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And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.
Mark 9:12 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB He said to them, “Elijah indeed comes first, and restores all things. How is it written about the Son of Man, that he should suffer many things and be despised?
  • BSB He 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?
  • NKJV Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?
  • NASB And He said to them, “Elijah does come first and he restores all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt?
  • NLT Jesus responded, “Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready. Yet why do the Scriptures say that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be treated with utter contempt?

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 affirms that Elijah does come first to restore all things, yet asks why Scripture says the Son of Man must suffer. He joins the Elijah expectation to his own suffering.

Overview

Jesus confirms the prophecy of a restoring forerunner while redirecting attention to the equally scriptural truth that the Messiah must suffer and be despised (as in Isaiah 53). He corrects a one-sided hope of restoration without a cross. The Son of Man's suffering is not an interruption of God's plan but its fulfillment.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 25

  • Isa 53:1–12Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
  • Isa 50:6I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
  • Isa 52:14As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
  • Isa 40:3–5The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
  • Luke 1:16–17And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
  • Luke 23:11And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.
  • Isa 49:7Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.
  • Ps 22:1–31My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
  • Zech 13:7Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.
  • Matt 11:2–18Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
  • John 3:27–30John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
  • Ps 69:1–36Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.
  • Mal 4:6And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
  • Luke 1:76And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
  • Matt 3:1–12In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
  • Dan 9:24–26Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
  • Luke 3:2–6Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
  • Zech 11:13And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.
  • Ps 74:22Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.
  • Mark 1:2–8As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
  • Luke 23:39And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
  • Matt 16:21From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
  • Matt 26:24The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
  • John 1:6–36There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
  • Phil 2:7–8But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

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Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Mark videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Mark 9:12YouTube · 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 9:12 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.