Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used.
Parallel translations
- WEB When he had entered into a house away from the multitude, his disciples asked him about the parable.
- KJV And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.
- BSB After Jesus had left the crowd and gone into the house, His disciples inquired about the parable.
- NKJV When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.
- NASB And when He later entered a house, away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him about the parable.
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
In private the disciples asked Jesus to explain the parable. Their question shows both their dullness and their desire to understand.
Overview
Away from the crowd, the disciples sought clarification of Jesus' saying about defilement. Their need for explanation reveals how deeply ingrained the purity laws were and how revolutionary Jesus' teaching seemed. Jesus' patient instruction in private models His care to bring His followers to fuller understanding.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Matt 15:15Peter answered him, “Explain the parable to us.”
- Matt 13:36Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the darnel weeds of the field.”
- Mark 9:28When he had come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we cast it out?”
- Mark 4:34Without a parable he didn’t speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
- Matt 13:10The disciples came, and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”
- Mark 4:10When he was alone, those who were around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.
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 7:17 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.