What Does Mark 14:57 Mean in the King James?

And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,

Mark 14:57 · KJV

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

A lie against him rises wearing testimony’s clothing; the posture of a witness cannot make a false claim true.

THE MEANING

The verse meets you whenever accusation takes the shape of evidence: people stand and testify against him, yet their testimony is false. The number or confidence of those speaking does not turn a false claim into truth.

WHAT THIS UNDOES

It undoes the belief that a charge becomes true when enough people repeat it or present it as testimony.

THE ROOT

ἐψευδομαρτύρουν

epseudomartýroun

GROWS FROM

μαρτυρ-

martyr-

witness; testify

“bare false witness” in this verse is epseudomartýroun. The Greek verb combines ⁨ψευδής⁩ (pseudēs, “false”) with ⁨μαρτυρέω⁩ (martyreō, “to bear witness”). The falsehood does not arrive as a bare insult: it takes the form of testimony, turning the act of witnessing into a vehicle for accusation.

ALSO GROWS

mártys: A witness, one who attests to something.

μάρτυς

The accusation borrows the standing of a witness, though the claim itself is false.

martyría: Testimony; the witness or evidence given.

μαρτυρία

Mark’s next verse uses this same word for the testimony that fails to agree, exposing the gap between testimony’s form and its truth.

martyreō: To bear witness or give testimony.

μαρτυρέω

This is the witness-bearing action named by the verse’s verb, with falsehood attached to it.

THE PATTERN

False accusation gains public form by borrowing the voice and posture of testimony.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Exodus 20:16 · KJVThe command names false testimony as a corruption of the witness a neighbor should be able to rely on.

A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.

Proverbs 19:5 · KJVThe verse shows that a false witness may speak with public authority, but that appearance cannot erase the lie.

And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:

Acts 6:13 · KJVFalse witnesses again make accusation sound like a case by standing up to testify.

THE THREAD

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Exodus 20:16 · KJV

Mark’s verb ⁨ἐψευδομαρτύρουν⁩ (epseudomartýroun, “they bore false witness”) belongs to the same Greek word family as the Septuagint’s wording for “bear false witness” in this command. Exodus names the corruption; Mark shows that witness taking shape against him.

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