The Meaning of Mark 8:11 Explained

Mark 8:11

KJV: And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.

YLT: and the Pharisees came forth, and began to dispute with him, seeking from him a sign from the heaven, tempting him;

Darby: And the Pharisees went out and began to dispute against him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, tempting him.

ASV: And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, trying him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  the Pharisees  came forth,  and  began  to question  with him,  seeking  of  him  a sign  from  heaven,  tempting  him. 

What does Mark 8:11 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Matthew noted that the Sadducees accompanied the Pharisees ( Matthew 15:1). They came out from Jerusalem again to argue, not to learn. They asked Jesus to provide some confirmation of His divine authority and trustworthiness. They wanted an immediate, public, definitive proof that God was with Him (cf. Mark 11:30). They had previously concluded that His power came from Satan ( Mark 3:22). The miracles that Jesus performed did not convince them. They were not requesting another one of these but a different type of verification, perhaps similar to those God gave the Israelites at Mt. Sinai to authenticate Moses as His servant. They did this to subject Jesus to a trial (Gr. peirazo) that would reveal His true character. They hoped to expose Him as a phony.
""Sign" (semeion) consistently differs in Mark from "wonders" or "miracles" (dunameis). Nowhere in the Synoptics does "sign" refer to a "miracle" or is a miraculous event called a "sign." ... They sought a "sign" in the OT Jewish sense, a confirmation or authentication of Jesus" ministry." [1]
Probably the Pharisees wanted Jesus to give them indisputable proof that God confirmed Jesus" credibility. [2]
"The Pharisees were progressive, a party among, though not of, the people. Their goal was that Israel should become the righteous nation of the covenant. To this end they taught compliance with the "tradition of the elders," an oral code of conduct effectively adapting the law of Moses to later times and changing demands." [3]

Context Summary

Mark 8:1-21 - The Demand For Signs Rebuked
Notice the Master's tender considerateness, Mark 8:1-9. He would not have the people faint on their way home. There are distinct differences between this miracle and the feeding of the five thousand. Most of these are evident to the English reader, but that between the baskets used for the fragments is clear only from the original-those used in the case of the five thousand being quite different from the large ones used here, Mark 8:20; Matthew 15:37. Our Lord never repeats His work.
The Savior sighed in the previous chapter over physical need; here He sighs over moral obtuseness, Mark 8:10-21. The language is very strong, and gives a glimpse into the Redeemer's heart. Had the Pharisees been as willing to discern the signs of the age as to read the weather, they must have been able to recognize Him and His claims; but their foolish heart was darkened. Having sighed over the hard-heartedness of the Pharisees, might He not equally have done so over the obtuseness of the Twelve? They thought that He was referring to their carelessness in omitting to take bread. How little they realized that the cause lay far deeper! Let us be quick to read the divine intention in very simple incidents, and to learn that all God's past dealings contain lessons for the present! [source]

Chapter Summary: Mark 8

1  Jesus feeds the people miraculously;
10  refuses to give a sign to the Pharisees;
14  admonishes his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod;
22  gives a blind man his sight;
27  acknowledges that he is the Jesus who should suffer and rise again;
34  and exhorts to patience in persecution for the profession of the gospel

Greek Commentary for Mark 8:11

And the Pharisees came forth [και εχηλτον οι Παρισαιοι]
At once they met Jesus and opened a controversy. Matthew 16:1 adds “and Sadducees,” the first time these two parties appear together against Jesus. See discussion on Matthew 16:1. The Pharisees and Herodians had already joined hands against Jesus in the sabbath controversy (Mark 3:6). They began to question with him Dispute, not mere inquiry, associative instrumental case of αυτοι — autoi They began at once and kept it up (present infinitive). [source]
Began []
The beginnings of things seem to have a peculiar interest for Mark. See Mark 1:1, Mark 1:45; Mark 4:1; Mark 5:17, Mark 5:20; Mark 6:2, Mark 6:7, Mark 6:34, Mark 6:55. [source]
Sign [σημεῖον]
See on Matthew 11:20. Wyc., token. As applied to the miracles of our Lord, this word emphasizes their ethical purport, as declaring that the miraculous act points back of itself to the grace and power or divine character or authority of the doer. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 8:11

Mark 10:2 Tempting him [peirazontes)]
As soon as Jesus appears in Galilee the Pharisees attack him again (cf. Mark 7:5; Mark 8:11). Gould thinks that this is a test, not a temptation. The word means either (see Matthew 4:1), but their motive was evil. They had once involved the Baptist with Herod Antipas and Herodias on this subject. They may have some such hopes about Jesus, or their purpose may have been to see if Jesus will be stricter than Moses taught. They knew that he had already spoken in Galilee on the subject (Matthew 5:31.). [source]
John 8:6 Tempting him [πειραζοντες αυτον]
Evil sense of this present active participle of πειραζω — peirazō as so often (Mark 8:11; Mark 10:2, etc.). That they might have whereof to accuse him Purpose clause with ινα — hina and present active subjunctive of εχω — echō This laying of traps for Jesus was a common practice of his enemies (Luke 11:16, etc.). Note present active infinitive of κατηγορεω — katēgoreō (see Matthew 12:10 for the verb) to go on accusing (with genitive αυτου — autou). It was now a habit with these rabbis. Stooped down First aorist active participle of κυπτω — kuptō old verb to bow the head, to bend forward, in N.T. only here and John 8:8; Mark 1:7. The use of κατω — katō (down) gives a vivid touch to the picture. With his finger Instrumental case of δακτυλος — daktulos for which see Matthew 23:4. Wrote on the ground Imperfect active of καταγραπω — katagraphō old compound, here only in N.T., to draw, to delineate, to write down, apparently inchoative, began to write on the sand as every one has done sometimes. The only mention of writing by Jesus and the use of καταγραπω — katagraphō leaves it uncertain whether he was writing words or drawing pictures or making signs. If we only knew what he wrote! Certainly Jesus knew how to write. And yet more books have been written about this one who wrote nothing that is preserved than any other person or subject in human history. There is a tradition that Jesus wrote down the names and sins of these accusers. That is not likely. They were written on their hearts. Jesus alone on this occasion showed embarrassment over this woman‘s sin. [source]
Hebrews 12:25 From him that speaketh from heaven [τὸν ἀπ ' οὐρανῶν]
Lit. from him from the heavens. Supply as A.V. that speaketh Ὁ ἀπ ' οὐρανοῦ or οὐρανῶν does not occur in N.T. elsewhere. Wherever ἀπ ' οὐρ . appears, some act or thing is always named which proceeds from heaven. See Matthew 24:29; Mark 8:11; Luke 9:54; Luke 17:29; Luke 21:11; Luke 22:43; John 6:38; 1 Thessalonians 1:7. The speaker from heaven is still God, but speaking through his Son. The thought connects itself with that of Christ carrying his blood into the heavenly sanctuary, from which he exerts his power on behalf of men. See Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 9:24. This will be the clearer if we throw out the idea of Christ presenting his blood to an angry God as a propitiation, and interceding with him to pardon sin. See note on Hebrews 7:26. [source]

What do the individual words in Mark 8:11 mean?

And went out the Pharisees began to dispute with Him seeking from Him a sign from - heaven testing Him
Καὶ ἐξῆλθον οἱ Φαρισαῖοι ἤρξαντο συζητεῖν αὐτῷ ζητοῦντες παρ’ αὐτοῦ σημεῖον ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πειράζοντες αὐτόν

ἐξῆλθον  went  out 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἐξέρχομαι 
Sense: to go or come forth of.
Φαρισαῖοι  Pharisees 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: Φαρισαῖος  
Sense: A sect that seems to have started after the Jewish exile.
ἤρξαντο  began 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἄρχω  
Sense: to be the first to do (anything), to begin.
συζητεῖν  to  dispute  with 
Parse: Verb, Present Infinitive Active
Root: συζητέω  
Sense: to seek or examine together.
ζητοῦντες  seeking 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ζητέω  
Sense: to seek in order to find.
σημεῖον  a  sign 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: σημεῖον  
Sense: a sign, mark, token.
τοῦ  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
οὐρανοῦ  heaven 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: οὐρανός  
Sense: the vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it.
πειράζοντες  testing 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: πειράζω  
Sense: to try whether a thing can be done.