and a voice came from the heavens: “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.
- BSB And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
- NKJV Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom 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“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.
- Mark 9:7A cloud came, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
- Matt 3:17Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
- Ps 2:7I will tell of the decree. Yahweh said to me, “You are my son. Today I have become your father.
- Col 1:13who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love;
- Rom 1:4who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the 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 whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
- 2 Pet 1:17–18For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
- John 12:28–30Father, glorify your name!” Then there came a voice out of the sky, saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
- John 3:35–36The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand.
- Luke 9:35A voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!”
- John 5:20–23For the Father has affection for the Son, and shows him all things that he himself does. He will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel.
- John 5:37The Father himself, who sent me, has testified about me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form.
- John 1:34I have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
- Matt 17:5While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. Behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”
- John 6:69We have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.