Greek word · G3138

Μάρκος

markos

Mark

The Greek form of the Latin first name Marcus, one of the most common Roman names. Jews in the Greek-speaking world often carried a Greek or Latin name alongside their Hebrew one.

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

Μάρκος, -ου, ὁ,

Mark: Mk., title., Acts 12:12, 25 15:37, 39, Colossians 4:10, 2 Timothy 4:11, Phm 24, 1 Peter 5:13 (see Swete, Mk., Intr., xiii ff.; DB, iii, 245 ff).†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Philemon 1:24

Range of meaning

The Greek form of the Latin first name Marcus, one of the most common Roman names. Jews in the Greek-speaking world often carried a Greek or Latin name alongside their Hebrew one. Acts calls this man 'John who was called Mark' (Acts 12:12, 25), so Yohanan was his Hebrew name and Marcus his Roman one.

Against the English

KJV 'Marcus' and YLT 'Markus' keep the Latin/Greek form. Readers sometimes don't realise this is the same person as the 'Mark' of Acts and of Colossians 4:10.

Used elsewhere in the period

Acts 12:12, 25; 13:5, 13; 15:37–39; Col 4:10 (cousin of Barnabas); 2 Tim 4:11 ('he is useful to me for ministry'); 1 Pet 5:13. Early church tradition (Papias, quoted in Eusebius, Church History 3.39.15) ties a Mark to Peter and to the Second Gospel.

From the study of 2 Timothy 4:11

Range of meaning

A Latin first name, Marcus, very common in the Roman world. In the NT it belongs to 'John who was called Mark' (Acts 12:12, 25; 15:37). He was a Jerusalem Jew whose mother's house was a meeting place for believers, and he went by both a Jewish and a Roman name.

Against the English

All versions say 'Mark.' The English name hides nothing. What readers need is the history behind it.

Used elsewhere in the period

Acts 13:5, 13: Mark is an assistant on the first missionary journey and turns back at Perga. Acts 15:37–39: Paul refuses to take him again, and Paul and Barnabas part over it. Colossians 4:10: Mark, Barnabas's cousin, is with Paul, and the churches are told to welcome him. Philemon 24: Mark is one of Paul's 'fellow workers.' 1 Peter 5:13: Peter calls him 'my son.' Papias, an early 2nd-century writer quoted by Eusebius (Church History 3.39), calls Mark Peter's interpreter. Most scholars take all these to be the same man, though that cannot be proved.

From the study of Acts 15:37

Range of meaning

'Called/known as Mark.' Μᾶρκος is the Greek spelling of the Latin praenomen Marcus, the personal first name of a Roman man and one of the most common there was. Linking it to a Jewish name with 'called' is the standard way of introducing a second name.

Against the English

KJV 'whose surname was Mark' (here and at 12:12, 25) uses 'surname' in its older sense of 'an extra name' or 'by-name'. BSB/NIV 'also called Mark' is closer to how it reads to a modern reader.

How it drifted

In 1611 'surname' could mean any additional name or epithet. Today it means an inherited family name, which Mark was not.

Used elsewhere in the period

Double names are common among Jews in Acts: 'Saul, who is also Paul' (13:9), 'Joseph called Barsabbas, surnamed Justus' (1:23), 'Simeon called Niger' (13:1). Inscriptions and papyri show the same practice among Jews in the eastern Mediterranean.

Where it appears

Acts · 4

  1. Acts 12:12 Μάρκου, Mark,

    And when he had realized this, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered together and were praying.

    Here: The Latin first name Marcus, very common in the Roman world. Like Saul/Paul, he had a Jewish name and a Greco-Roman one, which points to a family at home in both worlds.

  2. Acts 12:25 Μᾶρκον.¶ Mark.

    When Barnabas and Saul had fulfilled their mission to Jerusalem, they returned, bringing with them John, also called Mark.

  3. Acts 15:37 Μᾶρκον· Mark;

    Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark.

    Here: A very common Roman personal name. He used it alongside his Jewish name, as many Jews of the time did when moving in the wider Greek and Roman world (compare Saul/Paul). Readers would know him by this name in Colossians 4:10, Philemon 24, 2 Timothy 4:11 and 1 Peter 5:13.

  4. Acts 15:39 Μᾶρκον Mark

    Their disagreement was so sharp that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,

Colossians · 1

  1. Colossians 4:10 Μᾶρκος Mark

    My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you greetings, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas. You have already received instructions about him: If he comes to you, welcome him.

    Here: The Latin name Marcus, very common in the Roman world. Here it is John Mark of Acts 12:12, whose mother's house in Jerusalem was a meeting place for believers. The description "cousin of Barnabas" makes the identification secure.

2 Timothy · 1

  1. 2 Timothy 4:11 Μᾶρκον Mark

    Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is useful to me in the ministry.

    Here: Almost certainly John Mark, the man who left Paul and Barnabas partway through their first journey (Acts 13:13) and later caused the two of them to split (Acts 15:37–39). His name is put first in the sentence, giving it emphasis.

Philemon · 1

  1. Philemon 1:24 Μᾶρκος, [as do] Mark,

    as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

    Here: The Greek spelling of the Roman name Marcus. This is almost certainly John Mark of Jerusalem, Barnabas's cousin (Col 4:10). He had once left Paul's mission (Acts 13:13; 15:37–39), so his place here shows the two had made peace.

1 Peter · 1

  1. 1 Peter 5:13 Μᾶρκος Mark

    The church in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, as does my son Mark.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.