Then He said to the tree, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again.” And His disciples heard this statement.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus told it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” and his disciples heard it.
- KJV And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
- ESV And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
- NKJV In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.
- NASB And He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.
- NLT Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
Jesus curses the fig tree so that no one will eat from it again, and the disciples hear it.
Overview
Jesus' words against the barren tree are an enacted parable of judgment on fruitless religion. Sandwiched around the cleansing of the temple, the cursing signals God's judgment on a temple system that bore leaves of ritual but no fruit of true worship. The sign warns that profession without genuine fruit invites judgment.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Matt 21:19Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered.
- Matt 7:19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
- Matt 3:10The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
- John 15:6If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.
- Mark 11:20–21As they were walking back in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from its roots.
- Matt 12:33–35Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.
- Isa 5:5–6Now I will tell you what I am about to do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be consumed; I will tear down its wall, and it will be trampled.
- Rev 22:11Let the unrighteous continue to be unrighteous, and the vile continue to be vile; let the righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy continue to be holy.”
- Deut 6:4–8Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.
- Matt 21:44He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”
- Matt 21:33Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.
- Deut 11:26–31See, today I am setting before you a blessing and a curse—
- 2 Pet 2:20If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, only to be entangled and overcome by it again, their final condition is worse than it was at first.
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 11:14 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.