What Does Mark 9:10 Mean?
And they held that word among themselves, seeking together with one another what the standing up from the dead could mean.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.THE KEY
They hold the saying fast before they understand it: the Greek word translated “kept” carries the force of grasping.
THE MEANING
A saying can be held before its meaning opens. Your question does not cancel your reception of the word; the two can be present together.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that not yet understanding a word means you have failed to receive it: they hold the saying while still asking what it means.
THE ROOT
ἀναστῆναι
anastēnai
GROWS FROM
ἵστημι
histēmi
To stand or set in place; with ἀνά (ana), “up,” the word means to rise or stand up.
“the standing up” in this verse is anastēnai. The verb translated “rising” carries the image of standing up: ἵστημι (histēmi, “stand”) with ἀνά (ana, “up”) prefixed. The question is about what it means for the dead to stand up.
ALSO GROWS
anastasis: A standing up or rising; the word used for resurrection.
ἀνάστασις
It makes the link between rising and standing explicit.
stasis: A standing or a position.
στάσις
It shows the standing at the heart of the word translated “rising.”
ἐκράτησαν
ekratēsan
GROWS FROM
κράτος
kratos
Strength or might; the related verb carries the sense of grasping or holding with power.
“held” in this verse is ekratēsan. The verb can mean to grasp or take hold, so “kept ... with themselves” has the feel of holding tightly. The saying remains in their grasp while they ask what it means.
ALSO GROWS
kratos: Strength, might, or dominion.
κράτος
It gives the act of holding a forceful quality.
enkratēs: Having command or control over oneself.
ἐγκρατής
It shares the sense of having a firm hold.
συζητοῦντες
syzētountes
GROWS FROM
ζητέω
zēteō
To seek or inquire; with σύν (syn), “together,” the word means to seek together.
“seeking together with one another” in this verse is syzētountes. The Greek compound carries the idea of seeking together: this is shared inquiry, not only private confusion. The question remains in conversation as they search for its meaning.
ALSO GROWS
zētēsis: An inquiry, question, or discussion.
ζήτησις
It keeps the focus on the searching within their conversation.
epizēteō: To seek earnestly or search for.
ἐπιζητέω
It extends the root’s sense of actively looking for an answer.
THE PATTERN
A saying can be held or heard while its meaning is still being sought.
And his brothers envied him, but his father guarded the word.And I heard, but I could not discern. Then I said, "My lord, what shall come after these things?"So they said, What is this that he says, A little while? We do not know what he speaks.THE THREAD
And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be tested and cast off by the elders, and by the chief priests, and by the writers, and be killed, and after three days stand up again.“Rise again” translates the same Greek verb ἀνίστημι (anistēmi, “rise” or “stand up”) that underlies “rising” here. The earlier saying names the rising; this verse shows the question it leaves open.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us