Mark 9:32

9:32 The disciples were still unable to accept Jesus’ teaching concerning his death or to recognize how it fit into God’s plan.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Mar 9:32. Ἐφοβοῦντο, They were afraid) They ask questions of Jesus more readily concerning anything whatever, Mar 9:28, than concerning Himself. So it generally happens, even among intimates.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar 9:32 . ἠγνόουν : they had heard the statement before, and had not forgotten the fact, and their Master had spoken too explicitly for them to be in any doubt as to His meaning. What they were ignorant of was the why, the δεῖ . With all He had said, Jesus had not yet been able to make that plain. They will never know till the Passion has become a fact accomplished. ῥῆμα , a solemn name for the utterance ( vide Mat 4:4 ) = the oracular, prophetic, and withal weird, mysterious word of doom. ἐφοβοῦντο , they feared to ask, they did not wish to understand, they would live on in hope that their Master was under a hallucination; true to human nature.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 32. But they understood not] This whole verse is wanting in two MSS., in the first edition of Erasmus, and in that of Aldus. Mill approves of the omission. It does not appear likely, from Matthew's account, that three of the disciples, Peter, James, and John, could be ignorant of the reasons of Christ's death and resurrection, after the transfiguration; on the contrary, from the circumstances there related, it is very probable that from that time they must have had at least a general understanding of this important subject; but the other nine might have been ignorant of this matter, who were not present at the transfiguration; probably it is of these that the evangelist speaks here. See the observations on the transfiguration, Mt 17:9, &c., and Mt 18:1.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(32) They understood not that saying.—The words, giving once more a kind of psychological analysis of the disciples’ thoughts, are not in St. Matthew, but are found in St. Luke. They imply the continuance of the perplexity described in Mar_9:10.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

32. were afraid] St Matthew adds that they were “exceeding sorry.” His words concerning His violent death contradicted all their expectations.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But they understood not that saying,.... Meaning either the whole of what he had said, concerning his delivery, death, and resurrection: and which then must be interpreted with some limitation; for they must understand the sense of his words, which were clear and express; especially concerning his death, which affected their minds with trouble and grief; for Matthew says, "they were exceeding sorry upon it"; see Gill on Mat 17:23; but they could not understand how it could be, and upon what account, and for what end, so holy and good, and innocent a man as he was, could be put to death; nor how this could consist with his character, as the Son of God, the Messiah, and king of Israel; and with the notions they had of the Messiah's abiding for ever, and setting up a temporal kingdom on earth: or this may regard only his resurrection from the dead; which whether it was to be taken in a literal or mystical sense, they could not tell:

and were afraid to ask him; lest they should be upbraided with their ignorance and stupidity, as they had been lately rebuked by him for their unbelief, and the neglect of their duty; and as Peter had been severely reprimanded for expostulating with him about the selfsame things, delivered by him to them, not before.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

32 But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.

Ver. 32. They understood not that saying] They could not conceive that the Saviour of the world should suffer as a malefactor.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

32. And were afraid to ask him — Our Lord did not encourage bold questions on their part in regard to this matter. He develops the truth in his own way gradually, as he sees their minds prepared for it. It is not until the passover supper that they fully feel that he is to leave them by death. And not even then is their faith so strong that they are prepared for an immovable faith in his resurrection. See on Mar_9:10.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But they understood not the saying, and were afraid (efobounto) to ask him; St. Matthew (Mat_17:23) says, "They were exceeding sorry." They saw that something very dreadful was about to happen. Their Master"s words and looks showed them this. But it was a mystery to them. All his words staggered them, but especially those which spoke of his rising again. They did not understand whether it was an entrance into a higher state or a restoration to a common life. They did not understand why he was to die, and how these words of his about his death could agree with those in which he had told them that his kingdom was at hand. Perhaps, on the whole, they inclined to the view most pleasing to them, that Christ would not die; for this was what they wished and most desired. And so they tried to persuade themselves that his words respecting his sufferings and death had some other hidden meaning; and were to be understood in a figurative sense and not a literal. But anyhow, they dreaded to ask him.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

They understood not the word - They did not understand how to reconcile the death of our saviour (nor consequently his resurrection, which supposed his death) with their notions of his temporal kingdom.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

32. οἱ δὲ ἠγνόουν. But they remained ignorant. Out of consideration for the Twelve, Mt. omits both their ignorance and their fear. Lk. suggests that, as in the case of the two on the way to Emmaus (Luk 24:16), they were not allowed to know then, in order that they might remember it afterwards, and see that Christ had suffered with full knowledge and free will. Ῥῆμα is freq. in the other Gospels and not rare in the Epistles, but in Mk is found only here and Mar 14:72.

ἐφοβοῦντο. They had heard the severe rebuke to Peter (Mar 8:33). The question about Elijah was an indirect attempt to obtain an explanation (Mar 9:11), and the answer had not made things clear to them. They could not understand the Messiah’s rising again, because they did not see how the Messiah could die, and they were afraid of being rebuked for doubting it, or possibly of being told something still more distressing than this general prediction of His sufferings.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

32. ἠγνόουν τὸ ρῆμα—they did not understand the word. This passage and the parallel (Luk 9:45) are the only ones in which this verb is used with the meaning understand, and the peculiar use in passages relating to the same event is strongly corroborative of the interdependence of the accounts. ἐφοβοῦντο αὐτὸν ἐπερωτῆσαι—they feared to question him. They were afraid that further questions would not alleviate, but only aggravate, the situation, and they feared to know the worst.

MEANING OF GREATNESS

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.