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Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:28 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Therefore the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
  • KJV Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
  • NKJV Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”
  • NASB So the Son of Man is Lord, even of the Sabbath.”
  • NLT So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”

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 claims lordship over the Sabbath itself, asserting his divine authority as the Son of Man. It matters because it makes his identity, not merely his argument, the decisive point.

Overview

Drawing on the exalted figure of Daniel 7, 'Son of Man' here signals authority that belongs to God alone. As Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus has the right to define its proper use and ultimately to fulfill it. The verse moves from defending the disciples to revealing who Jesus is, the divine Son who is the true rest for his people.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 11

  • Matt 12:8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
  • Rev 1:10On the Lord’s day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,
  • John 5:17But Jesus answered them, “To this very day My Father is at His work, and I too am working.”
  • Luke 6:5Then Jesus declared, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
  • Eph 1:22And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church,
  • John 9:14Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath.
  • Luke 13:15–16“You hypocrites!” the Lord replied. “Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it to water?
  • John 5:9–11Immediately the man was made well, and he picked up his mat and began to walk. Now this happened on the Sabbath day,
  • Mark 3:4And He asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” But they were silent.
  • John 9:5–11While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
  • John 9:16Because of this, some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was division among them.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

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 2:28YouTube · 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 2:28 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.