The Meaning of Mark 3:13 Explained

Mark 3:13

KJV: And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.

YLT: And he goeth up to the mountain, and doth call near whom he willed, and they went away to him;

Darby: And he goes up into the mountain, and calls whom he himself would, and they went to him.

ASV: And he goeth up into the mountain, and calleth unto him whom he himself would; and they went unto him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  he goeth up  into  a mountain,  and  calleth  [unto him] whom  he  would:  and  they came  unto  him. 

What does Mark 3:13 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The exact location of this incident is uncertain. It was probably somewhere in Galilee since this whole section describes Jesus" ministry there ( Mark 1:14 to Mark 6:6 a). Jesus first called His disciples to join Him. Then from that larger group He selected12as apostles ( Luke 6:13). Evidently Jesus selected12for leadership over Israel"s12tribes during His messianic reign ( Matthew 19:28). In view of Israel"s rejection of Jesus, they became the nucleus of the church, which the New Testament never refers to as the "new Israel." This is a term that covenant theologians have applied to the church that has created serious confusion in the minds of many Bible students.
". . . from a mountaintop, an imagery reminiscent of Yahweh"s summons to Moses on Mount Sinai ( Exodus 19:20), Jesus sovereignly summons the Twelve into a new community ( Mark 3:13-19) and to a mission that is founded on a relationship with himself ("in order that they might be with him," Mark 3:14). He confers his authority on the Twelve and sends them out with dominion over demons ( Mark 6:7-13) and with freedom from the tradition of the elders ( Mark 7:5-13)." [1]
"In Mark"s story world, the mountain connotes nearness to God and is therefore a place of divine-human communication and encounter. Atop a mountain, Jesus prays ( Mark 6:46), is transfigured by God ( Mark 9:2-8), and foretells the future ( Mark 13:3-5)." [2]
Mark stressed that Jesus initiated this appointment, and the Twelve voluntarily responded (cf. Exodus 19:20). Perhaps he did this to remind his readers that God had chosen them as disciples; they had not sought this privilege. The response of these initial disciples provided a good example for all succeeding followers of Jesus.

Context Summary

Mark 3:1-19 - The Lord Of The Sabbath
The ritualist demands the outward, the conventional, the ancient usage of the past. Christ says, "Be natural." The needs of man, whether of body or of soul, are greater than ceremonial restriction. Ceremonies are only expressions of life, and where life is wanting, they are meaningless and void.
The withered hand, Mark 3:1-6. Through long disuse of powers which God has given, but which we have refrained from exercising, degeneration may have set in; Christ, however, bids us exert them again. In so far as we dare to obey, we shall find ourselves able. Dare to speak, or pray, or work, not at the impulse of your nature, but at His bidding, and you will suddenly find yourself given power.
The Apostolate, Mark 2:7-19. On three occasions Christ used the boat as His pulpit, Mark 4:1; Luke 5:3. We must be disciples (learners), before we can be apostles (those sent). As the Father sent the Master, so the Master sends us. Our mission is threefold-to bear Him company, to perform His errands, and to cast out devils. What infinite variety in the apostolic band! The Boanergic group of four; the group of questioners who were sometimes doubters; and the group of practical men, whose business capacity was a snare at least to one. If there was a traitor even amid the Twelve, who can expect to find his fields free from tares? [source]

Chapter Summary: Mark 3

1  Jesus heals the withered hand,
10  and many other infirmities;
11  rebukes the unclean spirit;
13  chooses his twelve apostles;
22  convinces the blasphemy of casting out demons by Beelzebub;
31  and shows who are his brother, sister, and mother

Greek Commentary for Mark 3:13

He goeth up into the mountain [αναβαινει εις το ορος]
So Matthew (Matthew 5:1) and Luke (Luke 6:12), “to pray” Luke adds. Historical present so common in Mark‘s vivid narrative. Neither Gospel gives the name of the mountain, assuming it as well known, probably not far from the lake. [source]
Whom he himself would [ους ητελεν αυτος]
Emphatic use of αυτος — autos (himself) at end of sentence. Whether by personal imitation or through the disciples Jesus invites or calls to himself Luke states that Jesus “continued all night in prayer, to God.” It was a crisis in the ministry of Christ. This select group up in the hills probably respected the long agony of Jesus though they did not comprehend his motive. They formed a sort of spiritual body-guard around the Master during his night vigil in the mountain. [source]
They went off to him [απηλτον προς αυτον]
Luke states that Jesus “continued all night in prayer, to God.” It was a crisis in the ministry of Christ. This select group up in the hills probably respected the long agony of Jesus though they did not comprehend his motive. They formed a sort of spiritual body-guard around the Master during his night vigil in the mountain. [source]
Whom he would [οὓς ἤθελεν αὐτός]
Rev., more strictly, “whom he himself would;” not allowing any to offer themselves for special work. Out of the larger number thus called he selected twelve. See Mark 3:14. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 3:13

Matthew 10:2 The names of the twelve apostles [των δωδεκα αποστολων τα ονοματα]
This is the official name (missionaries) used here by Matthew for the first time. The names are given here, but Matthew does not say that they were chosen at this time. Mark (Mark 3:13-19) and Luke (Luke 6:12-16) state that Jesus “chose” them, “appointed” them after a night of prayer in the mountain and came down with them and then delivered the Sermon (Luke 6:17). Simon heads the list The apostles disputed a number of times as to which was greatest. Judas Iscariot comes last each time save that he is absent in Acts, being already dead. Matthew calls him the betrayer Iscariot is usually explained as “man of Kerioth” down near Edom (Joshua 15:25). Philip comes fifth and James the son of Alphaeus the ninth. Bartholomew is the name for Nathanael. Thaddaeus is Judas the brother of James. Simon Zelotes is also called Simon the Canaanean (Zealous, Hebrew word). This is apparently their first preaching and healing tour without Jesus. He sends them forth by twos (Mark 6:7). Matthew names them in pairs, probably as they were sent out. [source]
Matthew 5:1 He went up into the mountain [ανεβη εις το ορος]
Not “a” mountain as the Authorized Version has it. The Greek article is poorly handled in most English versions. We do not know what mountain it was. It was the one there where Jesus and the crowds were. “Delitzsch calls the Mount of Beatitudes the Sinai of the New Testament” (Vincent). He apparently went up to get in closer contact with the disciples, “seeing the multitudes.” Luke (Luke 6:12) says that he went out into the mountain to pray, Mark (Mark 3:13) that he went up and called the twelve. All three purposes are true. Luke adds that after a whole night in prayer and after the choice of the twelve Jesus came down to a level place on the mountain and spoke to the multitudes from Judea to Phoenicia. The crowds are great in both Matthew and in Luke and include disciples and the other crowds. There is no real difficulty in considering the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew and the Sermon on the Plain in Luke as one and the same. See full discussion in my Harmony of the Gospels. [source]
Luke 6:12 He went out into the mountains to pray [εχελτειν αυτον εις το ορος προσευχασται]
Note εχ — ex - where Mark 3:13 has goeth up Luke alone has “to pray” as he so often notes the habit of prayer in Jesus. [source]
Luke 6:17 He came down with them [καταβας μετ αυτων]
Second aorist active participle of καταβαινω — katabainō common verb. This was the night of prayer up in the mountain (Mark 3:13; Luke 6:12) and the choice of the Twelve next morning. The going up into the mountain of Matthew 5:1 may simply be a summary statement with no mention of what Luke has explained or may be a reference to the elevation, where he “sat down” (Matthew 5:1), above the plain or “level place” It may be a level place towards the foot of the mountain. He stopped his descent at this level place and then found a slight elevation on the mountain side and began to speak. There is not the slightest reason for making Matthew locate this sermon on the mountain and Luke in the valley as if the places, audiences, and topics were different. For the unity of the sermon see notes on Matthew 5:1. The reports in Matthew and Luke begin alike, cover the same general ground and end alike. The report in Matthew is longer chiefly because in Chapter 5, he gives the argument showing the contrast between Christ‘s conception of righteousness and that of the Jewish rabbis. Undoubtedly, Jesus repeated many of the crisp sayings here at other times as in Luke 12, but it is quite gratuitous to argue that Matthew and Luke have made up this sermon out of isolated sayings of Christ at various times. Both Matthew and Luke give too much that is local of place and audience for that idea. Matthew 5:1 speaks of “the multitudes” and “his disciples.” Luke 6:17 notes “a great multitude of his disciples, and a great number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon.” They agree in the presence of disciples and crowds besides the disciples from whom the twelve apostles were chosen. It is important to note how already people were coming from “the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon” “to hear him and to be healed (ιατηναι — iathēnai first aorist passive of ιαομαι — iaomai) of their diseases.” [source]

What do the individual words in Mark 3:13 mean?

And He goes up on the mountain calls near those whom he wanted Himself they went to Him
Καὶ ἀναβαίνει εἰς τὸ ὄρος προσκαλεῖται οὓς ἤθελεν αὐτός ἀπῆλθον πρὸς αὐτόν

ἀναβαίνει  He  goes  up 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀναβαίνω  
Sense: ascend.
ὄρος  mountain 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: ὄρος  
Sense: a mountain.
προσκαλεῖται  calls  near 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: προσκαλέω  
Sense: to call to.
οὓς  those  whom 
Parse: Personal / Relative Pronoun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ὅς 
Sense: who, which, what, that.
ἤθελεν  he  wanted 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: θέλω  
Sense: to will, have in mind, intend.
αὐτός  Himself 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Nominative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ἀπῆλθον  they  went 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἀπέρχομαι  
Sense: to go away, depart.

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