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And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.
Mark 8:11 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB The Pharisees came out and began to question him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, and testing him.
  • BSB Then the Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus, testing Him by demanding from Him a sign from heaven.
  • NKJV Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.
  • NASB And the Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, demanding from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him.
  • NLT When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had arrived, they came and started to argue with him. Testing him, they demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.

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 Pharisees demand a sign from heaven, testing Jesus rather than seeking truth. Their request masks unbelief.

Overview

Having just provided miraculous bread, Jesus is now confronted by leaders who want a spectacular validating sign on their terms. Their 'testing' echoes Israel's testing of God in the wilderness and Satan's tempting of Jesus. The episode exposes that hardened hearts will not be persuaded even by abundant evidence.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 25

  • Matt 12:38Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
  • John 4:48Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
  • 1 Cor 10:9Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
  • 1 Cor 1:22–23For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
  • Luke 11:16And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
  • Luke 12:54–57And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.
  • Mal 3:15And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
  • Deut 6:16Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
  • Exod 17:7And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?
  • Mark 2:16And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
  • Matt 16:1–12The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
  • Mark 12:15Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.
  • Mark 7:1–2Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.
  • John 7:48Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?
  • John 6:30They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
  • Matt 22:34–35But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
  • Exod 17:2Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?
  • Matt 21:23And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
  • Matt 22:15Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
  • Matt 22:23The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
  • Matt 22:18But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
  • Matt 19:3The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
  • Luke 10:25And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
  • Luke 11:53–54And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:
  • Acts 5:9Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

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 8:11YouTube · 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 8:11 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.