Mark 8 21

Mark 8:21 kjv

And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?

Mark 8:21 nkjv

So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"

Mark 8:21 niv

He said to them, "Do you still not understand?"

Mark 8:21 esv

And he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"

Mark 8:21 nlt

"Don't you understand yet?" he asked them.

Mark 8 verses

Mark 8 21 Meaning

Mark 8:21 records a rhetorical question from Jesus to His disciples, highlighting their persistent spiritual dullness and inability to grasp the profound significance of His miracles and teachings. Despite repeatedly witnessing His divine power and hearing His direct instruction, they remain fixated on superficial, physical matters, failing to comprehend the spiritual truths Jesus is revealing about His identity, His mission, and God's abundant provision. It underscores their spiritual short-sightedness, implying a severe lack of insight into who Jesus truly is and what His actions represent.

Mark 8 21 Context

Mark 8:21 is a pivotal moment within Mark's Gospel, appearing at the climax of a section (Mark 8:1-21) detailing the second miraculous feeding of a multitude (the four thousand). This miracle parallels the feeding of the five thousand (Mark 6:34-44), creating a deliberate pattern. After this second feeding, Jesus and His disciples cross the Sea of Galilee, and He warns them against the "leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod" (Mark 8:15). Misunderstanding Jesus, the disciples worry about not having enough physical bread (Mark 8:16). This fixation on material concerns, despite having just witnessed two unprecedented miracles of multiplication, elicits a series of exasperated rhetorical questions from Jesus (Mark 8:17-18), culminating in verse 21.

The disciples' spiritual incomprehension and hardened hearts are a recurring theme throughout Mark (e.g., 4:13; 6:52; 7:18). This particular moment underscores their inability to connect Jesus' past miracles of provision with His warning, or to grasp the spiritual implications beyond mere physical sustenance. The incident immediately precedes Peter's confession of Jesus as the Christ (Mark 8:27-30), followed by Jesus' first prediction of His suffering and resurrection. This dramatic shift highlights the profound chasm between their incomplete understanding and the true nature of His Messiahship. Furthermore, the subsequent healing of the blind man at Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26) which requires two touches to fully restore sight, often serves as a metaphor for the disciples' own gradual and imperfect journey toward spiritual sight and full comprehension of Jesus.

Historically, this interaction happens as Jesus is intentionally withdrawing from popular crowds and increasingly focusing on teaching His disciples, preparing them for the revelations of His identity and the cost of following Him. Their struggle to understand reinforces the difficulty even those closest to Jesus faced in comprehending His revolutionary mission, which defied popular messianic expectations of political deliverance and earthly glory.

Mark 8 21 Word analysis

• And He said (Καὶ ἔλεγεν / Kai elegen): This is a common narrative transition in the Gospels, simply introducing Jesus' next statement. The imperfect tense of elegen (was saying/said) implies an ongoing conversation or a point made forcefully.

• to them (αὐτοῖς / autois): Refers directly to the disciples, who have been central to the immediate context of their misunderstanding regarding the bread (Mark 8:14, 16).

• How is it (Πῶς / Pos): This Greek interrogative adverb questions the manner or reason. It expresses bewilderment, incredulity, or exasperation. It is not a simple request for information but a rhetorical question conveying Jesus' profound disappointment and frustration at their persistent lack of comprehension. It could be translated as "Why is it that...?" or "In what way can it be that...?" It highlights the seeming impossibility or absurdity of their spiritual dullness given all they had witnessed.

• that you do not understand (οὔπω συνίετε / oupō syniete):

  • οὔπω (oupō): "not yet" or "still not." The presence of oupō emphasizes the continuation of their failure to understand. It implies that understanding should have come by now, or will come, but has not yet. It expresses an ongoing spiritual blindness.
  • συνίετε (syniete): The present indicative form of syniemi (συνίημι), meaning "to understand," "to comprehend," "to perceive," "to put together," or "to grasp." It implies a mental activity of connecting pieces of information to form a coherent understanding. It's more than just hearing; it's integrating, seeing the full implications. Jesus is expressing frustration that they are not connecting the two bread miracles (feeding 5000 and 4000) and His subsequent warnings to a deeper truth about His identity as the divine provider and their trust in Him, rather than focusing on physical bread shortages.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "How is it that you do not understand?" (Πῶς οὔπω συνίετε;): This short, poignant rhetorical question summarizes the ongoing tension between Jesus' profound divine revelation and the disciples' spiritual immaturity. It expresses a divine lament over human hardness of heart and lack of spiritual insight, even among those closest to God's presence. It functions as a sharp rebuke, intended to awaken them to their spiritual deficiency. It emphasizes the contrast between Jesus' abundant spiritual provision and the disciples' earthly focus.

Mark 8 21 Bonus section

The context surrounding Mark 8:21 is a powerful illustration of the difference between physical perception and spiritual discernment. The disciples were counting physical baskets, missing the infinitely greater spiritual provision Jesus offered. This reflects a common human tendency to remain fixated on the material while oblivious to the spiritual. Furthermore, the phrase "leaven of the Pharisees and Herod" (Mark 8:15), which they initially misunderstood as physical bread, actually refers to their destructive teachings and attitudes—legalism, hypocrisy, and worldly ambition. The disciples' inability to discern the spiritual "leaven" reinforces Jesus' question in verse 21; they couldn't even grasp the danger of spiritual corruption, let alone the profundity of His divine identity and redemptive work. This incident serves as a significant marker in Mark's narrative, leading into the passion predictions and highlighting that discipleship demands a radical reorientation of values from the temporal to the eternal.

Mark 8 21 Commentary

Mark 8:21 distills Jesus' deep frustration with His disciples' spiritual dullness. Having just performed the second miraculous feeding of a multitude, confirming His unparalleled power to provide abundantly, the disciples immediately relapse into anxiety about physical bread. This recurring pattern of spiritual amnesia, particularly evident in Mark's narrative (Mk 4:13; 6:52; 7:18), highlights a central theme: the difficulty even those closest to Jesus faced in grasping His true identity and mission. The rhetorical "How is it...?" signifies not a genuine question seeking information, but a poignant lament. It implies that, given all they had seen and heard, their continued lack of spiritual comprehension was astounding and unacceptable. They possessed "eyes" but did not truly "see" the spiritual implications, and "ears" but did not truly "hear" the deeper meaning. This persistent spiritual myopia sets the stage for the healing of the blind man at Bethsaida (Mk 8:22-26), which serves as a parable of their own slow and progressive journey towards genuine spiritual sight, finally culminating (imperfectly at first) in Peter's confession of Christ immediately after. The verse is a powerful reminder that genuine understanding of spiritual truth requires more than physical presence with Christ; it demands open hearts and minds attuned to the Holy Spirit's illumination, a gift only fully granted after Christ's resurrection (Lk 24:45).