Friends of the Bridegroom? Mark 2:19

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Douglas Nast
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Joined: February 14th, 2017, 5:50 pm

Friends of the Bridegroom? Mark 2:19

Post 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"?
Michael Sharpnack
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Joined: February 2nd, 2017, 5:13 pm
Location: Nashville

Re: Friends of the Bridegroom? Mark 2:19

Post 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.
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RandallButh
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Joined: May 13th, 2011, 4:01 am

Re: Friends of the Bridegroom? Mark 2:19

Post 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.
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