And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.
Parallel translations
- WEB Immediately coming up from the water, he saw the heavens parting, and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
- KJV And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
- BSB As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, He saw the heavens breaking open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove.
- NASB And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon Him;
- NLT As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
As Jesus rises from the water, heaven opens and the Spirit descends on Him like a dove. God publicly anoints His Son for ministry.
Overview
The tearing open of the heavens signals direct divine intervention, the same word Mark uses for the temple curtain at Jesus' death. The Spirit's descent anoints Jesus as the promised Messiah, empowering Him for His mission. Here we glimpse the Trinity: the Son baptized, the Spirit descending, the Father about to speak.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- John 1:31–34I didn’t know him, but for this reason I came baptizing in water: that he would be revealed to Israel.”
- Luke 3:22and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form like a dove on him; and a voice came out of the sky, saying “You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased.”
- Isa 42:1“Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delights — I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice to the nations.
- Matt 3:16Jesus, when he was baptized, went up directly from the water: and behold, the heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming on him.
- Isa 64:1Oh that you would tear the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 1:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.