The Meaning of Mark 12:37 Explained

Mark 12:37

KJV: David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.

YLT: therefore David himself saith of him Lord, and whence is he his son?' And the great multitude were hearing him gladly,

Darby: David himself therefore calls him Lord, and whence is he his son? And the mass of the people heard him gladly.

ASV: David himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he his son? And the common people heard him gladly.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

David  therefore  himself  calleth  him  Lord;  and  whence  is he  [then] his  son?  And  the common  people  heard  him  gladly. 

What does Mark 12:37 Mean?

Context Summary

Mark 12:28-44 - The First Commandment
To the young ruler our Lord named one command as great-the love of one's neighbor. Now, in answer to this scribe, he turned with unerring choice, first to Deuteronomy 6:4-5, and then to Leviticus 19:18, for the two pillars on which the collective and individual life of man must rest. The reverent answer of the scribe proves that he was no ordinary questioner; and our Lord acknowledged this when He told him that a few steps more would bring him into the kingdom of God. Our Lord was David's son by human descent, but as Son of God, proceeding from the Father, He is exalted far above David and all mankind.
In terrible words, Mark 12:38-40, Christ denounced the moral and religious leaders of the time. They made a pretense and a gain of their religion. How great the contrast between them and this poor widow, who cast into God's treasury all that she had to provide for her day's living! Our Lord is quick to notice acts like these, which give evidence of the true heart. [source]

Chapter Summary: Mark 12

1  Jesus tells the parable of the tenants
13  He avoids the snare of the Pharisees and Herodians about paying tribute to Caesar;
18  convicts the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection;
28  resolves the scribe, who questioned of the first commandment;
35  refutes the opinion that the scribes held of the Christ;
38  bidding the people to beware of their ambition and hypocrisy;
41  and commends the poor widow for her two mites, above all

Greek Commentary for Mark 12:37

The common people heard him gladly [ο πολυς οχλος ηκουεν αυτου εδεως]
Literally, the much multitude (the huge crowd) was listening (imperfect tense) to him gladly. Mark alone has this item. The Sanhedrin had begun the formal attack that morning to destroy the influence of Jesus with the crowds whose hero he now was since the Triumphal Entry. It had been a colossal failure. The crowds were drawn closer to him than before. [source]
The common people [ὁ πολὺς ὄχλος]
Not indicating a social distinction, but the great mass of the people: the crowd at large. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 12:37

John 12:9 The common people [ο οχλος πολυς]
This is the right reading with the article ο — ho literally, “the people much or in large numbers.” One is reminded of the French idiom. Gildersleeve (Syntax, p. 284) gives a few rare examples of the idiom ο ανηρ αγατος — ho anēr agathos Westcott suggests that οχλος πολυς — ochlos polus came to be regarded as a compound noun. This is the usual order in the N.T. rather than πολυς οχλος — polus ochlos (Robertson, Grammar, p. 774). Mark 12:37 has ο πολυς οχλος — ho polus ochlos Moulton (Proleg., p. 84) terms ο οχλος πολυς — ho ochlos polus here and in John 12:12 “a curious misplacement of the article.” John‘s use of οχλος — ochlos is usually the common crowd as “riff-raff.” That he was Present active indicative retained in indirect discourse after the secondary tense These “Jews” are not all hostile to Jesus as in John 5:10; John 6:41, etc., but included some who were friendly (John 12:11). But that they might see Lazarus also Purpose clause with ινα — hina and second aorist active subjunctive of οραω — horaō Motive enough to gather a great crowd, to see one raised from the dead (cf. John 12:1 for the same phrase, “whom he had raised from the dead”). Some of the very witnesses of the raising of Lazarus will bear witness later (John 12:17). It was a tense situation. [source]
John 18:21 Ask them that have heard me [ερωτησον τους ακηκοοτας]
First aorist (tense of urgent and instant action) active imperative of ερωταω — erōtaō and the articular perfect active participle accusative masculine plural of ακουω — akouō to hear. There were abundant witnesses to be had. Multitudes had heard Jesus in the great debate in the temple on Tuesday of this very week when the Sanhedrin were routed to the joy of the common people who heard Jesus gladly (Mark 12:37). They still know. [source]
Revelation 17:15 Peoples and multitudes, etc. []
See on 1 Peter 2:9; see on Mark 12:37. [source]

What do the individual words in Mark 12:37 mean?

Himself David calls Him Lord then how of him is He son And the great crowd was listening to Him gladly
Αὐτὸς Δαυὶδ λέγει αὐτὸν Κύριον καὶ πόθεν αὐτοῦ ἐστιν υἱός Καὶ πολὺς ὄχλος ἤκουεν αὐτοῦ ἡδέως

Αὐτὸς  Himself 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Nominative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Δαυὶδ  David 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Δαβίδ 
Sense: second king of Israel, and ancestor of Jesus Christ.
λέγει  calls 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
Κύριον  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
πόθεν  how 
Parse: Adverb
Root: πόθεν  
Sense: of place: from where, from what condition.
αὐτοῦ  of  him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ἐστιν  is  He 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
υἱός  son 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: υἱός  
Sense: a son.
πολὺς  great 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: πολύς  
Sense: many, much, large.
ὄχλος  crowd 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ὄχλος  
Sense: a crowd.
ἤκουεν  was  listening 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀκουστός 
Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf.
αὐτοῦ  to  Him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ἡδέως  gladly 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ἡδέως  
Sense: with pleasure, gladly.