What Does Mark 11:33 Mean in the King James?
And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The same English word hides a pivot: their silence is a claim not to know, while Jesus’ silence is a choice not to speak.
THE MEANING
The exchange places your answer beside Jesus’: one says, “I do not know”; the other says, “I will not tell you.” The authority question remains unanswered, and the difference makes each kind of silence visible. A demand for disclosure does not erase the honesty of the answer being withheld.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
Jesus must disclose whatever is asked of him, even when the asker avoids answering honestly.
THE ROOT
οἴδαμεν
oidamen
GROWS FROM
εἴδω (eidō) → οἶδα (oida)
εἴδω (eidō) means “see” or “perceive”; οἶδα (oida) means “know,” with the sense of having seen.
The Greek says “we do not know,” while the KJV’s “cannot tell” can sound like an inability to speak. That difference matters: the answer is framed as a claim about knowledge, which Jesus meets with a distinct choice not to speak.
ALSO GROWS
eidō: see, perceive
εἴδω
This verb’s sense of seeing lies behind οἶδα, the form used in the leaders’ answer.
eidos: visible form, appearance
εἶδος
This related word keeps the family’s connection to what is seen in view when the leaders claim they do not know.
λέγω
legō
GROWS FROM
λεγ-
leg-
say, speak, state
Here the Greek is about speaking, not knowing. English uses “tell” for both replies, but the verse distinguishes a claimed lack of knowledge from a deliberate withholding of speech.
ALSO GROWS
logos: word, message
λόγος
A spoken word is what Jesus withholds in his reply.
lexis: speech, expression
λέξις
This branch keeps the focus on the act of saying that differs from the leaders’ claim not to know.
ἐξουσίᾳ
exousia
GROWS FROM
ἔξεστιν (exestin) → ἐξουσία (exousia)
ἔξεστιν (exestin) means “it is permitted” or “it is lawful”; ἐξουσία (exousia) is authority or the right to act.
The word carries the sense of a recognized right or permission to act, as well as authority. The question asks where Jesus’ right to act comes from, while his reply leaves the right to disclose an answer with him.
ALSO GROWS
exestin: it is permitted, it is lawful
ἔξεστιν
This related form brings the question of authority close to the question of what one has the right to do.
exousiazō: exercise authority, have power over
ἐξουσιάζω
This verb shows the same word family in action: authority is something exercised, not merely named.
THE PATTERN
A demand for truth is exposed by whether the asker is willing to hear and answer truthfully.
He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.THE THREAD
We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.Both passages use οἶδα (oida, “know”): in Mark the leaders say οὐκ οἴδαμεν (ouk oidamen, “we do not know”), while in John they begin οἴδαμεν (oidamen, “we know”). The same verb makes their shifting claim visible: they affirm knowledge when it supports their frame, then deny it when the question concerns Jesus.
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