And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.
Parallel translations
- WEB He commanded them that they should tell no one about him.
- BSB And Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about Him.
- NKJV Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.
- NASB And He warned them to tell no one about Him.
- NLT But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
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 orders them to tell no one that he is the Christ. He guards against a misunderstood messianic expectation.
Overview
Because the popular notion of Messiah was a political deliverer, Jesus restrains the title until its meaning is reshaped by his coming death and resurrection. The command continues Mark's theme of the messianic secret. Jesus' identity must be proclaimed only in light of the cross, lest it be distorted into mere triumphalism.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Luke 9:21And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing;
- Matt 16:20Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
- Mark 9:9And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.
- Mark 7:36And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;
- Mark 8:26And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.
- Matt 8:4And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 8:30 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.