They asked him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
Parallel translations
- KJV And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?
- BSB And they asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
- NKJV And they asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
- NASB And they asked Him, saying, “Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
- NLT Then they asked him, “Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?”
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 disciples ask why the scribes teach that Elijah must come first. They are wrestling with prophecy in light of Jesus' identity.
Overview
The scribes taught, based on Malachi 4:5-6, that Elijah would precede the Messiah's coming. Having just seen Elijah, the disciples wonder how this expectation fits Jesus. The question opens the way for Jesus to explain that the promised Elijah has already come.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Mal 4:5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.
- Mal 3:1“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, behold, he comes!” says Yahweh of Armies.
- Matt 11:14If you are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, who is to come.
- Matt 17:10–11His disciples asked him, saying, “Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
- Mark 9:4Elijah and Moses appeared to them, and they were talking with Jesus.
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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 9:11 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
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