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Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.
Mark 16:9 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Now when he had risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.
  • KJV Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
  • BSB Early on the first day of the week, after Jesus had risen, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had driven out seven demons.
  • NASB [[Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons.
  • NLT After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons.

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

The risen Jesus appears first to Mary Magdalene, once delivered from seven demons. Grace honors a transformed life with the first sight of the risen Lord.

Overview

Verses 9-20 form the 'longer ending' of Mark, which is absent from the earliest and most reliable manuscripts; faithful Christians differ over its origin, though its content largely accords with the other Gospels. Here the risen Christ appears first to Mary Magdalene, whom he had freed from grievous bondage. That a once-demonized woman is the first witness magnifies the mercy of the gospel.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 10

  • John 20:14–19When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, and didn’t know that it was Jesus.
  • Luke 8:2and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out;
  • Mark 15:47Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joses, saw where he was laid.
  • John 20:12and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
  • Luke 24:10Now they were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. The other women with them told these things to the apostles.
  • Matt 27:56Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
  • Mark 15:40There were also women watching from afar, among whom were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;
  • Acts 20:7On the first day of the week, when the disciples were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and continued his speech until midnight.
  • 1 Cor 16:2On the first day of the week, let each one of you save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come.
  • Rev 1:10I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, like a trumpet

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Mark videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Mark 16:9YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on MarkMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 16:9 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.