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Friends of the Bridegroom? Mark 2:19

Posted: May 20th, 2017, 2:37 pm
by Douglas Nast
The ESV renders this as "wedding guests" and the NKJV says "friends of the bridegroom", and the interlinear Greek says "sons of the bridechamber". Does anyone know the scholarship behind either the ESV or NKJV renditions? Is this just another case of rendering "cornerstone" for "head of the corner"? In other words is it a reasonable likeness, or are there extra-Biblical materials that clearly demonstrate that to a reader of Koine Greek "sons of the bridechamber" means "wedding guests"?

Re: Friends of the Bridegroom? Mark 2:19

Posted: May 20th, 2017, 6:28 pm
by Michael Sharpnack
From BDAG:
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Seems to be idiomatic for wedding guests. BDAG sites several extra-biblical sources for that useage.

Re: Friends of the Bridegroom? Mark 2:19

Posted: May 21st, 2017, 6:46 am
by RandallButh
The idiom is a translation of בני חופה, which is a mishnaic Hebrew idiom for wedding guests. It is not talking about best man, et al. It is not a Greek idiom.