are mentioned. But Mk tells us no more about her, and he nowhere speaks of Joseph, who was probably dead before this Gospel opens. We cannot be sure that these are οἱ παρʼ αὐτοῦ (Mark 3:21), who have arrived to take Him away, as being too excited to take care of Himself. It may be that His Mother and His brethren came to warn Him of what οἱ παρʼ αὐτοῦ are meditating. In any case He remains unmolested. They are unable to reach Him, because He is in a house blocked with people; and, as they cannot proclaim their intentions, whatever these may have been, they are obliged to stand outside and send a message to ask Him to come to them. Cf. Mark 2:4.

στήκοντες … καλοῦντες. Again (see on Mark 1:15) we see a fondness for participles. The readings στήκοντες ([632][633][634][635]) and καλοῦντες ([636][637][638][639] are firmly established. As στήκω is a rare form, perhaps not earlier than N.T., it would be likely to be altered to στάντες ([640]), ἑστῶτες ([641][642] or ἑστηκότες ([643][644] It is found Mark 11:25; John 1:26; John 8:44 (?); several times in Paul. Nestle (Text. Crit. p. 263) prefers φωνοῦντες ([645][646][647]) to καλοῦντες, because the latter is more usual.

[632] Codex Vaticanus. 4th cent., but perhaps a little later than א. In the Vatican Library almost since its foundation by Pope Nicolas V., and one of its greatest treasures. The whole Gospel, ending at Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1889.

[633] Codex Ephraemi. 5th cent. A palimpsest: the original writing has been partially rubbed out, and the works of Ephraem the Syrian have been written over it; but a great deal of the original writing has been recovered; of Mark we have Mark 1:17 to Mark 6:31; Mark 8:5 to Mark 12:29; Mark 13:19 to Mark 16:20. In the National Library at Paris.

[634] An asterisk denotes that the word is not found elsewhere in N.T., and such words are included in the index, even if there is no note on them in the commentary.
[635] Codex Sangallensis. 9th or 10th cent. Contains the Gospels nearly complete, with an interlinear Latin translation. The text of Mark is specially good, agreeing often with CL. At St Gall.

[636] Codex Sinaiticus. 4th cent. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the Monastery of St Katharine on Mount Sinai. Now at St Petersburg. The whole Gospel, ending at Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1911.

[637] Codex Vaticanus. 4th cent., but perhaps a little later than א. In the Vatican Library almost since its foundation by Pope Nicolas V., and one of its greatest treasures. The whole Gospel, ending at Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1889.

[638] Codex Ephraemi. 5th cent. A palimpsest: the original writing has been partially rubbed out, and the works of Ephraem the Syrian have been written over it; but a great deal of the original writing has been recovered; of Mark we have Mark 1:17 to Mark 6:31; Mark 8:5 to Mark 12:29; Mark 13:19 to Mark 16:20. In the National Library at Paris.

[639] Codex Regius. 8th cent. An important witness. At Paris. Contains Mark 1:1 to Mark 10:15; Mark 10:30 to Mark 15:1; Mark 15:20 to Mark 16:20, but the shorter ending is inserted between Mark 16:8 and Mark 16:9, showing that the scribe preferred it to the longer one.

[640] Codex Sinaiticus. 4th cent. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the Monastery of St Katharine on Mount Sinai. Now at St Petersburg. The whole Gospel, ending at Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1911.

[641] Codex Alexandrinus. 5th cent. Brought by Cyril Lucar, Patriarch of Constantinople, from Alexandria, and afterwards presented by him to King Charles I. in 1628. In the British Museum. The whole Gospel. Photographic facsimile, 1879.

[642] odex Bezae. 6th cent. Has a Latin translation (d) side by side with the Greek text, and the two do not quite always agree. Presented by Beza to the University Library of Cambridge in 1581. Remarkable for its frequent divergences from other texts. Contains Mark, except Mark 16:15-20, which has been added by a later hand. Photographic facsimile, 1899.

[643] Codex Seidelianus I. 9th or 10th cent. Contains Mark 1:13 to Mark 14:18; Mark 14:25 to Mark 16:20.

[644] odex Regius. 8th cent. An important witness. At Paris. Contains Mark 1:1 to Mark 10:15; Mark 10:30 to Mark 15:1; Mark 15:20 to Mark 16:20, but the shorter ending is inserted between Mark 16:8 and Mark 16:9, showing that the scribe preferred it to the longer one.

[645] Codex Bezae. 6th cent. Has a Latin translation (d) side by side with the Greek text, and the two do not quite always agree. Presented by Beza to the University Library of Cambridge in 1581. Remarkable for its frequent divergences from other texts. Contains Mark, except Mark 16:15-20, which has been added by a later hand. Photographic facsimile, 1899.

[646] Codex Oxoniensis. 9th cent. Contains Mark, except Mark 3:35 to Mark 6:20.

[647] Codex Petropolitanus. 9th cent. Gospels almost complete. Mark 16:18-20 is in a later hand.