Mark 11:14 kjv
And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
Mark 11:14 nkjv
In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again." And His disciples heard it.
Mark 11:14 niv
Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it.
Mark 11:14 esv
And he said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard it.
Mark 11:14 nlt
Then Jesus said to the tree, "May no one ever eat your fruit again!" And the disciples heard him say it.
Mark 11 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 5:1-7 | Let me sing for my beloved... my beloved had a vineyard... He looked for grapes, but it yielded only wild grapes. | Israel as a barren vineyard facing judgment. |
| Jer 8:13 | "When I would gather them," declares the Lord, "there are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree; even the leaves have withered." | Fig tree symbolizing Israel's barrenness and judgment. |
| Hos 9:10 | "Like grapes in the wilderness I found Israel. Like the first fruit on the fig tree in its first season, I saw your fathers." | Initial fruitfulness, then subsequent decline and unfaithfulness. |
| Mic 7:1-6 | Woe is me! For I have become as when the summer fruit has been gathered... there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fig that my soul desires. | Israel's moral decay, lacking righteousness. |
| Matt 21:18-22 | In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry... And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves... "May no fruit ever come from you again!" | Matthew's parallel account, same incident. |
| Lk 13:6-9 | And he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none." | Parable of the barren fig tree given a last chance; similar theme. |
| Lk 21:20-24 | "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near." | Prophecy of Jerusalem's destruction, echoing the fig tree's judgment. |
| Matt 3:7-8 | "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance." | Call for genuine fruit of repentance from religious leaders. |
| Lk 3:7-8 | John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers!... Bear fruits in keeping with repentance." | Emphasis on bearing visible fruit of transformed lives. |
| Jn 15:2 | "Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away..." | Warning against unfruitfulness in believers, judgment awaits. |
| Jn 15:4-5 | "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." | Necessity of abiding in Christ for spiritual fruitfulness. |
| Jn 15:6 | "If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned." | Consequence of not bearing fruit: spiritual destruction. |
| Gal 5:22-23 | But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. | Description of true spiritual fruit. |
| Phil 1:11 | filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. | Fruit of righteousness as a product of Christ's work in believers. |
| Heb 12:11 | For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. | Righteousness as the fruit of divine discipline. |
| Jas 3:17-18 | But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason... And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. | Good fruit produced by divine wisdom and righteousness. |
| Rom 7:4 | Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. | Believers' purpose to bear fruit for God through Christ. |
| 2 Tim 3:5 | having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. | Outward show without inner spiritual reality, mirroring the fig tree's leaves without fruit. |
| Mk 4:9 | "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." | Disciples' hearing is key, signifying an important lesson for understanding. |
| Mk 11:20-25 | As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered." | Immediate aftermath and disciples' reaction, proving the curse's efficacy. |
| Matt 7:19 | Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. | Universal principle of judgment on unfruitfulness. |
Mark 11 verses
Mark 11 14 Meaning
This verse records Jesus' pronouncement of a curse upon a barren fig tree. While a literal action, it serves as a prophetic and symbolic act demonstrating divine judgment against unfruitful outward religiosity and those who fail to produce spiritual fruit for God. The immediate consequence of the curse (the tree withering by the roots) illustrates the certain and complete judgment that follows a lack of true spiritual productivity.
Mark 11 14 Context
Mark 11:14 is part of a deliberate "sandwich" narrative structure (an "intercalation") often employed by Mark, where one story is inserted into the middle of another. The story of the barren fig tree (Mark 11:12-14 and 11:20-25) frames the account of Jesus cleansing the Temple (Mark 11:15-19). This literary device connects the two events thematically, implying that the barren fig tree symbolizes the unproductive religious system of Jerusalem and its Temple, which had outwardly displayed "leaves" (rituals, external piety) but yielded no "fruit" (righteousness, true worship, accessibility for all nations).
Historically, the fig tree was a common symbol for Israel in the Old Testament, representing God's covenant people. Its fruitfulness indicated divine blessing and faithfulness (e.g., Hos 9:10, Joel 1:7). Its barrenness, conversely, signaled divine judgment for unfaithfulness and spiritual decay (e.g., Jer 8:13). Jesus' act is thus a living parable, a direct visual prophetic declaration of judgment against Jerusalem's spiritual barrenness and imminent desolation. This was a direct polemic against the contemporary beliefs of a self-righteous religious elite who relied on outward performance rather than genuine heart change and fruit-bearing righteousness.
Mark 11 14 Word analysis
- And Jesus answered (καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς Ἰησοῦς - kai apokritheis Iēsous): The phrase connects Jesus' action directly to the previous observation about the fig tree (Mark 11:13). It highlights that His response is deliberate and purposeful, a judicial action rather than a whimsical outburst.
- and said to it (εἶπεν αὐτῇ - eipen autē): "It" refers directly to the fig tree. Jesus verbally addresses the tree, emphasizing His authority over creation and establishing the performative nature of His curse. This is a prophetic sign-act.
- "No one" (Μηκέτι μηδεὶς - Mēketi mēdeis): The Greek uses a double negative (`mēketi` meaning "no longer, no more" and `mēdeis` meaning "no one, nothing"), creating a strong, emphatic, and definitive prohibition. This stresses the absolute and irreversible nature of the curse. It is a judgment from which there is no reprieve.
- will ever eat (φάγοι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα - phagoi eis ton aiōna):
- φάγοι (phagoi): A third-person aorist optative of the verb "to eat." This grammatical mood often expresses a wish, potential, or command in Greek. Here, in the context of Jesus' divine authority, it functions as a solemn, powerful pronouncement or imprecation – a curse. The aorist aspect suggests a definitive, complete action, not an ongoing one.
- εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα (eis ton aiōna): This phrase means "unto the age" or "forever, nevermore." It underscores the eternal or permanent nature of the judgment declared. The fig tree's barrenness will be absolute and perpetual from that moment forward.
- fruit (καρπὸν - karpon): Literally refers to figs. Symbolically, and most importantly in its broader biblical context, "fruit" represents spiritual productivity: righteous deeds, obedience to God, genuine faith, justice, true worship, repentance, and ultimately, accepting and honoring Christ. Its absence signifies spiritual barrenness and failure to meet divine expectations.
- from you again" (ἐκ σοῦ - ek sou): "From you" is clear. Combined with `mēketi` ("no longer, no more") in "no one," it reaffirms the finality of the curse specifically upon this particular tree, and by extension, that which it symbolizes.
- And his disciples heard it (Καὶ ἤκουον οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ - Kai ēkouon hoi mathētai autou): This seemingly simple detail is crucial. It highlights that the disciples were direct witnesses to this authoritative act. It wasn't a private thought but a public pronouncement intended for them to observe, remember, and understand. This signifies that the event was an important object lesson designed for their spiritual instruction, teaching them about God's expectations and impending judgment on spiritual unfruitfulness.
- Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "And Jesus answered and said to it...": This establishes Jesus' divine authority and intentionality in delivering the curse. It's not a casual statement but a declarative, authoritative act.
- "No one will ever eat fruit from you again.": This phrase constitutes a definitive and irrevocable curse. It's a performative utterance – by speaking these words, Jesus makes them true. It implies not merely that no one would eat, but that no one could or should eat because the tree has been condemned to permanent barrenness.
- "And his disciples heard it.": This element underlines the pedagogical purpose of the event. The cursing was an observable and audible sign-act, a vivid lesson intended to teach the disciples (and subsequent readers) about divine judgment on unfruitfulness and the nature of faith (which becomes explicit in Mark 11:22-25).
Mark 11 14 Bonus section
The timing of this event, according to Mark 11:13, notes it "was not the season for figs." This detail is often debated but significant. Jesus was not expecting a miracle fig to be in season, but rather uses the tree as an analogy. The Jewish nation, like the fig tree with leaves, showed outward signs of religious life (temple rituals, sacrifices, festivals). However, Jesus found no fruit—no true worship, no justice, no real repentance, especially from its leadership. As God's covenant people, Israel should always be bearing the spiritual "fruit" of faithfulness, regardless of the "season" of outward convenience or circumstance. Thus, the barren fig tree represented Israel's covenant unfaithfulness despite its privileged status and religious display. It prefigured the judgment against Israel for rejecting its Messiah and failing to be a "house of prayer for all nations."
Mark 11 14 Commentary
Mark 11:14 presents Jesus' dramatic curse on a barren fig tree, a symbolic act that prophesies judgment. This action is not a display of ill-temper, but a powerful, performative sign-act intended to communicate divine truth, particularly to His disciples. The fig tree, an emblem for Israel, bore leaves (outward appearance of vitality, religiosity, and covenant standing) but no fruit, signifying a religious system (specifically represented by the Temple in the immediate context) that failed to produce genuine righteousness, repentance, or true worship for God.
The curse ("No one will ever eat fruit from you again") is definitive and permanent, paralleling the coming judgment on Jerusalem and the Temple in A.D. 70, when God would render them unfruitful and ultimately remove their unique status. This incident served as a stark warning to all who maintain a superficial adherence to God without yielding the fruit of transformed lives, true faith, and works of righteousness. It underscores that God values spiritual productivity over outward appearance or empty ritual, a lesson critically understood by the witnessing disciples.