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Mark 11:31

New Testament Gospel ASV (1901)

What does Mark 11:31 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; He will say, Why then did ye not believe him?” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; He will say, Why then did ye not believe him?
Mark 11:31 — American Standard Version

Context — Mark 11

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
28and they said unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? or who gave thee this authority to do these things?
29And Jesus said unto them, I will ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
30The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men? answer me.
31And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; He will say, Why then did ye not believe him?
32But should we say, From men--they feared the people: for all verily held John to be a prophet.
33And they answered Jesus and say, We know not. And Jesus saith unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
← Mark 11:30Mark 11:32 →
← Full Chapter 11 Mark Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And they reasoned with themselves saying, etc..] Privately; perhaps, they withdrew at a little distance for a short time, and consulted among themselves what answer to return; and the amount of their reasonings were this; if we shall say from heaven, he will say, why then did ye not believe him? that is, should they say that John had a divine commission for what he said and did, they were aware that Christ would reply, why did not ye give credit to him? and had you done so, seeing he testified of me, you would have had no occasion to have put the above question; (see Gill on “<402125>Matthew 21:25”).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“See the notes at Matthew 20:23-27. return to 'Top of Page' Footnotes: Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Bibliographical Information Barnes, Albert. "Commentary on Mark 11". "Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/bnb/mark-11.html. 1870. StudyLight.org &copy;&#160;2001-2026 Powered by Lightspeed Technology”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“11:31-32 Jesus clearly placed his opponents in a bind, for either a “yes” or a “no” would damage their reputation and authority in the eyes of the people. Denying John’s prophetic authority would probably anger the people. Affirming it would mean that they should have accepted what John said, including what he said about Jesus. This answer would also answer their own question (11:28).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Why: Mat 11:7-14, Mat 21:25-27, Mat 21:31, Mat 21:32; Joh 1:15, Joh 1:29, Joh 1:34, Joh 1:36, Joh 3:29-36 Mark 11:32”
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Related study paths

Read Mark 11 in contextBrowse Greek word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification