And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
Parallel translations
- WEB A voice came out of the sky, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
- KJV And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
- NKJV Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
- NASB and a voice came from the heavens: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
- NLT And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”
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
The Father's voice declares Jesus to be His beloved Son in whom He delights. Heaven confirms Jesus' identity and approval.
Overview
This declaration echoes Psalm 2:7 (the messianic King) and Isaiah 42:1 (the chosen Servant), uniting royal and suffering-servant themes. The Father's pleasure rests on the Son even before His public works, grounding Jesus' mission in eternal love. For Mark's readers, it answers the opening claim that Jesus is the Son of God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Isa 42:1“Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.
- Mark 9:7Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him!”
- Matt 3:17And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”
- Ps 2:7I will proclaim the decree spoken to Me by the LORD: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.
- Col 1:13He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son,
- Rom 1:4and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
- John 3:16For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
- 2 Pet 1:17–18For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
- John 12:28–30Father, glorify Your name!” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
- John 3:35–36The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands.
- Luke 9:35And a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to Him!”
- John 5:20–23The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. And to your amazement, He will show Him even greater works than these.
- John 5:37And the Father who sent Me has Himself testified about Me. You have never heard His voice nor seen His form,
- John 1:34I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”
- Matt 17:5While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”
- John 6:69We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 1:11 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.