Mark 11:32

Mark 11:32 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.
• New International Version (NIV)But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)
• English Standard Version (ESV)But shall we say, 'From man'?"—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But if we say, ‘From men’ ”—they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.

Context of Mark 11:32

30John baptized people. Did God give him authority to do this? Or did men tell him to do it? Now, tell me your answer.’ 31Then the Jewish leaders talked to each other. They said, ‘We could say that God gave John his authority. But, if we say that, Jesus will say to us, “Then you should have believed John.” But we do not want to say that only men gave John his authority.’ The Jewish leaders were afraid of the crowd. All the people thought that John really was a prophet from God. 33So the Jewish leaders answered Jesus: ‘We do not know who gave John his authority.’ So Jesus said to them, ‘You will not answer my question. So I will not tell you what authority I have to do these things.’

Mark 11:32 word by word

ἀλλ᾽ εἴπωμεν· ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, ἐφοβοῦντο τὸν ἅπαντες γὰρ εἶχον τὸν Ἰωάννην ὄντως ὅτι προφήτης ἦν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butἀλλάalla · butG235
• ifἐάνean · ifG1437
• we shall sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• Ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• menἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• they fearedφοβέωphobeō · to fearG5399
• the peopleὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the peopleλαόςlaos · a peopleG2992
• forγάρgar · forG1063
• allἅπαςhapas · allG537
• countedἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• JohnἸωάννηςIōannēs · JohnG2491
• thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• he wasεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• a prophetπροφήτηςprophētēs · prophetG4396
• indeedὄντωςontōs · reallyG3689

Cross-references for Mark 11:32

• Mark 6:20because Herod was afraid of John. Herod knew that John was a good man and a servant of God. So Herod kept John safe. Herod liked to listen to the things that John said. But he did not know what to think about those things.
• Mark 12:12The Jewish leaders knew that Jesus had told this story about them. They were the bad farmers in the story. So they wanted to take hold of Jesus. But they were afraid of the crowd. So they left him and they went away.
• Matthew 14:5Herod wanted to tell his soldiers that they must kill John. But the people thought that John was a prophet from God. So Herod was afraid to kill him.
• Matthew 21:46They wanted to take hold of him and put him in prison. But they did not try to do it because they were afraid of the people. The people thought that Jesus was a prophet from God.
• Luke 20:19The teachers of God's Law and the leaders of the priests knew that Jesus had told this story about them. They were the bad farmers in the story. So they wanted to take hold of Jesus immediately. But they did not do it, because they were afraid of the people.
• Luke 22:2The leaders of the priests and the teachers of God's Law wanted to kill Jesus. They were talking together about how they could do this. It was difficult because they were afraid of the people.
• Acts 5:26So the leader of the police took his men with him to find the apostles. They took hold of the apostles to take them back to the Jewish leaders. But they did not hurt them because they were afraid of the people. They thought that the people might be angry. They might throw stones at them to kill them.
• Matthew 3:5Many people went to listen to John. They lived in Jerusalem and all over the country called Judea and many other places near the Jordan River.
• Matthew 21:31Tell me, which of the man's sons did what his father wanted?’ The Jewish leaders replied, ‘The older son did what his father wanted.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you this: The men who take taxes from people are going into the kingdom of God before you. It is the same with prostitutes. They also are going into the kingdom of God before you.
• Luke 7:26So what did you go to see? Did you go to see a prophet sent by God? Yes! But I tell you, John was even more important than a prophet.
• Luke 20:6But we do not want to say that only men gave John his authority. Then all the people would throw stones at us to kill us. They are sure that John really was a prophet from God.’
• John 10:41Many people came to him. They said to each other, ‘John did not do any miracles. But everything that he said about this man was true.’

Commentaries on Mark 11:32

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 32They feared the people - Or rather, We fear, etc. Instead of , they feared; the Codex Bezae, seven others, later Syriac, Arabic, Coptic, Ethiopic, Armenian, Vulgate, and all the Itala, read , or . The common reading appearing to me quite improper. We fear the people. , if, before , we shall say, is omitted by ABCEFGHLS, and more than fifty others. Bengel leaves it out of the text, and puts a note of interrogation after ; and then the whole passage reads…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 27-33Verses 27-33 See the notes at Matthew 20:23-27.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 27-33Verses 27-33 Our Saviour shows how near akin his doctrine and baptism were to those of John; they had the same design and tendency, to bring in the gospel kingdom. These elders did not deserve to be taught; for it was plain that they contended not for truth, but victory: nor did he need to tell them; for the works he did, told them plainly he had authority from God; since no man could do the miracles which he did, unless God were with him.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 31-32Jesus placed his opponents in a difficult position. Either answer would hurt their authority and reputation with the people. If they denied that John was a prophet, the crowd would likely become angry. But if they admitted that John was a prophet, they would also have to accept what John said about Jesus. That answer would also respond to their own question about the authority of Jesus (11:28).Read the comment

Topics related to Mark 11:32

• John
• Opinion, Public
• Temple

In the dictionaries

• All
• Authority in Religion
• Jesus Christ
• King, Christ As
• Mark, the Gospel According to
• Olives, Mount of

Commentaries on Mark 11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings