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Mark 13:37
And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
Jesus describes the destruction of the temple as an analogy for the end of Israel.
Mark 13:37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
Mark 13:37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ”
What, however, do I say to you? To allI say, stay awake!
Greek
Greek Word Order
We have to stay awake in order to listen.
Lost in Translation
This verse is clearly humorous in the way Jesus repeats himself to set up the punchline. It doesn't change what he has been saying, but it says it in a more light-hearted way. This works a little better if the first clauses is a question and the second it the answer. The word translated as "watch" at the end is the punch line, but it more accurately means "stay awake." I can't help but read the word as shouted as if keeping someone awake.
Vocabulary (Greek word by word)
ὃ [294 verses](pron sg neut nom/acc) "What" is hos, which means "this", "that", "he", "she", "which", "what", "who", "whosoever", "where", "for which reason," and many similar meanings.
δὲ [446 verses](conj/adv) "And" is de which means "but" and "on the other hand." It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be a weak connective ("and") and explanation of cause ("so").
ὑμῖν [289 verses](pron 2nd pl dat) "To you" is humin the plural form of su the pronoun of the second person, "you."
λέγω [264 verses](1st sg pres ind act) "I say" is lego means "pick up", "choose for oneself", "pick out," and "count," "recount", "tell over", "say", "speak", "teach", "mean", "boast of", "tell of", "recite," "nominate," and "command."
πᾶσιν [212 verses] ( adj pl masc dat ) "Unto all" is pas, which means "all", "the whole", "every", "anyone", "all kinds," and "anything." In the adverbial form, it means "every way", "on every side", "in every way," and "altogether." --
λέγω, [264 verses](1st sg pres ind act) "I say" is lego means "pick up", "choose for oneself", "pick out," and "count," "recount", "tell over", "say", "speak", "teach", "mean", "boast of", "tell of", "recite," "nominate," and "command." --
γρηγορεῖτε. [14 verses] (2nd pl pres imperat act) "Watch" is from gregoreo, which means "to become fully awake," and "to watch." It is from the root word, egeiro- which is usually translated as "arise" be makes "awaken."
KJV — word by word
And -- (WW) The Greek word translated as "and" means "but", "however", and "on the other hand". Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better. It is translated to "and" in the KJV because the translators saw no opposition to the previous statement of Jesus. My assumption is that something that was said that was not recorded that Jesus is countering.
what -- The word translated as "what" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this" "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun ("the one that), especially a connective pronoun ("the one that") introducing a dependent clause.
I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the following verb.
say -- The word translated as "say" is the most common word that means "to say," and "to speak," but it also means "to teach," which seems to be the way Christ uses it more frequently. It also has many ancillary meanings such as "to count" ("to number" or like we might say, "to recount" a story) or "to choose for yourself." Christ usually uses this word to refer to his own speaking or teaching.
unto -- This word "unto" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English, but the translator must decide which preposition to use: a "to" as an indirect object is the most common.
you -- The Greek pronoun "you" here is plural and in the form of an indirect object, "to you", "for you", etc. Jesus almost always uses this word after the verb, "I say" above. Here he uses it before the verb to draw attention to it.
I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the following verb.
say -- The word translated as "say" is the most common word that means "to say," and "to speak," but it also means "to teach," which seems to be the way Christ uses it more frequently. It is repeated here, which is odd since Jesus uses this word a lot but this is the only place it is repeated in a clause. The point is that he isn't just saying that to those present.
unto -- This word "unto" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English, but the translator must decide which preposition to use: a "to" as an indirect object is the most common.
all, -- The word translated as "unto all" is the Greek adjective meaning "all", "the whole", "every," and similar ideas. The "unto" comes from its indirect object form. Again, this comes before the verb. The reason for this word is to clarify that he is not just speaking to the people present but to all people hearing his words.
Watch. -- "Watch" is from a verb that means "to be or to become fully awake." In English, we would say "wake up" to someone sleeping and "stay awake" to someone already awake. It comes from a common Greek word that means "awaken" but is usually confusingly translated as "arise."
NIV — word by word
missing "but"-- (MW) The untranslated word "but", "however", and "on the other hand". Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better. It is translated to "and" in the KJV because the translators saw no opposition to the previous statement of Jesus. My assumption is that something that was said that was not recorded that Jesus is countering.
What -- The word translated as "what" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this" "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun ("the one that), especially a connective pronoun ("the one that") introducing a dependent clause.
I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the following verb.
say -- The word translated as "say" is the most common word that means "to say," and "to speak," but it also means "to teach," which seems to be the way Christ uses it more frequently. It also has many ancillary meanings such as "to count" ("to number" or like we might say, "to recount" a story) or "to choose for yourself." Christ usually uses this word to refer to his own speaking or teaching.
to -- This word "to" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English, but the translator must decide which preposition to use: a "to" as an indirect object is the most common.
you -- The Greek pronoun "you" here is plural and in the form of an indirect object, "to you", "for you", etc. Jesus almost always uses this word after the verb, "I say" above. Here he uses it before the verb to draw attention to it.
I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the following verb.
say -- The word translated as "say" is the most common word that means "to say," and "to speak," but it also means "to teach," which seems to be the way Christ uses it more frequently. It is repeated here, which is odd since Jesus uses this word a lot but this is the only place it is repeated in a clause. The point is that he isn't just saying that to those present.
to -- This word "unto" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English, but the translator must decide which preposition to use: a "to" as an indirect object is the most common.
everyone , -- The word translated as "everyone" is the Greek adjective meaning "all", "the whole", "every," and similar ideas. The "unto" comes from its indirect object form. Again, this comes before the verb. The reason for this word is to clarify that he is not just speaking to the people present but to all people hearing his words.
Watch. - "Watch" is from a verb that means "to be or to become fully awake." In English, we would say "wake up" to someone sleeping and "stay awake" to someone already awake. It comes from a common Greek word that means "awaken" but is usually confusingly translated as "arise."