the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts,
Parallel translations
- WEB and the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts:
- KJV And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:
- BSB and to have the chief seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.
- NASB and seats of honor in the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets,
- NLT And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets.
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 continues the warning: the scribes love the best seats in synagogues and the places of honor at feasts. They sought glory from people, not from God.
Overview
Craving recognition, these religious leaders maneuvered for prominence wherever they went. Such self-exaltation is the opposite of the Kingdom, where the greatest is the servant of all (Mark 10:43-44). Jesus' caution exposes how easily devotion can be twisted into a stage for self-display, and calls his followers to seek the approval of God rather than the applause of others.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Jas 2:2–3For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your synagogue, and a poor man in filthy clothing also comes in;
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 12:39 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.