Mark 9 : 42

Greek ὃς ἂν ('whoever') is an indefinite relative with the modal particle; Syriac fuses the universal quantifier ܘܟܠ ('and everyone') with the partitive ܡܢ to express the same generality, while the Vulgate quisquis is a single universal relative pronoun. The Syriac ܘܟܠ overlaps with the conjunction already aligned, reflecting a slightly different segmentation of the protasis.

Greek uses the genitive partitive article τῶν; the Peshitta renders the partitive with the preposition ܡܢ ('from among') and the Vulgate with ex, both periphrastic equivalents of the Greek genitive of the whole.

Greek μικρῶν is plural ('little ones'); the Peshitta ܙܥܘܪܐ is morphologically the singular emphatic but here functions collectively after the partitive, while the Vulgate pusillis retains the plural. The number mismatch is idiomatic rather than substantive.

Greek uses an articular present participle (τῶν πιστευόντων) as a substantival relative clause; Syriac employs the relative-marked participle ܕܡܗܝܡܢܝܢ and the Vulgate the bare participle credentibus, all conveying the attributive 'who believe'.

Greek and Latin express 'in me' with preposition plus pronoun (εἰς ἐμέ / in me); the Peshitta contracts this to the single inflected form ܒܝ, a normal Syriac prepositional suffix.

The Clementine Vulgate inserts a colon to mark the close of the protasis before the apodosis 'bonum est ei'; no corresponding punctuation token exists in the Greek or Syriac witnesses.

Greek ἐστιν is present indicative; the Vulgate est matches it, but the Peshitta adds the perfect enclitic ܗܘܐ giving a past-coloured copula ('it would have been better'), aligning the tense with the contrary-to-fact conditional that follows.

Greek μᾶλλον and Latin magis ('rather') intensify the comparison; the Syriac omits an explicit comparative adverb, leaving the contrast implicit in the ܦܩܚ ... ܐܠܘ ('it were better ... if') construction.

Greek περίκειται is present-passive 'is laid around'; the Vulgate circumdaretur is imperfect subjunctive, reframing the clause as contrary-to-fact, and the Syriac uses the participle ܪܡܝܐ with the perfect auxiliary ܗܘܬ ('were placed'), likewise yielding a past unreal sense.

Greek μύλος ὀνικός literally denotes a 'donkey-driven millstone'; the Vulgate mola asinaria preserves the same image, and the Syriac ܪܚܝܐ ܕܚܡܪܐ ('mill of a donkey') likewise renders the genitive of the animal, all three faithfully transmitting the upper-millstone metaphor.

Greek uses the prepositional phrase περὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ ('around his neck'); the Vulgate uses the dative collo ejus without a preposition, and the Syriac compresses everything into the single suffixed noun ܒܨܘܪܗ ('on his neck'), an economical Semitic construction.

Greek βέβληται is perfect indicative passive ('has been cast'); the Vulgate mitteretur is imperfect subjunctive, continuing the contrary-to-fact conditional, and the Syriac ܫܕܐ (sharing the ܘ conjunction of the previous token) renders the verb without an explicit perfect auxiliary, leaving the modality to the governing ܐܠܘ clause.

Greek εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν and Latin in mare use preposition plus articular/anarthrous noun for 'into the sea'; the Peshitta condenses this to the single prepositional form ܒܝܡܐ ('in/into the sea'), a typical Syriac fusion of preposition and noun.