Mark 9 11

Mark 9:11 kjv

And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?

Mark 9:11 nkjv

And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

Mark 9:11 niv

And they asked him, "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"

Mark 9:11 esv

And they asked him, "Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?"

Mark 9:11 nlt

Then they asked him, "Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes? "

Mark 9 verses

Mark 9 11 Meaning

Mark 9:11 immediately follows the Transfiguration, where Peter, James, and John have seen Jesus in glory, accompanied by Moses and Elijah. After descending the mountain and being commanded by Jesus not to speak of what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead, the disciples are puzzled. Their question in this verse reflects their attempt to reconcile Jesus' glory, the sudden appearance of Elijah, and Jesus' command, with the established teachings of the scribes that Elijah must first come before the Messiah's final appearing or full revelation. They are grappling with the order of events in redemptive history as taught by their religious leaders versus the immediate reality of what they had just witnessed and Jesus' cryptic reference to His resurrection.

Mark 9 11 Context

Mark 9:11 is set directly after the momentous event of Jesus' Transfiguration, where Peter, James, and John witnessed Jesus in radiant glory, speaking with Moses and Elijah. This display of divine majesty should have solidified their understanding of Jesus' identity. However, Jesus' subsequent command not to tell anyone what they had seen "until the Son of Man were risen from the dead" (Mk 9:9) introduces a perplexing element. The disciples struggle to reconcile this cryptic reference to death and resurrection with their understanding of the glorious Messiah and the visible manifestation of Elijah. This verse captures their immediate post-Transfiguration confusion: if Jesus is the Messiah, and Elijah has already appeared (and then departed), why do the authoritative scribes continually assert that Elijah must first come before the Messiah's appearance? They are seeking clarity on the sequence of prophetic events, specifically the role of Elijah in preparing the way for the Messiah, as widely taught by the scribes.

Mark 9 11 Word analysis

• And they asked him, (καὶ ἠρώτων αὐτόν, kai ērōtōn auton): The conjunction "And" links this inquiry directly to the preceding narrative of the Transfiguration and Jesus' command of silence. "They" refers specifically to Peter, James, and John, the inner circle of disciples who witnessed the Transfiguration (Mk 9:2). "Asked" (ἠρώτων, ērōtōn) implies an earnest, inquiring question, reflecting their genuine puzzlement.
• saying, (λέγοντες, legontes): A standard Greek participle introducing direct speech.
• Why then (Τί οὖν, Ti oun): "Why then" expresses their confusion or perplexity. The "then" (οὖν, oun) is inferential; "if these things are true (Transfiguration, Son of Man rising), then why is the scribes' teaching this way?" It points to a perceived discrepancy.
• say the scribes (οἱ γραμματεῖς λέγουσιν, hoi grammateis legousin): "The scribes" (οἱ γραμματεῖς, hoi grammateis) refers to the Jewish scholars and experts in the Law and Old Testament scriptures. They were influential religious teachers and interpreters, holding significant authority in popular understanding. Their saying represents established theological doctrine.
• that Elijah must first come? (ὅτι Ἠλίαν δεῖ ἐλθεῖν πρῶτον, hoti Ēlian dei elthein prōton):
  • "Elijah" (Ἠλίαν, Ēlian): The prophet from the Old Testament, whose return was prophesied in Malachi 4:5-6. The disciples understood this prophecy literally – a literal return of Elijah.
  • "must" (δεῖ, dei): A verb expressing divine necessity or obligation. It indicates that, according to scribal teaching, Elijah's coming was an essential, predestined event.
  • "first" (πρῶτον, prōton): This temporal adverb emphasizes the chronological priority. The scribes taught that Elijah had to appear before the Messiah's full manifestation. The disciples' question stems from having seen Elijah during Jesus' display of glory, and after this, Jesus spoke of his resurrection before any full manifestation.

Words-group Analysis

• "And they asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes": This phrase highlights the disciples' intellectual struggle and dependence on traditional rabbinic teaching. They respected the scribes' authority on prophetic interpretation and were trying to reconcile this authority with their direct experience and Jesus' words. Their question implies a genuine theological dilemma, not disbelief.
• "that Elijah must first come?": This directly reflects the prevalent eschatological expectation in Judaism, rooted in Malachi. The Jewish people believed a literal, future Elijah would precede the Messiah. The tension in the disciples' minds is between this deeply ingrained expectation and the reality they had just witnessed (Elijah's temporary appearance on the mountain and then his departure without any grand public announcement).

Mark 9 11 Bonus section

The disciples' question reveals a key tension in biblical interpretation that persists today: distinguishing between a literal fulfillment of prophecy and a fulfillment in spirit or type. While the scribes correctly identified the prophecy concerning Elijah's coming, their expectation of his literal return obscured their ability to recognize John the Baptist as the "Elijah" who prepared the way for Jesus (Matt 11:14, 17:12-13; Lk 1:17). This illustrates how popular eschatological expectations, even if based on Scripture, can misinterpret God's timing and method. The verse also underscores the disciples' slow comprehension of Jesus' true identity and mission, particularly His suffering and resurrection, a theme prevalent in Mark's Gospel (Mk 8:31-33; 9:31-32; 10:32-34).

Mark 9 11 Commentary

Mark 9:11 captures a critical moment of theological dissonance for Jesus' disciples immediately following the Transfiguration. They have just seen Jesus in divine glory with Moses and Elijah, but their understanding of prophetic fulfillment is still bound by the conventional interpretations of the scribes. The scribal teaching, based on Malachi 4:5-6, firmly established that Elijah must return to prepare the way before the Messiah's coming in power. This raised an urgent question for them: if Jesus is the Messiah, and Elijah has just appeared and vanished, and Jesus has given a mysterious command about rising from the dead, how does this align with the common teaching that Elijah precedes the Messiah? This verse thus sets the stage for Jesus' clarification that Elijah had indeed come, but in a spiritual sense through John the Baptist, indicating that prophetic fulfillment does not always conform to literalistic human expectation.