Mark 9:42

Mark 9:42 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
• New International Version (NIV)“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.

Context of Mark 9:42

40If someone is not against us, he is working to help us. 41Somebody may give you a cup of water because you are a servant of the Messiah. I tell you this: God will bless that person and he will never lose God's help. A person who believes in me may not seem important. But you should never make that person do wrong things. Do not do that! It would be better if someone tied a big stone around your neck and then he threw you into the sea! 43If your hand causes you to do wrong things, you should cut it off. You will only have one hand, but you can have God's true life. It will be much worse for you if you keep both your hands and go to hell. There, the fire always burns and never stops.

Mark 9:42 word by word

καὶ ὃς ἂν σκανδαλίσῃ ἕνα τῶν μικρῶν τούτων τῶν πιστευόντων εἰς ἐμέ, καλόν ἐστιν αὐτῷ μᾶλλον εἰ περίκειται μύλος ὀνικὸς περὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ καὶ βέβληται εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• whosoeverἄνan · ifG302
• whosoeverὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• shall offendσκανδαλίζωskandalizō · to cause to stumbleG4624
• oneεἷςheis · oneG1520
• ofὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• ofπιστεύωpisteuō · to trust (in)G4100
• littleμικρόςmikros mikroteros · smallG3398
• inεἰςeis · towardG1519
• meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• it isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• betterκαλόςkalos · goodG2570
• betterμᾶλλονmallon · more: ratherG3123
• for himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• thatεἰei · ifG1487
• a millstoneλίθοςlithos · stoneG3037
• a millstoneμυλικόςmulikos · millstoneG3457
• were hangedπερίκειμαιperikeimai · to surroundG4029
• aboutπερίperi · aboutG4012
• neckτράχηλοςtrachēlos · neckG5137
• he were castβάλλωballō · to throw: throwG906
• the seaθάλασσαthalassa · seaG2281

Cross-references for Mark 9:42

• Matthew 18:6Jesus said, ‘A person who believes in me may not seem important. But you should never make that person do wrong things. Do not do that! It would be better for you if someone tied a big stone round your neck. Then you would sink deep down into the sea and die.
• Luke 17:1Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Some bad things in this world will make other people do wrong things. You can be sure about that. But God will punish anyone who makes these bad things happen.
• Romans 14:13So we must no longer judge other believers. Instead, you must decide never to bring trouble to another believer. Do not cause them to do something wrong.
• Romans 15:21This is written in the Bible about God's Messiah: ‘Those people that nobody ever told them about him will now see. Those people who have never heard about him will now understand.’
• Romans 16:17My Christian friends, I want to tell you something important. Be very careful about people who teach wrong things. They teach things that are different from God's true message that you learned. Those people cause you to quarrel with each other. They cause people to turn away from God. You must stay away from them.
• 1 Corinthians 8:10You may be eating food in a place where people worship idols. Then another Christian sees you there. You know that the idols are not real gods. But the other Christian may have weak thoughts about this. So, because he sees you, he may think that he can eat that food too.
• 1 Corinthians 10:32Do not cause problems for other people. Whether they are Jews or Gentiles, or people who belong to God's church, live in a way that does not cause problems for them.
• 2 Corinthians 6:3We do not want anyone to think bad things about our work. So we do nothing that might cause trouble for anyone.
• Philippians 1:10Then you will be able to choose what is best in the way that you live. Then, on the day when Christ returns, you will be completely clean. You will not be guilty of any bad thing.
• 1 Timothy 5:14So I think that widows who are still young women should marry again. Then they can have children and they can take care of their own homes. If they live well like that, the enemy of God's people will not have a chance to say bad things against us.
• 2 Peter 2:2Many people will believe these false teachers. They will live in a bad way, like the false teachers. As a result, other people will say bad things against God's true way to live.
• Matthew 25:45Then the king will reply, “I tell you this: You did not help people who are my friends. They were not important people. But when you did not help them, you also did not help me.”
• Acts 9:4Saul fell down onto the ground. He heard a voice which said to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you fight against me?’
• Acts 26:11I went to our Jewish meeting places to take hold of believers. I told my men to punish them. I tried to make the believers say bad things against God. I was very angry with them. So I even travelled to cities in other countries to punish them.
• 2 Thessalonians 1:6God will punish those people who are causing trouble for you. He will cause trouble for them. That is right and fair.
• Revelation 6:9Then the Lamb opened the fifth seal. I saw an altar where people offered gifts to God. I saw the souls of some of God's people under the altar. These people had died because they had believed God's message. They had continued to speak the true message about Jesus Christ. That is why people had killed them.

Commentaries on Mark 9:42

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 42-50Verses 42-50 See the notes at Matthew 18:7-9. Millstone. See Matthew 18:6. Mark 9:44-46 Their worm - This figure is taken from Isaiah 66:24. See the notes at that passage. In describing the great prosperity. of the kingdom of the Messiah, Isaiah says that the people of God “shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men who have transgressed against God.” Their enemies would be overcome. They would be slain. The people of God would triumph. The…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 41-50Verses 41-50 It is repeatedly said of the wicked, Their worm dieth not, as well as, The fire is never quenched. Doubtless, remorse of conscience and keen self-reflection are this never-dying worm. Surely it is beyond compare better to undergo all possible pain, hardship, and self-denial here, and to be happy for ever hereafter, than to enjoy all kinds of worldly pleasure for a season, and to be miserable for ever. Like the sacrifices, we must be salted…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 42-50If anyone causes … sin: The repeated warning about causing sin connects these verses (9:42–43, 45, 47). Jesus did not mean that people should take these words literally. Cutting off a body part would not stop sin (see Matthew 15:10–20). Instead, Jesus warns that no sin is worth the punishment of hell. It is better to repent (turn away from sin), even when repentance is very painful, than to face hell.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4242. For whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me--or, shall cause them to stumble; referring probably to the effect which such unsavory disputes as they had held would have upon the inquiring and hopeful who came in contact with them, leading to the belief that after all they were no better than others. it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck--The word here is simply "millstone," without expressing of…Read the comment

Topics related to Mark 9:42

• Commandments
• Jesus, the Christ
• Millstone
• Persecution

In the dictionaries

• the sea, the Great Sea, the western sea
• Foam
• Rising
• Teach
• Unbelief
• Worm
• Criticism of the Bible
• Drunkenness
• Jesus Christ
• John, the Apostle

Commentaries on Mark 9

• 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
• 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