Mark 8:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

NIV: he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

NASB: And immediately He got into the boat with His disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

CSB: And he immediately got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

NLT: Immediately after this, he got into a boat with his disciples and crossed over to the region of Dalmanutha.

KJV: And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.

NKJV: immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

Dalmanutha is only mentioned here in the Bible, and scholars debate over its historical location. If Jesus and the disciples are in Decapolis (Mark 7:31) and will soon travel "to the other side" (Mark 8:13) to Bethsaida (Mark 8:22), it stands to reason "Dalmanutha" is on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Some believe Dalmanutha is either near or another name for Magadan (Matthew 15:39). Magadan is thought to be another name for Magdala as "l" and "n" are sometimes interchanged when translating between Hebrew and Aramaic. Magdala is the hometown of Mary of Magdalene, and sits about six miles south of Capernaum.

Another of the great mysteries of the Gospel of Mark is: Where did the boat come from? Jesus and the disciples had traveled from Capernaum northwest to the region of Tyre (Mark 7:24), farther north to Sidon, and then to the southeast shore of the Sea of Galilee (Mark 7:31) with no mention of stopping by Capernaum to grab Peter and Andrew's boat. The question, for the moment, is unanswered. In the same way, we don't know why Jesus interrupts His journey through quiet Gentile lands with a stop in Galilee where the Pharisees are waiting to harass Him once again (Mark 8:11–13).

About sixty years after the events and about forty-five years after the book of Mark was written, John states that Jesus did much more than his Gospel records, but what is written is what is needed to believe "Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:30–31). We can be assured that this holds for the other three Gospels as well; what the Bible does not reveal is not a salvation issue.

Mark 8:1–10 is the third of a series of stories about bread and the proper place of ceremonial cleanness. In Mark 7:1–5, the Pharisees condemn Jesus' disciples for eating bread with unclean hands. In Mark 7:24–30, a Syrophoenician woman boldly requests the metaphoric ''crumbs'' of God's provision. Here, Jesus feeds bread to a great crowd of Gentiles and Jews. Later, He will equate the insidious false teachings of the Pharisees with leaven (Mark 8:14–21). This account is also found in Matthew 15:32–39.

This chapter describes another miraculous feeding of thousands by Jesus. He also counters the hard-hearted and selfish hypocrisy of the Pharisees in seeking even more miraculous signs. Speaking to the disciples, Jesus rebukes their short memories and reminds them about God's intent to provide for His followers. After healing a blind man, Jesus accepts Peter's proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah. Almost immediately, though, Jesus rebukes Peter for resisting the idea that the Messiah must suffer and die.

Mark 8 continues Jesus' attempts to teach the disciples God's plan for the Messiah. Jesus has not come for the religious Pharisees but for the meek who willingly respond to Him. He has not yet come as the glorious and victorious champion of Israel, but to die for the whole world. And His followers must also be willing to sacrifice their lives. The chapter marks a turning point in Jesus' ministry as His miracles grow fewer and His teaching increases. Interestingly, Jesus also faces a repeat of the temptations He experienced in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11).

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.