And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus told it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” and his disciples heard it.
- BSB Then He said to the tree, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again.” And His disciples heard this statement.
- 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 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 21:19And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.
- Matt 7:19Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
- Matt 3:10And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
- John 15:6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
- Mark 11:20–21And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
- Matt 12:33–35Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
- Isa 5:5–6And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:
- Rev 22:11He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
- Deut 6:4–8Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
- Matt 21:44And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
- Matt 21:33Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
- Deut 11:26–31Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
- 2 Pet 2:20For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
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 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.