Mark 9:13 kjv
But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.
Mark 9:13 nkjv
But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."
Mark 9:13 niv
But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him."
Mark 9:13 esv
But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him."
Mark 9:13 nlt
But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they chose to abuse him, just as the Scriptures predicted."
Mark 9 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mal 4:5-6 | "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord... and he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children..." | Prophecy of Elijah's return before the Lord. |
| Matt 11:14 | "And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come." | Jesus explicitly identifies John as Elijah. |
| Matt 17:10-13 | "Then the disciples asked him, 'Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?' Jesus answered, 'Elijah does come first, and restores all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.' Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist." | Direct parallel passage, clarifying John's identity and connecting his suffering to Jesus'. |
| Lk 1:17 | "And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." | Gabriel's prophecy regarding John, linking him to Elijah's spiritual role. |
| Mk 6:17-29 | The narrative of John the Baptist's imprisonment and beheading by Herod, instigated by Herodias. | Describes the "whatever they wished" fulfillment in detail. |
| Matt 14:3-12 | Another account of John the Baptist's death, highlighting Herod's actions and promises. | Corroborates the brutal end of John the Baptist. |
| Lk 17:25 | "But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation." | Parallel to Jesus' own predicted suffering, prefigured by John. |
| Mk 8:31 | "And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise again." | Jesus' first prediction of His own suffering and rejection. |
| 1 Kgs 19:10 | "I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I alone am left, and they seek my life, to take it away." | Elijah's own experience of persecution and life being sought, forming a pattern for prophetic suffering. |
| Neh 9:26 | "Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies." | Israel's historical rejection and killing of prophets. |
| Matt 23:37 | "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you..." | Jesus' lament over Jerusalem's consistent rejection of God's messengers. |
| Acts 7:52 | "Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered." | Stephen's sermon linking the past persecution of prophets to the crucifixion of Jesus. |
| Heb 11:36-38 | "Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated... wandered in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth." | General theme of suffering endured by faithful servants of God throughout history. |
| Isa 53:3 | "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised, and we esteemed him not." | Prophecy of the Suffering Servant, broadly applying to the rejection faced by God's chosen ones. |
| Rom 11:3 | "Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life." | Paul referencing Elijah's complaint, showing a continuous pattern of persecution. |
| Lk 1:76 | "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways..." | John's prophetic role to prepare the way for Jesus. |
| Mk 9:11 | "And they asked him, 'Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?'" | The disciples' question immediately preceding Jesus' explanation in Mk 9:13. |
| Deut 18:18-19 | "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him." | General principle of consequence for rejecting God's prophets/messages. |
| Jer 26:20-23 | Narrative of the prophet Uriah, who was persecuted and killed, despite being sent by the Lord. | Example of a prophet being killed for his message. |
| Acts 3:23 | "And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from the people." | Emphasizes the gravity of rejecting a God-sent prophet. |
Mark 9 verses
Mark 9 13 Meaning
This verse declares that John the Baptist is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy concerning Elijah, who was to come before the Messiah. Jesus reveals that John has already arrived and that those of that generation treated him with great injustice, fulfilling a pattern of rejection foreseen in Scripture for God's messengers. His mistreatment, even unto death, was not accidental but part of a divine purpose, echoing what was "written" or understood regarding the suffering that would accompany the mission of the prophetic forerunner and the coming of the Messiah.
Mark 9 13 Context
Mark 9:13 occurs immediately after the pivotal event of the Transfiguration (Mk 9:2-8), where Peter, James, and John witness Jesus' divine glory alongside Moses and Elijah. As they descend from the mountain, Jesus instructs them not to tell anyone what they have seen until the Son of Man has risen from the dead. This command prompts the disciples' confusion about Jesus' talk of resurrection (v. 9-10) and then their specific question about the scribal teaching that Elijah must come first (v. 11). Jesus addresses this question in verses 12-13, affirming that Elijah does come (spiritually fulfilled in John the Baptist) and then drawing a poignant parallel between Elijah's (John's) rejection and His own impending suffering. This conversation serves to clarify Jesus' identity, His path to suffering and resurrection, and the true fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about Elijah.
Mark 9 13 Word analysis
- But (ἀλλὰ - alla): A strong adversative conjunction, signifying a contrast or emphasis. Jesus is setting His teaching against a prevailing belief or a superficial understanding of prophecy.
- I say to you (λέγω ὑμῖν - legō hymin): An authoritative declaration from Jesus. It asserts His unique insight and direct divine revelation, correcting the disciples' question which was based on scribal tradition.
- that Elijah (ὅτι Ἠλίας - hoti Ēlias): Ēlias is the Greek form of the Hebrew prophet Eliyahu. This refers to the historical Elijah, but more importantly, to the prophetic figure promised to reappear before the "great and awesome day of the Lord" (Mal 4:5-6).
- has come (ἐλήλυθεν - elēlythen): Perfect active indicative of erchomai ("to come"). This is crucial. It's not will come but has come, indicating an accomplished fact with continuing results. This signifies the fulfillment of prophecy in John the Baptist.
- and they did (καὶ ἐποίησαν - kai epoiēsan): The impersonal "they" refers generally to the generation that rejected God's messenger, specifically Herod Antipas and Herodias, along with those who were complicit or approved of John's execution. It highlights the human agency in rejecting divine truth.
- to him (αὐτῷ - autō): Referring directly to Elijah (i.e., John the Baptist).
- whatever they wished (ὅσα ἠθέλησαν - hosa ēthelēsan): This phrase emphasizes the arbitrary and malevolent will exercised by those who opposed God's messenger. It indicates unchecked hostility and cruelty leading to his death. This fulfills a broader pattern of suffering for God's faithful messengers rather than a specific Malachi prophecy detail about Elijah's suffering.
- as it is written of him (καθὼς γέγραπται ἐπ' αὐτόν - kathōs gegraptai ep' auton): A key scriptural reference. Gegraptai is a perfect passive indicative, meaning "it stands written." While Malachi foretold Elijah's coming, it does not explicitly state that Elijah would be treated "whatever they wished" in his return. However, Old Testament patterns consistently depict prophets suffering at the hands of disobedient Israel (e.g., Jer 26:20-23, Neh 9:26, Matt 23:37). Thus, "as it is written of him" implies that John's rejection aligns with the established biblical narrative of suffering for those chosen by God, setting the stage for the Messiah's own passion. It refers to a broader scriptural pattern of suffering for God's sent ones, prefiguring the ultimate suffering of the Messiah.
- "Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they wished": This phrase clarifies the immediate spiritual fulfillment of Elijah's coming in John the Baptist and immediately associates his prophetic role with suffering and rejection. This link foreshadows Jesus' own passion.
- "Whatever they wished, as it is written of him": This clause asserts that John's unjust treatment and death were not random acts but fell within the pattern of suffering expected for God's messengers in Scripture. This understanding deepens the prophetic significance of John's fate.
Mark 9 13 Bonus section
The concept presented in this verse reflects Jesus' consistent reinterpretation of prophetic expectations. While many anticipated a triumphal Elijah who would usher in an earthly kingdom, Jesus reveals a suffering forerunner, setting a precedent for a suffering Messiah. This subverts typical eschatological hopes, shifting focus from political power to redemptive suffering. This understanding would have been challenging for the disciples to grasp fully, as their questions often revolved around a visible, kingly kingdom (Acts 1:6). The connection made here by Jesus highlights the divine irony where human malevolence paradoxically serves God's eternal redemptive plan, ensuring the unfolding of His predetermined course, even through rejection and death.
Mark 9 13 Commentary
Mark 9:13 is a pivotal statement from Jesus, clarifying the identity of John the Baptist and setting the stage for understanding the nature of the Messiah's ministry and suffering. Jesus confirms that John the Baptist was Elijah, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy (Mal 4:5-6). This statement directly corrects the disciples' or scribal literalistic expectation of Elijah's physical reappearance. More profoundly, Jesus links John's tragic end—his arrest and execution at the whim of human authority (Mk 6:17-29)—to a deeper scriptural pattern: that God's messengers often face persecution and rejection. The phrase "as it is written of him" doesn't point to a single direct prophecy about Elijah's suffering in his second coming, but rather encompasses the consistent biblical theme of prophets suffering for their testimony. John's suffering, therefore, becomes a prefigurement of Jesus' own destined suffering, serving as an unmistakable precursor to the Messiah's own rejection and crucifixion, aligning both with God's overarching redemptive plan.