“What are you disputing with them?” He asked.
Parallel translations
- WEB He asked the scribes, “What are you asking them?”
- KJV And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?
- NKJV And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”
- NASB And He asked them, “What are you disputing with them?”
- NLT “What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked.
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 asks the scribes what they are arguing about with his disciples. He steps directly into the conflict.
Overview
Rather than avoiding the dispute, Jesus engages it head-on, taking responsibility for his disciples' situation. The question shifts attention from their failure to the need at hand. It models the Lord who enters our struggles to bring resolution.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Luke 5:30–32But the Pharisees and their scribes complained to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
- Mark 8:11Then the Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus, testing Him by demanding from Him a sign from heaven.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 9:16 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.