New Living Translation
Mark 3:17
17James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”),
Mark 3:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:
- New International Version (NIV)James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”),
- English Standard Version (ESV)James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder);
- New King James Version (NKJV)James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”;
Context of Mark 3:17
15giving them authority to cast out demons. 16These are the twelve he chose: Simon (whom he named Peter), James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”), 18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the zealot), 19Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).
Read all of Mark 3Mark 3:17 word by word
καὶ Ἰάκωβον τὸν τοῦ Ζεβεδαίου καὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ Ἰακώβου, καὶ ἐπέθηκεν αὐτοῖς ὀνόματα Βοανηργές, ὅ ἐστιν υἱοὶ βροντῆς·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- JamesἸάκωβοςIakōbos · JamesG2385
- theὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- of ZebedeeΖεβεδαῖοςZebedaios · ZebedeeG2199
- JohnἸωάννηςIōannēs · JohnG2491
- the brotherἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
- heἐπιτίθημιepitithēmi · to put/lay onG2007
- surnamedὄνομαonoma · nameG3686
- themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- BoanergesΒοανεργέςBoanerges · BoanergesG993
- whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- The sonsυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
- of thunderβροντήbrontē · thunderG1027
Cross-references for Mark 3:17
- Mark 1:19A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets.
- Mark 5:37Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James).
- Mark 9:2Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed,
- Mark 10:35Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.”
- Mark 14:33He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed.
- John 21:2Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.
- Acts 12:1About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church.
- Isaiah 58:1“Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don’t be timid. Tell my people Israel of their sins!
- Jeremiah 23:29Does not my word burn like fire?” says the Lord. “Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces?
- Hebrews 4:12For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
- Revelation 10:11Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”
Commentaries on Mark 3:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Sons of thunder - A Hebraism for thunderers; probably so named because of their zeal and power in preaching the Gospel. The term Boanerges is neither Hebrew nor Syriac. Calmet and others think that there is reason to believe that the Greek transcribers have not copied it exactly. רעם בני beney raam, which the ancient Greeks would pronounce Beneregem, and which means sons of thunder, was probably the appellative used by our Lord: or רעש בני beni reges…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13-19Verses 13-19 For an account of the appointment of the apostles, see the notes at Matthew 10:1-4. And calleth unto him whom he would - Those whom he chose; whom he was about to appoint to the apostleship. See the notes at John 15:16. Mark 3:14 He ordained twelve - The word rendered “ordained” here does not express our notion of ordination to the ministry. It means, literally, “he made” - that is, he “appointed” twelve to be with him. Twelve - The reason…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-21Verses 13-21 Christ calls whom he will; for his grace is his own. He had called the apostles to separate themselves from the crowd, and they came unto him. He now gave them power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils. May the Lord send forth more and more of those who have been with him, and have learned of him to preach his gospel, to be instruments in his blessed work. Those whose hearts are enlarged in the work of God, can easily bear with what is…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17whom He named Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”: This likely describes their character. It may suggest strong emotions, boldness, or quick reactions. For example, they once wanted to call down fire on a village that rejected Jesus (see Luke 9:53–54).Read the comment
Topics related to Mark 3:17
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Mark 3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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