Mark 7 36

Mark 7:36 kjv

And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;

Mark 7:36 nkjv

Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.

Mark 7:36 niv

Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.

Mark 7:36 esv

And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.

Mark 7:36 nlt

Jesus told the crowd not to tell anyone, but the more he told them not to, the more they spread the news.

Mark 7 verses

Mark 7 36 Meaning

Mark 7:36 illustrates a paradox: despite Jesus' authoritative command for silence regarding His miraculous works, those who witnessed His power found it impossible to remain quiet. The verse reveals the irresistible impulse of those who experience divine intervention to proclaim it widely. It highlights the tension between Jesus' deliberate timing and manner of revealing His messianic identity (often referred to as the "Messianic Secret") and the human compulsion to spread astonishing good news. The more emphatically Jesus commanded discretion, the more extensively people proclaimed what He had done, leading to the rapid and continuous dissemination of His works.

Mark 7 36 Context

Mark chapter 7 generally addresses issues of true defilement, contrasting Jesus' teaching on inner purity with the Pharisees' emphasis on external ritual washing. Within this chapter, the verse immediately precedes and relates to the miraculous healing of a deaf man with a speech impediment in the Decapolis region (Mk 7:31-37), an area predominantly inhabited by Gentiles. After the astounding miracle, where Jesus touched and restored the man, the awe and excitement of the witnesses were immense. Jesus, however, consistent with His frequent practice in Mark, commanded silence regarding the miracle. This injunction and the crowd's subsequent disregard of it set the stage for understanding Jesus' strategy of gradually revealing His Messiahship, especially to those who might misunderstand it in a political or earthly sense. The broader context of Mark’s Gospel emphasizes Jesus as the Son of God, who came to serve and suffer, and often controls the spread of His fame to shape the understanding of His true mission.

Mark 7 36 Word analysis

• And he charged them (Greek: καὶ ἐπετίμησεν αὐτοῖς - kai epetimēsen autois):

  • ἐπετίμησεν (from epitimao) signifies a strong, authoritative warning or rebuke, not merely a request. It conveys Jesus' serious intention to control the immediate dissemination of His miracle. This same verb is used when Jesus silences demons (Mk 1:25) or calms the storm (Mk 4:39), underscoring His divine authority.

• that they should tell no man (Greek: ἵνα μηδενὶ εἴπωσιν - hina mēdeni eipōsin):

  • μηδενὶ is the strong negative, meaning "no one at all," emphasizing the strictness of the prohibition. This aligns with Jesus' consistent "Messianic Secret" motif in Mark's Gospel.

• but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal (Greek: ὁ δὲ περισσότερον αὐτοῖς διετέλλετο, αὐτοὶ μᾶλλον περισσότερον - ho de perissoteron autois dietelleto, autoi mallon perissoteron):

  • This phrase reveals the powerful paradox. περισσότερον (perissoteron) means "more abundantly" or "exceedingly," used twice to amplify the contrast.
  • διετέλλετο (from diatellomai) implies giving commands thoroughly or explicitly. Jesus wasn't vague; He was direct and emphatic.
  • The repetition underscores the escalating, almost desperate, attempt by Jesus to enforce silence and the even greater, opposite reaction of the crowd.

• they published it (Greek: ἐκήρυσσον - ekēryssoon):

  • ἐκήρυσσον (from kerysso) is the verb for "to proclaim, preach, herald," suggesting a public, open, and authoritative declaration. This wasn't a whisper but a fervent and widespread announcement.
  • The imperfect tense of the verb implies a continuous or repeated action – they kept on proclaiming. Their witness was not a one-time event but an ongoing declaration that amplified with each repetition of Jesus' command.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "And he charged them that they should tell no man": This phrase introduces the imperative from Jesus, setting up the "Messianic Secret" theme characteristic of Mark. Jesus, operating within God's perfect timing, sought to manage the popular perception of His identity to avoid political misconceptions and ensure His ministry focused on salvation through suffering rather than a merely miraculous or earthly kingdom.
  • "but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it": This forms the crux of the verse's paradox. It vividly portrays human nature’s powerful impulse to share astounding news, especially when directly touched by divine power. This counter-intuitive outcome highlights the divine inability to contain the truth of Christ, as it serves a broader redemptive purpose where even human disobedience contributes to the spread of the Good News. It demonstrates that the power of God's work, especially evident in such a dramatic healing, often supersedes human commands or strategic limitations, effectively becoming a self-spreading wildfire of testimony.

Mark 7 36 Bonus section

The specific setting for this miracle – the Decapolis, a region largely Gentile – adds another layer of interpretive depth to Mark 7:36. While Jesus typically commands silence among Jews, particularly concerning His identity to avoid political misunderstanding, He often permits, or even commands, Gentiles to testify (e.g., the Gerasene demoniac in Mk 5:19-20). This apparent inconsistency suggests that the nature of the "Messianic Secret" was adaptable to the audience and context. In Decapolis, among Gentiles less prone to interpreting the Messiah through a purely political lens, the direct proclamation of Jesus' miraculous power might have been less problematic in terms of misconstruing His ultimate mission. Their natural zeal, though technically disobedient to a direct command in this instance, nonetheless served to advance the Kingdom by spreading awareness of Christ in an unreached territory. It reveals that the power of Jesus transcends all human-made boundaries and controls, showing how even human responses, planned or unplanned, serve God’s grand design for all creation to know Him.

Mark 7 36 Commentary

Mark 7:36 is a compelling verse that encapsulates the dynamic tension inherent in Jesus' public ministry as depicted in Mark's Gospel. Jesus' command for silence, a consistent theme often called the "Messianic Secret," was likely multi-faceted. It aimed to prevent premature opposition from authorities, avert a misunderstanding of His Messiahship as a political deliverer rather than a spiritual one, and allow people to grasp the true nature of His kingdom, culminating in His death and resurrection. The very act of prohibiting proclamation, however, often amplified the news. The extraordinary nature of Jesus' miracles, particularly in a Gentile region like Decapolis where Messianic expectations might have been less politically charged, was so profoundly impactful that those who witnessed it felt an irrepressible compulsion to share their astonishment and joy. Their repeated, emphatic proclamation (ekēryssoon in the imperfect tense) highlights a truth: God’s transformative work in lives often cannot be contained. Despite the immediate human disobedience, the ultimate result aligned with the broader divine plan for the Gospel to be proclaimed to all. This incident reveals that even against Jesus’ specific command, His power would ensure His message spread, reflecting the truth that the "stones themselves would cry out" if people were silent.