New King James Version
Mark 16:18
18they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Mark 16:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
- New International Version (NIV)they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."
- New Living Translation (NLT)They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”
Context of Mark 16:18
16He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
Read all of Mark 16Mark 16:18 word by word
καὶ ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν ὄφεις ἀροῦσιν, κἂν θανάσιμόν τι πίωσιν, οὐ μὴ αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ ἀρρώστους χεῖρας ἐπιθήσουσιν καὶ καλῶς ἕξουσιν.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- They shall take upαἴρωairō · to take upG142
- serpentsὄφιςophis · snakeG3789
- and ifκἄνkan · and/even ifG2579
- they drinkπίνωpinō piō poō · to drinkG4095
- anyτιςtis · oneG5100
- deadly thingθανάσιμοςthanasimos · deadlyG2286
- it shallβλάπτωblaptō · to hurtG984
- ·οὐou · noG3756
- notμήmē · notG3361
- themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- they shall layἐπιτίθημιepitithēmi · to put/lay onG2007
- handsχείρcheir · handG5495
- onἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
- the sickἄρρωστοςarrhōstos · illG732
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- they shallἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
- recoverκαλῶςkalōs · wellG2573
Cross-references for Mark 16:18
- Genesis 3:15And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
- Psalms 91:13You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
- Luke 10:19Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
- Acts 28:3But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
- Romans 16:20And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
- 2 Kings 4:39So one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they did not know what they were.
- Acts 3:6Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
- Acts 4:10let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.
- Acts 5:15so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.
- Acts 9:17And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
- Acts 19:12so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.
- Acts 28:8And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him.
- 1 Corinthians 12:9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
- James 5:14Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
Commentaries on Mark 16:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18Take up serpents - Several MSS. add , in their hands - shall be enabled to give, when such a proof may be serviceable to the cause of truth, this evidence of their being continually under the power and protection of God, and that all nature is subject to him. This also was literally fulfilled in the case of Paul, Acts 28:5. If they drink any deadly thing - ( ) being understood - if they should through mistake, or accident, drink any poisonous matter…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18They shall take up serpents - When it is necessary for the sake of establishing religion, they shall handle poisonous reptiles without injury, thus showing that God was with them to keep them from harm. This was literally fulfilled when Paul shook the viper from his hand. See Acts 28:5-6. Any deadly thing - Any poison usually causing death. Shall not hurt them - There is a similar promise in Isaiah 43:2. They shall lay hands on the sick - See instances…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-18Verses 14-18 The evidences of the truth of the gospel are so full, that those who receive it not, may justly be upbraided with their unbelief. Our blessed Lord renewed his choice of the eleven as his apostles, and commissioned them to go into all the world, to preach his gospel to every creature. Only he that is a true Christian shall be saved through Christ. Simon Magus professed to believe, and was baptized, yet he was declared to be in the bonds of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9-20Nearly all scholars agree that Mark did not write the shorter ending and the longer ending of his Gospel. These endings use different styles, vocabulary, and theology (teaching about God). Also, the two best early Greek manuscripts (Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus) do not include these endings. However, many scholars also doubt that Mark meant to end his Gospel at 16:8. Several reasons support this view: Mark emphasizes that the predictions of Jesus…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 17-1817-18. And these signs shall follow them that believe ... They shall take up serpents--These two verses also are peculiar to Mark. The Ascension and Triumphant Proclamation of the Gospel Thereafter (Mr 16:19, 20).Read the comment
Topics related to Mark 16:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Mark 16
- 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries