Mark 16
1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.
9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.
13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.
14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
World Behind This Chapter
Explore the people, places, language, history, and material world connected to Mark 16.
Why do many Bibles mark verses 9–20 with a note?
Mark 16:9–20 appears in the KJV and many manuscripts. Two important fourth-century Greek copies, Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, end Mark at 16:8. Modern editions often mark the following passage because of this manuscript difference and its language. Readers can examine an actual manuscript alongside the edition’s note; the difference concerns the transmitted ending of this Gospel.
How do the women’s names connect this visit with the previous chapter?
Mark 16:1 names Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. Compare the women named at the execution in 15:40 and those observing the burial in 15:47. Their changing groupings link the scenes. The account also records their concern about the stone before describing what they find on arrival.
Why does the message point back to Galilee?
Mark 16:7 directs the women to tell the disciples and Peter that Jesus is going before them into Galilee, recalling the promise in Mark 14:28. The announcement explicitly says that Jesus has been raised. In the form ending at verse 8, the narrative stops with the women’s fear before depicting the promised Galilean meeting.
Research PathsCurated links for exploring this chapter 3
Language & Literature2
- Read Irenaeus’s quotation of Mark 16:19Irenaeus · Against Heresies 3.10.5 · New Advent
Go to numbered section 5 for a late-second-century quotation of the longer ending. This is an early Christian theological work in an older English translation, not a modern commentary.
- Why Mark’s manuscripts preserve different endingsUniversity of Birmingham · Hugh Houghton
An accessible textual scholar’s explanation of the surviving endings and alternative accounts of the abrupt conclusion. Compare its discussion with the early quotation by Irenaeus.
Artifacts & Manuscripts1
- Compare Codex Alexandrinus in photographic facsimileCenter for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts · Codex Alexandrinus
Use the passage search for Mark 16. This fifth-century Greek manuscript includes the longer ending; the viewer provides black-and-white images from published facsimiles. Compare its conclusion with Sinaiticus.
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