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But I tell you that Elijah has indeed come, and they have done to him whatever they wished, just as it is written about him.”
Mark 9:13 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they have also done to him whatever they wanted to, even as it is written about him.”
  • KJV But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.
  • NKJV But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.”
  • NASB But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wanted, just as it is written of him.”
  • NLT But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they chose to abuse him, just as the Scriptures predicted.”

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 declares that Elijah has already come and was treated as people wished, as Scripture foretold. He identifies John the Baptist as the promised Elijah.

Overview

Jesus points to John the Baptist, who came in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17) and was rejected and killed by Herod. John's suffering foreshadows Jesus' own. The statement shows that God's prophetic word is being fulfilled precisely, including the rejection of his messengers.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 7

  • Matt 14:3–11Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,
  • Matt 17:12–13But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.”
  • Matt 11:14And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.
  • Acts 7:52Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers—
  • Luke 3:19–20But when he rebuked Herod the tetrarch regarding his brother’s wife Herodias and all the evils he had done,
  • Mark 6:14–28Now King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known, and people were saying, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
  • Luke 1:17And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

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 9:13YouTube · 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 9:13 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.