The Fallible Study Bible

The Fallible · Synthetic · Study Bible

Mark10:35–45

The Request of James and John

✦ Public-domain source — quoted & attributed⚙ AI synthesis — generated, verify

Mark 10:35–45 — The Request of James and John. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

35

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and declared, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai Iakōbos kai Iōannēs hoi huioi Zebedaiou prosporeuontai autō legontes autō Didaskale thelomen poiēsēs hēmin hina ho ean aitēsōmen se

Word by word20 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiThenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἸάκωβοςIakōbosJamesG2385
√ Ἰάκωβος — Jacobus, the name of three IsraelitesNounNominative Masculine Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἸωάννηςIōannēsJohnG2491
√ Ἰωάννης — Joannes (iNounNominative Masculine Singular
οἱhoitheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
υἱοὶhuioisonsG5207
√ υἱός — a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinshipNounNominative Masculine Plural
huios: son Mark identifies them by paternity (sons of Zebedee) rather than by the discipleship name he gave them. The same word υἱός returns at v. 45 in “Son of Man,” which is the whole distance the unit travels: from sons asking an inheritance to the Son giving his life.
ΖεβεδαίουZebedaiouof ZebedeeG2199
√ Ζεβεδαῖος — Zebedæus, an IsraeliteNounGenitive Masculine Singular
προσπορεύονταιprosporeuontaicameG4365
√ προσπορεύομαι — to journey towards, iVerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Plural
prosporeuomai: to journey towards Present indicative middle or passive, 3rd person plural. The verb is built from πρός plus πορεύομαι and appears here as a vivid present. Cambridge notes how ill-timed the approach was: Jesus is on the road to his death, and the movement toward him is a movement to secure position.
αὐτῷautōto [Jesus]G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
λέγοντεςlegontes[and] declaredG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
αὐτῷautōG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ΔιδάσκαλεDidaskaleTeacherG1320
√ διδάσκαλος — an instructor (genitive case or specially)NounVocative Masculine Singular
didaskalos: an instructor Vocative masculine singular. The title is correct and the use of it is not.
θέλομενthelomenwe wantG2309
√ θέλω — to determine (as an active option from subjective impulseVerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Plural
thelō: to determine, as an active option from subjective impulse Present indicative active, 1st person plural. This is the governing verb of the whole unit: it is willed here by the two, thrown back at them in v. 36, and redefined in vv. 43 and 44 (ὃς ἂν θέλῃ, “whoever wills”). Benson judges that the action “discovered, in the clearest manner, the temper of mind they were in.”
ποιήσῃςpoiēsēsYou to doG4160
√ ποιέω — to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct)VerbAorist Subjunctive Active2nd Person Singular
poieō: to make or do Aorist subjunctive active, 2nd person singular: a single decisive act, unspecified. Jesus answers with the same verb in the 1st person singular (v. 36, ποιήσω), refusing to act until the content is named.
ἡμῖνhēminfor usG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounDative 1st Person Plural
ἵναhina. . .G2443
√ ἵνα — compare G3588 (ὁ))Conjunction
ὃhowhateverG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
ἐὰνean. . .G1437
√ ἐάν — a conditional particleConjunction
αἰτήσωμένaitēsōmenwe askG154
√ αἰτέω — to ask (in genitive case)VerbAorist Subjunctive Active1st Person Plural
aiteō: to ask Aorist subjunctive active, 1st person plural, here in the active voice. In v. 38 Jesus repeats the root in the middle voice (αἰτεῖσθε, “you are asking for yourselves”), and that shift in voice is his diagnosis of the request.
σεseG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 2nd Person Singular
36

“What do you want Me to do for you?” He inquired.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Ti thelete me poiēsō hymin de Ho eipen autois

Word by word9 · parsed
ΤίTiWhatG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
tis: an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what Accusative neuter singular, placed first for emphasis. The whole pastoral method of the verse is in the word order.
θέλετεtheletedo you wantG2309
√ θέλω — to determine (as an active option from subjective impulseVerbPresent Indicative Active2nd Person Plural
thelō: to determine Present indicative active, 2nd person plural. The verb of v. 35 handed back.
μεmeMeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 1st Person Singular
ποιήσωpoiēsōto doG4160
√ ποιέω — to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct)VerbAorist Subjunctive Active1st Person Singular
poieō: to make or do Aorist subjunctive active, 1st person singular. JFB reads the counter-question as deliberate exposure: our Lord will have the petition uttered before all, rather than answered in private.
ὑμῖνhyminfor youG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Plural
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὉHoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
εἶπενeipenHe inquiredG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτοῖςautois. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
37

They answered, “Grant that one of us may sit at Your right hand and the other at Your left in Your glory.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de Hoi eipan autō Dos hēmin hina heis sou kathisōmen ek dexiōn kai heis ex aristerōn en sou tē doxē

Word by word20 · parsed
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ΟἱHoiG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
εἶπανeipanThey answeredG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
αὐτῷautō. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ΔὸςDosGrantG1325
√ δίδωμι — to give (used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figurativelyVerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
didōmi: to give Aorist imperative active, 2nd person singular. The imperative is blunt. The root is the load-bearing verb of the whole unit: asked of Christ here, disclaimed by him in v. 40, and finally exercised in v. 45 where what he gives is his life.
ἡμῖνhēmin. . .G1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounDative 1st Person Plural
ἵναhinathatG2443
√ ἵνα — compare G3588 (ὁ))Conjunction
εἷςheisoneG1520
√ εἷς — oneAdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
σουsouof [us]G4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
καθίσωμενkathisōmenmay sitG2523
√ καθίζω — to seat down, iVerbAorist Subjunctive Active1st Person Plural
kathizō: to seat down Aorist subjunctive active, 1st person plural, though the seats named are “one and one.” The plural verb betrays that the two are acting as a bloc, which is exactly what provokes the ten in v. 41.
ἐκekatG1537
√ ἐκ — literal or figurativePreposition
δεξιῶνdexiōnYour right handG1188
√ δεξιός — the right side or (feminine) hand (as that which usually takes)AdjectiveGenitive Neuter Plural
dexios: the right side or hand, as that which usually takes Genitive neuter plural. The right-hand place is the seat of the regent.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
εἷςheis[the other]G1520
√ εἷς — oneAdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
ἐξexatG1537
√ ἐκ — literal or figurativePreposition
ἀριστερῶνaristerōnYour leftG710
√ ἀριστερός — the left hand (as second-best)AdjectiveGenitive Neuter Plural
aristeros: the left hand, as second-best Genitive neuter plural, a lexeme found in only four New Testament verses. Strong's own gloss carries the ranking that the request assumes: right first, left second-best, and the two brothers have quietly assigned themselves both.
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
σουsouYourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
τῇtēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
δόξῃdoxēgloryG1391
√ δόξα — glory (as very apparent), in a wide application (literal or figurative, objective or subjective)NounDative Feminine Singular
doxa: glory, as very apparent Dative feminine singular. Gill takes it as the “glorious kingdom, which they expected would be quickly set up,” connected by them with the promise of thrones and with Christ's mention of rising from the dead. The request is not irreligious; it is a real expectation of a real glory, timed and sited wrongly.
38

“You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I will drink, or be baptized with the baptism I will undergo?”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Ouk oidate ti aiteisthe de Ho Iēsous eipen autois dynasthe piein to potērion ho egō pinō ē baptisthēnai to baptisma ho egō baptizomai

Word by word23 · parsed
ΟὐκOukvvvG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
οἴδατεoidateYou do not knowG1492
√ εἴδω — used only in certain past tenses, the others being borrowed from the equivalent G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι) and G3708 (ὁράω)VerbPerfect Indicative Active2nd Person Plural
eidō: to know Perfect indicative active, 2nd person plural. A settled not-knowing. The Pulpit Commentary lists three reasons they did not know what they asked: the kingdom is spiritual, they sought the glory before the victory, and they may have presumed on natural kinship.
τίtiwhatG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
αἰτεῖσθεaiteistheyou are askingG154
√ αἰτέω — to ask (in genitive case)VerbPresent Indicative Middle2nd Person Plural
aiteō: to ask Present indicative middle, 2nd person plural. The middle voice is the point: asking in one's own interest. The shift from the active of v. 35 to the middle here is the grammatical form of the rebuke, and it is gentle: JFB marvels at “how gentle the reply to such a request.”
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὉHoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἸησοῦςIēsousJesusG2424
√ Ἰησοῦς — Jesus (iNounNominative Masculine Singular
εἶπενeipenrepliedG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτοῖςautoisG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
δύνασθεdynastheCan youG1410
√ δύναμαι — to be able or possibleVerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive2nd Person Plural
πιεῖνpieindrinkG4095
√ πίνω — to imbibe (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Infinitive Active
τὸtotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
ποτήριονpotērioncupG4221
√ ποτήριον — a drinking-vesselNounAccusative Neuter Singular
potērion: a drinking-vessel Accusative neuter singular. JFB records the scriptural range: to drink of a cup is a figure for getting one's fill of good (Psalm 16:5; 23:5; 116:13; Jeremiah 16:7) or of ill (Psalm 75:8; John 18:11; Revelation 14:10), and here it is the cup of suffering. The Pulpit Commentary adds the image behind it: at a feast the ruler tempered the wine and appointed each guest his portion, which it was his duty to drink.
ὃhoG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
ἐγὼegōIG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounNominative 1st Person Singular
πίνωpinōwill drinkG4095
√ πίνω — to imbibe (literally or figuratively)VerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Singular
pinō: to imbibe, literally or figuratively Present indicative active, 1st person singular. Present, not future: the drinking has started.
ἢē[or]G2228
√ ἤ — disjunctive, orConjunction
βαπτισθῆναιbaptisthēnaibe baptized [with]G907
√ βαπτίζω — to immerse, submergeVerbAorist Infinitive Passive
τὸtotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
βάπτισμαbaptismabaptismG908
√ βάπτισμα — baptism (technically or figuratively)NounAccusative Neuter Singular
baptisma: baptism, technically or figuratively Accusative neuter singular, in a cognate accusative with its own verb. The Pulpit Commentary reads the figure as total submersion in the Passion, with purification implied, “a baptism of fire into which he was plunged, and out of which he came forth victorious.”
ὃhovvvG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
ἐγὼegōvvvG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounNominative 1st Person Singular
βαπτίζομαιbaptizomai[I will undergo]G907
√ βαπτίζω — to immerse, submergeVerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive1st Person Singular
baptizō: to immerse, submerge Present indicative middle or passive, 1st person singular. Gill holds the tension exactly: Christ “was wading in the waters of affliction, though as yet they were not come into his soul,” and was not yet baptized with the bloody baptism he came for.
39

“We can,” the brothers answered. “You will drink the cup that I drink,” Jesus said, “and you will be baptized with the baptism that I undergo.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Dynametha de Hoi eipan autō piesthe To potērion ho egō pinō de Ho Iēsous eipen autois kai baptisthēsesthe to baptisma ho egō baptizomai

Word by word23 · parsed
ΔυνάμεθαDynamethaWe canG1410
√ δύναμαι — to be able or possibleVerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive1st Person Plural
dynamai: to be able or possible Present indicative middle or passive, 1st person plural, fronted as a one word answer. It repeats his own δύνασθε from v. 38 without qualification, which Gill counts a second instance of ignorance: they did not know their own weakness, and answered “without any mention of the grace of God or any dependence on the strength of Christ.”
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ΟἱHoiG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
εἶπανeipan[the brothers] answeredG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
αὐτῷautō. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
πίεσθεpiestheYou will drinkG4095
√ πίνω — to imbibe (literally or figuratively)VerbFuture Indicative Middle2nd Person Plural
pinō: to imbibe Future indicative middle, 2nd person plural. Christ does not withdraw the cup from them; he grants the very thing they did not know they were requesting. JFB notes that James was the first apostle to be baptized with his Master's baptism of blood.
ΤὸTotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
ποτήριονpotērioncupG4221
√ ποτήριον — a drinking-vesselNounAccusative Neuter Singular
ὃhothatG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
ἐγὼegōIG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounNominative 1st Person Singular
πίνωpinōdrinkG4095
√ πίνω — to imbibe (literally or figuratively)VerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Singular
pinō: to imbibe Present indicative active, 1st person singular. His present against their future, twice in one sentence.
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὉHoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἸησοῦςIēsousJesusG2424
√ Ἰησοῦς — Jesus (iNounNominative Masculine Singular
εἶπενeipensaidG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτοῖςautoisG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
βαπτισθήσεσθεbaptisthēsestheyou will be baptized [with]G907
√ βαπτίζω — to immerse, submergeVerbFuture Indicative Passive2nd Person Plural
baptizō: to immerse, submerge Future indicative passive, 2nd person plural. The passive voice concedes their claim and corrects it at once: the immersion will be something done to them.
τὸtotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
βάπτισμαbaptismabaptismG908
√ βάπτισμα — baptism (technically or figuratively)NounAccusative Neuter Singular
baptisma: baptism Accusative neuter singular, cognate accusative again. Cambridge cross-references Luke 12:50, where Jesus says he has a baptism to be baptized with, and John 18:11 and Mark 14:36 for the cup.
ὃhothatG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
ἐγὼegōIG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounNominative 1st Person Singular
βαπτίζομαιbaptizomai[undergo]G907
√ βαπτίζω — to immerse, submergeVerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive1st Person Singular
40

But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de to kathisai ek mou dexiōn ē ex euōnymōn estin ouk emon dounai all’ hois hētoimastai

Word by word16 · parsed
δὲdeButG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
τὸtoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
καθίσαιkathisaito sitG2523
√ καθίζω — to seat down, iVerbAorist Infinitive Active
kathizō: to seat down Aorist infinitive active. The infinitive turns their whole petition into a single subject: “the to-sit at my right.” He answers the request as an object, not as a person's claim.
ἐκekatG1537
√ ἐκ — literal or figurativePreposition
μουmouMyG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
δεξιῶνdexiōnrightG1188
√ δεξιός — the right side or (feminine) hand (as that which usually takes)AdjectiveGenitive Neuter Plural
ἢēorG2228
√ ἤ — disjunctive, orConjunction
ἐξexG1537
√ ἐκ — literal or figurativePreposition
εὐωνύμωνeuōnymōnleftG2176
√ εὐώνυμος — properly, well-named (good-omened), iAdjectiveGenitive Neuter Plural
euōnymos: properly, well-named, good-omened Genitive neuter plural. A superstitious euphemism for the left, and his substitute for their ἀριστερῶν.
ἔστινestinisG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
οὐκouknotG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
ἐμὸνemonMineG1699
√ ἐμός — myPersonal / Possessive PronounNominative Neuter 1st Person Singular
emos: my Nominative neuter, 1st person singular possessive. The disclaimer is about the manner of giving, not the authority: the Pulpit Commentary insists the antithesis “is not here between Christ and the Father; but between James and John on the one side ambitiously seeking the pre-eminence, and those on the other side to whom it ought of right to be given,” and notes that the Arians misread the verse.
δοῦναιdounaito grantG1325
√ δίδωμι — to give (used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figurativelyVerbAorist Infinitive Active
ἀλλ’all’[These seats belong to those ]G235
√ ἀλλά — properly, other things, iConjunction
οἷςhoisfor whomG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounDative Masculine Plural
ἡτοίμασταιhētoimastaithey have been preparedG2090
√ ἑτοιμάζω — to prepareVerbPerfect Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
hetoimazō: to prepare Perfect indicative middle or passive, 3rd person singular. A completed preparation standing open. Cambridge quotes the old saying that the throne “is the prize of toils, not a grace granted to ambition,” and JFB relays Alford's observation that one of these two brothers would see who in fact occupied the places on the right and the left of their Lord.
41

When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai hoi deka akousantes ērxanto aganaktein peri Iakōbou kai Iōannou

Word by word10 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiWhenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
οἱhoitheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
δέκαdekatenG1176
√ δέκα — tenAdjectiveNominative Masculine Plural
deka: ten Nominative masculine plural. The number does the work of the sentence: it is a group defined by the absence of two, which is to say by the very competition being rebuked.
ἀκούσαντεςakousantesheard about [this]G191
√ ἀκούω — to hear (in various senses)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
akouō: to hear Aorist participle active, nominative masculine plural. The Pulpit Commentary reconstructs how they heard: Salome and her sons likely sought the favour privately, but the ten saw the formal approach, wanted to know what passed, and were told.
ἤρξαντοērxantothey becameG756
√ ἄρχομαι — to commence (in order of time)VerbAorist Indicative Middle3rd Person Plural
archomai: to commence, in order of time Aorist indicative middle, 3rd person plural. Governs the following infinitive.
ἀγανακτεῖνaganakteinindignantG23
√ ἀγανακτέω — akin to the base of G43 (ἀγκάλη))VerbPresent Infinitive Active
aganakteō: to be indignant (Strong's gives derivation only) Present infinitive active, a rare lexeme found in seven New Testament verses, including the Matthean parallel at 20:24. Cambridge cites Wyclif's rendering, “hadden endignacioun,” and attributes the storm to social jealousy, the sons of Zebedee having stood in a better position than most of their brethren. JFB suspects a spice of the old rivalry in it despite our Lord's recent warnings.
περὶperiwithG4012
√ περί — properly, through (all over), iPreposition
peri: properly, through, all over Preposition with the genitive: concerning.
ἸακώβουIakōbouJamesG2385
√ Ἰάκωβος — Jacobus, the name of three IsraelitesNounGenitive Masculine Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἸωάννουIōannouJohnG2491
√ Ἰωάννης — Joannes (iNounGenitive Masculine Singular
42

So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai ho Iēsous proskalesamenos autous legei autois Oidate hoti hoi dokountes archein tōn ethnōn katakyrieuousin autōn kai autōn hoi megaloi katexousiazousin autōn

Word by word22 · parsed
καὶkaiSoG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἸησοῦςIēsousJesusG2424
√ Ἰησοῦς — Jesus (iNounNominative Masculine Singular
προσκαλεσάμενοςproskalesamenoscalled them togetherG4341
√ προσκαλέομαι — to call toward oneself, iVerbAorist Participle MiddleNominative Masculine Singular
proskaleomai: to call toward oneself Aorist participle middle, nominative masculine singular. Gill notes they were at some little distance, near enough for him to discern the heat and passion they were in.
αὐτοὺςautous. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
λέγειlegei[and] saidG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
legō: properly, to lay forth Present indicative active, 3rd person singular, a historic present in a past narrative. Mark keeps switching into the present at the moments that matter (compare προσπορεύονται, v. 35).
αὐτοῖςautois. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
ΟἴδατεOidateYou knowG1492
√ εἴδω — used only in certain past tenses, the others being borrowed from the equivalent G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι) and G3708 (ὁράω)VerbPerfect Indicative Active2nd Person Plural
eidō: to know Perfect indicative active, 2nd person plural, the same form as the Οὐκ οἴδατε of v. 38. What they do not know is what they are asking; what they do know is how the nations rule. The irony is structural, and it is only visible in the original, since BSB renders the one “You do not know” and the other “You know.”
ὅτιhotithatG3754
√ ὅτι — demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant)Conjunction
οἱhoithoseG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
δοκοῦντεςdokountesregarded asG1380
√ δοκέω — compare the base of G1166 (δεικνύω)) of the same meaningVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
dokeō: to seem, to be of reputation Present participle active. Whether the participle concedes the office or questions it is the crux Poole reports; he judges that the same persons are meant in all three Gospels, so the participle qualifies reputation rather than legitimacy.
ἄρχεινarcheinrulersG757
√ ἄρχω — to be first (in political rank or power)VerbPresent Infinitive Active
τῶνtōnof theG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Neuter Plural
ἐθνῶνethnōnGentilesG1484
√ ἔθνος — a race (as of the same habit), iNounGenitive Neuter Plural
ethnos: a race, as of the same habit Genitive neuter plural. Gill's point is that this is heathen behaviour, a part which the nations that know not God act, and therefore unbecoming in the Twelve.
κατακυριεύουσινkatakyrieuousinlord it overG2634
√ κατακυριεύω — to lord against, iVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
katakyrieuō: to lord against, to lord it down over Present indicative active, 3rd person plural. A rare lexeme (four NT verses) with the force of tyranny. Cambridge records both of its other occurrences: Acts 19:16, of the evil spirit prevailing against the sons of Sceva, and 1 Peter 5:3, where Peter forbids the elders to be lords over God's heritage, possibly recalling this very scene.
αὐτῶνautōnthemG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Neuter 3rd Person Plural
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
αὐτῶνautōntheirG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Neuter 3rd Person Plural
οἱhoiG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
μεγάλοιmegaloisuperiorsG3173
√ μέγας — big (literally or figuratively, in a very wide application)AdjectiveNominative Masculine Plural
megas: big, literally or figuratively Nominative masculine plural, “their great ones.” The word returns in v. 43 as the thing a disciple may will to become, which is the pivot: the adjective is not forbidden, its road is changed.
κατεξουσιάζουσινkatexousiazousinexercise authority overG2715
√ κατεξουσιάζω — to have (wield) full privilege overVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
katexousiazō: to wield full privilege over Present indicative active, 3rd person plural. Cambridge notes it occurs only here and at Matthew 20:25 in the whole New Testament, and that the unfavourable sense of κατακυριεύω attaches to it also. The Pulpit Commentary is careful that what is condemned is the arbitrary and tyrannical exercise of power, not civil or ecclesiastical authority as such.
αὐτῶνautōnthemG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Neuter 3rd Person Plural
43

But it shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de estin ouch houtōs en hymin all’ hos an thelē genesthai megas en hymin estai hymōn diakonos

Word by word17 · parsed
δέdeButG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ἐστινestinit shall not beG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
eimi: I exist Present indicative active, 3rd person singular. The Berean text has a statement of fact, “it is not so among you,” where English versions generally hear a command; Gill reports that many copies read the imperative (“so let it not be”) and that the Persic version has “it ought not to be so.” The difference is not trivial. On the indicative reading the community is told what it already is by virtue of whose it is, and the whole ethic then hangs on the γάρ of v. 45 rather than on bare command. ⚙ This synthesis reports the variant and does not choose between the readings.
οὐχouchG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
οὕτωςhoutōsthis wayG3779
√ οὕτω — in this way (referring to what precedes or follows)Adverb
ἐνenamongG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
ὑμῖνhyminyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Plural
ἀλλ’all’InsteadG235
√ ἀλλά — properly, other things, iConjunction
ὃςhoswhoeverG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ἂνan. . .G302
√ ἄν — (what-, where-, wither-, who-)soeverParticle
θέλῃthelēwantsG2309
√ θέλω — to determine (as an active option from subjective impulseVerbPresent Subjunctive Active3rd Person Singular
thelō: to determine, as an active option from subjective impulse Present subjunctive active, 3rd person singular, in a relative clause with ἄν: “whoever may will.” It is the same verb the brothers used in v. 35, now made the hinge of the rule rather than the fault. Gill saw the sting: they were indeed seeking to be ministers, but prime ministers of state.
γενέσθαιgenesthaito becomeG1096
√ γίνομαι — to cause to be ("gen"-erate), iVerbAorist Infinitive Middle
μέγαςmegasgreatG3173
√ μέγας — big (literally or figuratively, in a very wide application)AdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
megas: big, great Nominative masculine singular, echoing the μεγάλοι of v. 42.
ἐνenamongG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
ὑμῖνhyminyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Plural
ἔσταιestaimust beG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbFuture Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
eimi: I exist Future indicative middle, 3rd person singular. Ellicott notes the variation from an expected imperative.
ὑμῶνhymōnyourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Plural
διάκονοςdiakonosservantG1249
√ διάκονος — an attendant, iNounNominative Masculine Singular
diakonos: an attendant Nominative masculine singular. The root that returns twice in v. 45. Gill spells out what it costs in practice: to labour in the work of the ministry more abundantly than others, taking great pains and enduring great hardships. The Pulpit Commentary adds the direction of travel, that the lowliest and most humble here will be the greatest there.
44

and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai hos an thelē einai prōtos en hymin estai doulos pantōn

Word by word11 · parsed
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὃςhoswhoeverG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ἂνan. . .G302
√ ἄν — (what-, where-, wither-, who-)soeverParticle
θέλῃthelēwantsG2309
√ θέλω — to determine (as an active option from subjective impulseVerbPresent Subjunctive Active3rd Person Singular
thelō: to determine Present subjunctive active, 3rd person singular. The third and last appearance of the verb the brothers began with in v. 35.
εἶναιeinaito beG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Infinitive Active
πρῶτοςprōtosfirstG4413
√ πρῶτος — foremost (in time, place, order or importance)AdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
prōtos: foremost in time, place, order or importance Nominative masculine singular. An escalation from μέγας in v. 43.
ἐνenG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
ὑμῖνhyminG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Plural
ἔσταιestaimust beG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbFuture Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
δοῦλοςdoulos[the] slaveG1401
√ δοῦλος — a slave (literal or figurative, involuntary or voluntaryNounNominative Masculine Singular
doulos: a slave, involuntary or voluntary Nominative masculine singular. The harder of the two words, and the one Paul will make his own self-description. Gill's line keeps it from collapsing into people-pleasing: they become servants to all in order to win souls to Christ, not servants of men taking their rule from men.
πάντωνpantōnof allG3956
√ πᾶς — all, any, every, the wholeAdjectiveGenitive Masculine Plural
pas: all, any, every, the whole Genitive masculine plural. No limit is placed on the set.
45

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

gar kai ho Huios tou anthrōpou ēlthen ouk diakonēthēnai alla diakonēsai kai dounai autou tēn psychēn lytron anti pollōn

Word by word19 · parsed
γὰρgarForG1063
√ γάρ — properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensificationConjunction
gar: properly, assigning a reason The whole ethic of vv. 43 and 44 rests on this particle: the community is ordered this way because its Lord is. The imitation is not illustrative but causal.
καὶkaievenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ΥἱὸςHuiosSonG5207
√ υἱός — a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinshipNounNominative Masculine Singular
huios: a son Nominative masculine singular, with G444 ἄνθρωπος in the genitive: the Son of Man. Gill notes it is a name he bears in both Testaments. It is the title of the figure who in Daniel 7:13-14 is given dominion, glory and a kingdom so that all peoples should serve him, and the sentence it stands in says he did not come in order to be served. ⚙ That tension is the redemptive-historical centre of the unit.
τοῦtouG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ἀνθρώπουanthrōpouof ManG444
√ ἄνθρωπος — from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι))NounGenitive Masculine Singular
ἦλθενēlthendid not comeG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
erchomai: to come or go Aorist indicative active, 3rd person singular, with the negative attached to the purpose infinitive that follows. “Came” presupposes a from-where: Gill reads the verse as Christ adding his own example to his arguments, sent and coming as the servant of the LORD.
οὐκouk. . .G3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
διακονηθῆναιdiakonēthēnaito be servedG1247
√ διακονέω — to be an attendant, iVerbAorist Infinitive Passive
diakoneō: to be an attendant Aorist infinitive passive. The service he did not come for.
ἀλλὰallabutG235
√ ἀλλά — properly, other things, iConjunction
διακονῆσαιdiakonēsaito serveG1247
√ διακονέω — to be an attendant, iVerbAorist Infinitive Active
diakoneō: to be an attendant Aorist infinitive active, the same root in the opposite voice, and the same root as the διάκονος of v. 43. Gill traces its range in Christ's life: servant of the LORD in his mediatorial office, minister of the Gospel in his prophetic office, and finally the work of redemption itself.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
δοῦναιdounaito giveG1325
√ δίδωμι — to give (used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figurativelyVerbAorist Infinitive Active
αὐτοῦautouHisG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
τὴνtēnG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
ψυχὴνpsychēnlifeG5590
√ ψυχή — breath, iNounAccusative Feminine Singular
psychē: breath, soul, life Accusative feminine singular, the direct object of δοῦναι. What is given is not an activity but a self.
λύτρονlytron[as] a ransomG3083
√ λύτρον — something to loosen with, iNounAccusative Neuter Singular
lytron: something to loosen with, a release-price Accusative neuter singular, standing in apposition with no preposition. Cambridge places it in the third of the three great circles of images Scripture uses for Christ's death, redemption from slavery (Romans 3:24; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14), alongside sin-offering (1 John 2:2; 4:10) and reconciliation (Romans 5:11; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19), and cites 1 Timothy 2:6.
ἀντὶantiforG473
√ ἀντί — opposite, iPreposition
anti: opposite, in place of Preposition with the genitive. The substitution is carried by this word alone, and JFB renders it “instead of many.”
πολλῶνpollōnmanyG4183
√ πολύς — (singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) manyAdjectiveGenitive Masculine Plural
polys: many Genitive masculine plural. The extent is contested in the apparatus and is not settled here: Gill reads the elect of God; the Pulpit Commentary denies that Christ died only for the elect and holds that he obtained for all the means necessary and sufficient for salvation, with the fruit coming to those who persevere; Benson reads it as for as many souls as needed such a ransom; JFB reads “many” as set over against the one who pays.

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The blank cheque and the counter-question — 10:35-37

Mark writes the approach in the present tense: προσπορεύονται, “they journey toward him.” Maclaren sets the scene sharply, describing Jesus striding ahead absorbed in thoughts of the Cross while the Twelve lag behind thinking of what they might gain, and he judges the manoeuvre an underhand attempt to forestall Peter and to entrap Jesus into promising before the disclosure of what was desired. Cambridge, more briefly, calls nothing more ill-timed than this selfish petition. Benson reads it as evidence of their utter ignorance of the prophecies and of their Master's kingdom. The Greek exposes the method: they say θέλομεν, a verb Strong's defines as determining from subjective impulse, then delay the content behind ἵνα ὃ ἐὰν αἰτήσωμέν σε, “whatever we may ask thee.” Jesus answers by returning their own words. Τί θέλετε με ποιήσω: the same two verbs, the same persons, reversed. Gill sees the purpose plainly, that Christ insists on hearing the particular thing before he will promise anything, and JFB adds that our Lord will have the unseemly petition uttered before all rather than settled quietly. When it comes out, the request is for the two flanking seats ἐν τῇ δόξῃ σου, in thy glory. Cambridge records that a session at the right and left was a Jewish idiom for standing next to the king in honour; Gill thinks they had in mind the promise of thrones and the mention of rising from the dead, and expected the glory imminently. ⚙ Note what is not wrong with the request: they do believe he will reign, and they do want to be near him. Maclaren, alone among these voices, insists on that mixture, calling the gold mingled with clay.

ii. The cup he is already drinking — 10:38-39

The rebuke is grammatical before it is moral. They asked in the active voice (αἰτήσωμεν); he says they are asking in the middle, αἰτεῖσθε, asking for themselves, and Gill draws that out into a general account of self-interested prayer. Then the two figures. JFB catalogues the scriptural usage of the cup, a figure for getting one's fill of good (Psalm 16:5; 23:5; 116:13; Jeremiah 16:7) or of ill (Psalm 75:8; John 18:11; Revelation 14:10), and says that here it is the cup of suffering; the Pulpit Commentary supplies the social image behind it, the ruler of a feast tempering the wine and appointing each guest the portion it was his duty to drink. For the baptism, JFB points to Psalm 42:7, and the Pulpit Commentary reads total immersion in the Passion with purification implied. Two tenses carry the theology. Christ speaks of himself in the present, πίνω and βαπτίζομαι: Gill defends the present deliberately, since his sorrows were already begun and he was wading in the waters of affliction though they had not yet come into his soul. Of the brothers he speaks in the future, πίεσθε and βαπτισθήσεσθε, and the second of those is passive. Ellicott records that the baptism clause is proper to Mark and reached the Matthean manuscripts by later copying. Their answer, Δυνάμεθα, stands as one word. Cambridge says their words were recorded in heaven; JFB traces the payment, James first of the apostles to be baptized with his Master's baptism of blood (Acts 12:1-2), John outliving all the rest to be a victim in the evening of his days. Gill sets the limit that none of these voices crosses: he trod the winepress alone, and what they share is likeness, not identity.

iii. Not mine to give — 10:40

He refuses their word for the left. They said ἀριστερῶν; he says εὐωνύμων, the euphemism Strong's glosses “well-named, good-omened.” Then the disclaimer, and it is narrower than it looks in English. Ellicott states the limit exactly: our Lord disclaims not the power to give, but the power of giving arbitrarily, otherwise than his Father willed. JFB argues the same from the syntax, rendering it “save to them for whom it is prepared,” and observes that Christ elsewhere plainly does adjudicate the kingdom. Cambridge calls the old supplied words an unhappy interpolation and quotes the ancient saying that the throne is the prize of toils, not a grace granted to ambition. The Pulpit Commentary reports that the Arians read a subordination out of this verse and answers that the antithesis is not between Christ and the Father but between the two ambitious brothers and those to whom the places rightly belong; Gill notes that a Jewish polemicist, R. Isaac in the Chizzuk Emunah, argued the same point from the same verse, and answers that Christ describes the recipients rather than denying his power. The verb settles it: ἡτοίμασται, perfect, “it stands prepared,” with no agent named here and Matthew 20:23 supplying the Father. The Pulpit Commentary relays Jerome's reading of the tact, that Jesus says neither “ye shall not sit,” which would shame the two, nor “ye shall sit,” which would provoke the rest.

iv. What the nations do, and what you will not — 10:41-44

The ten are angry, and the voices are divided on how to judge them. JFB asks whether we can blame them and then suspects a spice of the old rivalry; Cambridge notes that the sons of Zebedee had stood in a better social position than most of the others, which kindled jealousy; the Pulpit Commentary says Jesus called the whole body because all were labouring under the same disease of ambition. Then two verbs that are almost untranslatable singly. κατακυριεύουσιν (G2634) is κατά driven into κύριος: to lord it down over. Cambridge observes that the preposition is emphatic and gives the force of oppressive, tyrannical rule, that the same word is used in Acts 19:16 of the evil spirit overpowering the sons of Sceva, and that Peter himself uses it when he warns elders not to be lords over God's heritage. κατεξουσιάζουσιν (G2715), Cambridge adds, occurs only here and in the Matthean parallel. Ellicott refers both words to his note on Matthew 20:25; Poole reports the scholarly debate over οἱ δοκοῦντες ἄρχειν and concludes that Matthew's rulers, Mark's those reputed to rule, and Luke's kings denote the same persons. Geneva draws the line that the Reformers cared about: magistrates by God's appointment do rule over their subjects, but pastors are not called to rule, only to serve. The Pulpit Commentary agrees that civil and ecclesiastical authority as such is not condemned, only its arbitrary and tyrannical exercise. The reversal is then stated in two steps with a hard escalation: διάκονος, the table-attendant, for whoever wills to be great, and δοῦλος πάντων, the slave of all, for whoever wills to be first. JFB glosses the second as one in the lowest condition of service. Ellicott catches a grammatical detail that preachers lose: Mark writes ἔσται, a future indicative, “shall be,” not an imperative “let him be.”

v. The ransom — 10:45

The γάρ makes the whole ethic derivative: it is so among you because it is so with him. The pair διακονηθῆναι / διακονῆσαι is the same root as the διάκονος of v. 43, so that the command and the example are one word. JFB states the paradox with care, that as the Word in the beginning with God he was ministered to, and as the risen Redeemer he is ministered to now with angels and authorities and powers made subject to him, but not for this did he come; the Served of all came to be the Servant of all. Then λύτρον (G3083), which Strong's derives as “something to loosen with,” and which Cambridge notes occurs in the New Testament only here and at Matthew 20:28, citing 1 Timothy 2:6 and setting the word inside the third of the three great circles of images for Christ's death, redemption from slavery, alongside sin-offering and reconciliation. The Pulpit Commentary derives it from λύω, to loose or set free. Finally ἀντὶ (G473), which Strong's glosses “opposite”: JFB translates it flatly “instead of many,” and reads “many” not against few or against all but against one, the one Son of man for the many sinners. Here the voices part, honestly and irreconcilably. Gill takes the many as the elect of God; the Pulpit Commentary denies that Christ died only for the elect and holds that he obtained for all the means necessary and sufficient for salvation; Benson reads it as for as many souls as needed such a ransom. ⚙ This synthesis does not adjudicate between them, and the reader should know that the disagreement is old and live.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

⚙ Fallible reading, offered to be tested by Scripture. The two brothers are not punished and they are not simply refused. Read the unit as one movement of the verb give: they command it (Δὸς, v. 37), he declines to spend it on seating (οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὸν δοῦναι, v. 40), and then he spends it on his own life (δοῦναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ, v. 45). What they asked for is in fact granted in the only currency the kingdom has: they wanted to be at his right and his left, and he tells them they will drink his cup and be plunged in his baptism, which is nearer to him than any seat. The refusal of v. 40 is therefore not a smaller answer than the request but a larger one. ⚙ A second observation, harder and less certain: the two places at the right and the left are occupied in Mark's own story, and by crucified criminals. JFB, relaying Alford, notices it. The Verifier confirms only that the rare word ἀριστερός links Mark 10:37 to Luke 23:33; it cannot confirm that Mark intended the echo, and this reading should be held loosely. ⚙ Third, notice what Jesus does not do. He does not deny that greatness exists, or that first place exists, or that some will sit at his right. He leaves the ambition standing and changes its road. The sentence is not “stop wanting to be great” but “whoever wills to become great among you shall be your servant.” If that is right, then the sin rebuked here is not ambition but the attempt to have the glory without the cup, and the test of any ministry is not whether it seeks greatness but whether it will drink.

⚙ Not Scripture, a reading offered for testing: he did not refuse them the right hand and the left; he told them what it costs, and where in the story those two places actually are.

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The Matthean parallel: the same scene, told with the mother in it verbal / quotation: confirmed

Matthew 20:20-28 carries this pericope almost word for word, with one difference every voice in the apparatus addresses: Matthew has Salome make the request, Mark has the brothers. Poole gives the plainest resolution, that nothing is more ordinary in common discourse than to speak of that as done by ourselves which is done by another on our behalf; JFB observes that even in Matthew's account Jesus answers James and John and takes no account of the mother. Ellicott notes one genuine textual difference in the other direction: the baptism clause of vv. 38 and 39 is proper to Mark and is absent from the best manuscripts of Matthew. The Verifier's lexical overlap across the two accounts is dense and includes rare words.

Matthew 20:21 · Matthew 20:23 · Matthew 20:24 · Matthew 20:25 · Matthew 20:28

basis: Verifier, Greek to Greek within the NT: Matthew 20:25 shares G2634 κατακυριεύω (in 4 vv), G3173 μέγας (in 231 vv), G1492 εἴδω (in 296 vv); Matthew 20:24 shares G23 ἀγανακτέω (in 7 vv) with G4012 περί and G191 ἀκούω; Matthew 20:23 shares G2523 καθίζω (in 45 vv), G1188 δεξιός (in 54 vv), G1325 δίδωμι; Matthew 20:28 shares G5207 υἱός and G1325 δίδωμι; Matthew 20:21 shares G2309 θέλω and G5207 υἱός. The rare G2634 (4 vv) and G23 (7 vv) across a continuous parallel pericope make this a verbal relation, not merely a thematic one.

κατακυριεύω: the word for lording it down, and where else it falls verbal / quotation: confirmed

κατακυριεύουσιν (G2634) occurs in only four verses in the whole New Testament, and the company is instructive. In Acts 19:16 it describes the man with the evil spirit overpowering the seven sons of Sceva. In 1 Peter 5:3 Peter forbids the elders to be lords over God's heritage, and Cambridge suggests Peter may be recalling this very incident, which he witnessed. Cambridge also notes that the preposition in the compound is emphatic and carries the force of tyrannical rule, in which the ruler uses his rights for the diminution of the ruled and the exaltation of himself. Geneva draws the ecclesiological conclusion: magistrates do rule by God's appointment, but pastors are called to serve, not to rule.

1 Peter 5:3 · Acts 19:16 · Matthew 20:25

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G2634 κατακυριεύω, found in only 4 verses in the NT (Matthew 20:25, Mark 10:42, Acts 19:16, 1 Peter 5:3). Greek to Greek, so shared Strong's numbers are a valid basis; the extreme rarity of the lexeme carries the verbal tier. Cambridge independently records both the Acts and the 1 Peter parallels.

The right and the left: a rare pair of words, and who finally occupied the places verbal / quotation: confirmed

ἀριστερός (G710, “the left hand, as second-best”) is a rare word, only four New Testament verses, and it is paired with δεξιός in all of them. In Matthew 6:3 the pair marks secrecy in almsgiving; in 2 Corinthians 6:7 it marks the weapons of righteousness on the right hand and on the left; in Luke 23:33 it marks the two crucified with Jesus, one on the right and one on the left. JFB, relaying Alford, observes that one of these two brothers stood and saw who in fact held those places. ⚙ The Verifier confirms the lexical link and nothing more: that Mark or Luke intended the reader to hear the echo is inference, and is offered here to be tested rather than asserted.

Luke 23:33 · Matthew 6:3 · 2 Corinthians 6:7

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G710 ἀριστερός, in only 4 NT verses, together with G1188 δεξιός (in 54 vv). Greek to Greek. The verbal link is confirmed; the typological reading of Luke 23:33 as the fulfilment of the request is ⚙ inference and is marked as such in the body.

The cup: a standing Old Testament figure for an appointed portion structural / thematic: confirmed

Jesus does not explain the cup, because it needed no explaining. JFB lists the usage and names Psalm 75:8, where the cup in the hand of the LORD is full of mixture and the wicked of the earth drain its dregs, among the passages where drinking a cup means getting one's fill of ill. The same figure runs through Isaiah 51:17 and 51:22, where Jerusalem has drunk the cup of the LORD's fury and is then told that it will be taken out of her hand, and Jeremiah 25:15-17, where the prophet makes the nations drink. The Pulpit Commentary states the general rule: the cup everywhere in Scripture signifies a man's portion, determined for him by God and sent to him. ⚙ The specific bearing is that the cup Christ is already drinking is the cup Isaiah says will be removed from the people and given to their tormentors; that connection is this tool's reading, not a sourced claim.

Psalm 75:8 · Isaiah 51:17 · Jeremiah 25:15

basis: Cross-Testament (Mark is Greek, these are Hebrew), so shared Strong's numbers are impossible and the tier cannot be verbal. The recorded basis is a named citation in the apparatus: JFB cites Psalm 75:8 in his note on Mark 10:38 as an instance of the cup of ill, and the Pulpit Commentary states the shared motif of the divinely appointed portion. The Isaiah and Jeremiah references extend the same motif and are ⚙.

The baptism: overwhelming waters, not the Jordan structural / thematic: confirmed

The baptism Christ names in v. 38 is not the one he received from John. JFB directs the reader to Psalm 42:7 for the language, where deep calls to deep and all the waves and billows go over the psalmist. Gill uses the same image without naming the Psalm, saying Christ was wading in the waters of affliction, though as yet they had not come into his soul. Psalm 69:1-2, where the waters come in unto the soul and there is no standing in the deep mire, is the closest Old Testament statement of exactly that. The Pulpit Commentary takes the figure further, to total submersion with purification implied, a baptism of fire out of which he came forth victorious.

Psalm 42:7 · Psalm 69:1-2

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew), so no shared Strong's lexeme is available and the tier cannot be verbal. Recorded basis: JFB explicitly cites Psalm 42:7 for the language of Mark 10:38. Psalm 69:1-2 is ⚙ extension of the same figure of overwhelming waters, matching Gill's description of waters coming into the soul.

λύτρον for many: the ransom price and the Servant who bore the sin of many typological

λύτρον (G3083) occurs in the New Testament only here and in the Matthean parallel, a fact Cambridge records, and its Old Testament field is the price paid to release. Exodus 30:12 sets a ransom for each life numbered in the census; Leviticus 25:47-55 governs the redemption of an Israelite sold into slavery by a kinsman able to pay; Psalm 49:7-8 declares that no man can by any means redeem his brother, since the redemption of their soul is costly and ceaseth for ever. Isaiah 53:10-12 supplies the other half, a Servant who makes his soul an offering for sin and bears the sin of many. ⚙ Mark 10:45 joins the two: the price no brother could pay, paid by a brother, for the many. Cambridge places the verse in the circle of redemption-from-slavery images and cites 1 Timothy 2:6.

Isaiah 53:10-12 · Exodus 30:12 · Psalm 49:7-8 · Leviticus 25:47-55

basis: Cross-Testament and figural, so not verbal: no Strong's number can be shared between Greek and Hebrew, and within Greek λύτρον G3083 occurs only here and at Matthew 20:28 (Cambridge), so no Greek verbal chain exists either. Widely held rather than novel as regards Isaiah 53 (Cambridge, Gill, JFB, Benson and the Pulpit Commentary all read Mark 10:45 as substitutionary redemption); the Exodus, Leviticus and Psalm 49 pairings are ⚙ extensions of the ransom-price field and should be tested.

The Son of Man: dominion given, and dominion spent typological

Jesus grounds the reversal in his own title: ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. In Daniel 7:13-14 one like a son of man comes with the clouds and is given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all peoples should serve him. That is exactly the vocabulary the two brothers were using, δόξα and thrones, and exactly what Jesus does not deny. What he says is that the Son of Man did not come in order to be served. ⚙ Read against Daniel, v. 45 is not a retreat from the dominion but a statement of how it will be exercised and how it will be obtained. None of the voices in this unit's apparatus makes the Daniel connection explicitly, so the pairing here is this tool's, offered for testing; the identification of the title with Daniel's figure is itself ancient and widely held.

Daniel 7:13-14

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew and Aramaic), so no shared Strong's number is possible and the tier cannot be verbal. The basis is the title itself plus the shared vocabulary of dominion and glory. Ancient and widely held as an identification of the title; the specific inversion reading of Mark 10:45 against Daniel 7 is ⚙ and is not supported by any voice in this unit's apparatus.

Shepherds who rule with force: the indictment behind κατακυριεύω structural / thematic: confirmed

Ezekiel 34:4 indicts Israel's shepherds for ruling the flock with force and with cruelty, feeding themselves and not the sheep, and the chapter's answer is that God himself will shepherd them. ⚙ Mark 10:42-45 runs the same shape in Greek: the rulers of the nations lord it down over their people, the answer is not a better ruler but a servant, and the servant is the Son of Man himself. The link is strengthened, but not proved, by 1 Peter 5:3, where Peter uses Mark's rare verb κατακυριεύω of elders over God's heritage in a passage explicitly about shepherding.

Ezekiel 34:4

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew), so no shared lexeme is available and the tier cannot be verbal. The shared pattern is genuine and specific (rulers who dominate harshly, rebuked, with God himself taking up the service), and the Verifier-confirmed G2634 link to 1 Peter 5:3, a shepherding passage, is the bridge. No quotation is claimed. ⚙ The pairing is this tool's.

ἄρχειν τῶν ἐθνῶν: the rarest link in the unit, and who really rules the nations verbal / quotation: confirmed

The Verifier's second strongest candidate is easy to miss. The infinitive ἄρχειν (G757, “to be first in political rank or power”) stands in only two verses in the whole New Testament, and the other is Romans 15:12, where Paul writes of the root of Jesse who arises to rule the nations (ἐθνῶν), and in whom the nations will hope. Both shared lexemes, the rare verb and the noun for the nations, fall in the same phrase in each verse. ⚙ The result is a flat contrast inside one vocabulary: at Mark 10:42 those merely reputed to rule the nations lord it down over them, and at Romans 15:12 one actually rules them and is their hope. Paul's sentence is itself a citation of Isaiah 11:10, so the Old Testament root of the contrast is reached through Paul's Greek rather than by any direct link from Mark.

Romans 15:12

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexemes G757 ἄρχω, found in only 2 verses in the NT (Mark 10:42 and Romans 15:12), together with G1484 ἔθνος (in 151 vv), and both occur in the same syntactic phrase in each verse. Greek to Greek, and G757 is the rarest lexeme the Verifier returned for this unit, which carries the verbal tier. No claim is made that Mark quotes Paul or Paul Mark; the confirmed relation is lexical. The onward link to Isaiah 11:10 belongs to Romans 15:12, not to Mark, and is not tiered here.

The baptism clause: a text-critical claim about Matthew, flagged flagged: verify source

Twice, at v. 38 and again at v. 39, Ellicott states that the clause about the baptism was found originally in St. Mark only and was added afterwards by the transcribers of St. Matthew to bring the two Gospels into more entire agreement, and that it is omitted in the best manuscripts of Matthew. If that is right, then Mark 10:38 and 39 preserve something the Matthean parallel never had, and the words about the cup and the words about the baptism have different transmission histories. ⚙ This synthesis does not have the manuscript evidence in hand and does not evaluate the claim. It is recorded because it bears directly on how the parallel at Matthew 20:22-23 should be read, and readers should check a current critical apparatus rather than rely on an 1878 judgment or on this note.

Matthew 20:22 · Matthew 20:23

basis: Contested provenance, not contested meaning. The only basis in this brief is Ellicott's repeated assertion (at Mark 10:38 and 10:39) that the baptism clause is proper to Mark and entered the Matthean text by later copying. No manuscript evidence is supplied in the brief, no other voice in the apparatus addresses it, and the Verifier cannot adjudicate a textual question. Flagged so the claim is not carried forward as settled.

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The ransom in place of many ancient/widely-held

Mark 10:45 is, as Cambridge puts it, one of the early intimations of the mysterious purport of the Passion. The grammar carries the doctrine: δοῦναι, to give, with τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ, his own life, as λύτρον, a release-price, ἀντὶ πολλῶν, in place of many. JFB renders ἀντί as “instead of” and reads “many” not against few or against all but against one, the one Son of man for the many sinners. Gill takes the many as the elect, redeemed from sin, Satan and the law and secured from wrath and eternal death. The Pulpit Commentary denies that Christ died only for the elect and holds that he obtained for all the means necessary and sufficient for salvation. Benson reads it as for as many souls as needed such a ransom, citing 2 Corinthians 5:15. Cambridge sets the verse in the redemption-from-slavery family of images with Romans 3:24, Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:14, and cites 1 Timothy 2:6. ⚙ The extent of the atonement is disputed among these voices and is not settled here; that the death is a substitutionary price is not disputed by any of them.

Isaiah 53:10-12 · 1 Timothy 2:6 · Matthew 20:28 · Romans 3:24

The cup he alone drinks to the bottom ancient/widely-held

He asks them whether they can drink the cup he is drinking, and the present tense is deliberate. Cambridge sends the reader to John 18:11, where he asks whether he shall not drink the cup his Father has given him, and to Mark 14:36, where he asks that the cup be taken away and then does not have it taken away; Gill sends the reader to Luke 12:50, where he says he has a baptism to be baptized with and is straitened until it is accomplished. The apparatus is unanimous that the cup here is the Passion. ⚙ What the unit adds to that is its arithmetic: the brothers will share the cup, and Gill's line marks the limit, that he trod the winepress alone and bore the whole punishment due to the sins of his people himself. The martyrdoms of James (Acts 12:2) and the sufferings of John are real participation and not any part of the payment.

Mark 14:36 · John 18:11 · Luke 12:50

The Served of all became the Servant of all ancient/widely-held

JFB frames the paradox in two states: as the Word in the beginning with God he was ministered to, and as the risen Redeemer in our nature he is ministered to now, with angels and authorities and powers made subject to him (1 Peter 3:22), but not for this did he come. The verb that governs him (διακονῆσαι) is the noun that governs his people (διάκονος, v. 43): the command and the pattern are one root. Geneva draws it out, that in serving, the Son of God was himself a minister of his Father's will, and that pastors therefore are not called to rule. ⚙ The full redemptive-historical shape is that the aorist ἦλθεν, “he came,” presupposes somewhere to come from, and that the service is not a phase he passed through on the way to a throne but the manner in which the throne is held; Philippians 2:5-8 is the apostolic statement of the same motion. The Philippians pairing is this tool's and is not made by any voice in this unit's apparatus.

Philippians 2:5-8 · 1 Peter 3:22 · Mark 10:43

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (c. 1905)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

Text: BSB (CC0) with the Berean interlinear and Strong's numbers, all Greek. One interlinear artefact is worth flagging to readers: at Mark 10:37 the English gloss for word 8 reads “of [us],” but the form σου is parsed genitive 2nd person singular and belongs with δεξιῶν, “thy right.” The note on that word states the correction rather than repeating the gloss.

Two textual matters are raised by the sources themselves. Ellicott holds, at both v. 38 and v. 39, that the baptism clause stood originally in Mark alone and entered the Matthean manuscripts by later copying; that is a text-critical opinion of 1878 and is reported, not endorsed. At v. 40, the words “but it shall be given” in the older English versions are a supplement: Cambridge calls it an unhappy interpolation and JFB argues for “save to them for whom it is prepared,” while conceding that the sense of the Greek particle favours the older rendering. BSB itself supplies a whole clause here (“These seats belong to those…”). The Greek has an ellipsis and no verb; readers should know that every English rendering of v. 40b is filling a gap.

The synoptic difference between Mark (the brothers ask) and Matthew 20:20 (their mother asks) is discussed by Ellicott, Barnes, JFB, Poole, Gill, Cambridge and the Pulpit Commentary, all of whom harmonise it in the same way. Maclaren goes further than the text warrants in reading motive (an underhand attempt to forestall Peter); that is his inference and is presented as his.

Uncertain or contested, flagged rather than smoothed: (1) the extent of the atonement in v. 45, where Gill (the elect) and the Pulpit Commentary (all men, with the fruit coming to those who persevere) are flatly opposed, and this synthesis does not adjudicate; (2) the Pulpit Commentary's report, on the authority of Tertullian, that John was cast into boiling oil, plus the legend of the poisoned cup, both late tradition and marked in the voice note; (3) the reading of Luke 23:33 as the answer to the request at Mark 10:37, which rests on a confirmed rare-word link plus an inference relayed by JFB from Alford; (4) the Daniel 7, Ezekiel 34, Exodus 30, Leviticus 25 and Psalm 49 pairings, which are this tool's and carry no verbal basis, since Greek and Hebrew cannot share a Strong's number. Every thread that crosses the Testaments is tiered structural or typological for that reason and never verbal.

⚙ marks machine synthesis throughout. It is fallible and should be tested against the text.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)