But if we say, ‘From men’...” they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John truly was a prophet.
Parallel translations
- WEB If we should say, ‘From men’” — they feared the people, for all held John to really be a prophet.
- KJV But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.
- NKJV But if we say, ‘From men’ ”—they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.
- NASB But should we say, ‘From men’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all considered John to have been a real prophet.
- NLT But do we dare say it was merely human?” For they were afraid of what the people would do, because everyone believed that John was a prophet.
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 fear to say John was merely human because the people held him to be a true prophet.
Overview
Fear of the crowd, not love of truth, governs the leaders' calculations. They are caught between the people's high regard for John and their own refusal to believe. Their cowardly evasion reveals leaders more concerned with public opinion than with God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Matt 21:46Although they wanted to arrest Him, they were afraid of the crowds, because the people regarded Him as a prophet.
- Mark 12:12At this, the leaders sought to arrest Jesus, for they knew that He had spoken this parable against them. But fearing the crowd, they left Him and went away.
- Matt 14:5Although Herod wanted to kill John, he was afraid of the people, because they regarded John as a prophet.
- Luke 7:26–29What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
- Luke 20:6–8But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”
- Acts 5:26At that point, the captain went with the officers and brought the apostles—but not by force, for fear the people would stone them.
- Matt 11:9What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
- Matt 3:5–6People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region around the Jordan.
- Matt 21:31–32Which of the two did the will of his father?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.
- Mark 6:20because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man. When he heard John’s words, he was greatly perplexed; yet he listened to him gladly.
- John 10:41Many came to Him and said, “Although John never performed a sign, everything he said about this man was true.”
- Luke 22:2and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death; for they feared the people.
- Luke 20:19When the scribes and chief priests realized that Jesus had spoken this parable against them, they sought to arrest Him that very hour. But they were afraid of the people.
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 11:32 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.