They answered, “Grant that one of us may sit at Your right hand and the other at Your left in Your glory.”
Parallel translations
- WEB They said to him, “Grant to us that we may sit, one at your right hand, and one at your left hand, in your glory.”
- KJV They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.
- NKJV They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.”
- NASB They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.”
- NLT They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”
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
They ask to sit at his right and left in his glory. They crave positions of highest honor, misunderstanding the nature of his kingdom.
Overview
James and John seek the chief places of power, assuming glory without suffering. Their request shows they still picture a kingdom of earthly prestige rather than the way of the cross. Their ambition gives Jesus occasion to redefine greatness and to foretell that his path, and theirs, runs through suffering.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Matt 19:28Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
- 1 Kgs 22:19Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left.
- Ps 110:1A Psalm of David. The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
- Mark 16:19After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
- Luke 24:26Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then to enter His glory?”
- Mark 8:38If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
- 1 Pet 1:11trying to determine the time and setting to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.
- Matt 25:31When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne.
- Ps 45:9The daughters of kings are among your honored women; the queen stands at your right hand, adorned with the gold of Ophir.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 10:37 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.