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Others were saying, “He is Elijah,” and still others, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”
Mark 6:15 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB But others said, “He is Elijah.” Others said, “He is a prophet, or like one of the prophets.”
  • KJV Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.
  • NKJV Others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets.”
  • NASB But others were saying, “He is Elijah.” And others were saying, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”
  • NLT Others said, “He’s the prophet Elijah.” Still others said, “He’s a prophet like the other great prophets of the past.”

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

Others speculate that Jesus is Elijah or one of the prophets.

Overview

The popular guesses reflect genuine expectation of Elijah's return and the prophetic role, yet they fall short of recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. Such opinions honor Jesus while still missing his true identity. The verse highlights the wider confusion about who Jesus really is.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 18

  • Matt 16:14They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
  • Mal 4:5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.
  • Matt 21:11The crowds replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
  • Mark 8:28They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
  • John 9:17So once again they asked the man who had been blind, “What do you say about Him, since it was your eyes He opened?” “He is a prophet,” the man replied.
  • John 1:21“Then who are you?” they inquired. “Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”
  • Mark 15:35–36When some of those standing nearby heard this, they said, “Behold, He is calling Elijah.”
  • Luke 7:16A sense of awe swept over all of them, and they glorified God. “A great prophet has appeared among us!” they said. “God has visited His people!”
  • Luke 7:39When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who this is and what kind of woman is touching Him—for she is a sinner!”
  • Mark 9:12–13He replied, “Elijah does indeed come first, and he restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected?
  • Acts 3:22–23For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He tells you.
  • John 6:14When the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed, they began to say, “Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
  • John 7:40On hearing these words, some of the people said, “This is truly the Prophet.”
  • Matt 17:10–11The disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
  • Luke 1:17And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
  • John 1:25asked him, “Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
  • Luke 9:19They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that a prophet of old has arisen.”
  • Luke 9:8others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that a prophet of old had arisen.

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 6:15YouTube · 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 6:15 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.