Mark 9:1 · Bible study
Mark 9:1 Commentary: The Kingdom Coming with Power
Greek · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore Jesus' promise that some would see the Kingdom come with power. Interpretations include Transfiguration, Pentecost, and the fall of Jerusalem.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Jesus assures that some hearers will witness a powerful manifestation of God's reign before they die, fulfilled initially in the Transfiguration, Resurrection, Pentecost, and the fall of Jerusalem.
- Key words: Amēn (solemn truth), geusōntai thanatou (taste death = die; double negative ou mē strengthens denial), dunamis (power, divine might), elēluthuian (perfect participle “having come”, completed arrival).
- Main debate: Which event fulfills the promise? The Transfiguration (six days later), Pentecost, the destruction of Jerusalem, the Resurrection, or the Second Coming?
- Theological theme: The Kingdom is both present and future; it breaks in with power within history, assuring believers that God's reign is real even amid suffering.
- Best use: A source of hope for those enduring hardship; a reminder that God's promises are tied to real historical events, not abstract ideas.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Then Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God arrive with power.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
He said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste death until they see God’s Kingdom come with power.”
KJV King James Version 1769
And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There are some here of them that stand by, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God come with power.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And he said to them, `Verily I say to you, That there are certain of those standing here, who may not taste of death till they see the reign of God having come in power.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And he said to them, Verily I say unto you, There are some of those standing here that shall not taste death until they shall have seen the kingdom of God come in power.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And after six days, Jesus taketh with him Peter and James and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves, and was transfigured before them.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
TAMBIÉN les dijo: De cierto os digo que hay algunos de los que están aquí, que no|strong="G3756, G3361" gustarán la muerte hasta que hayan visto el reino de Dios que viene con potencia.
E disse-lhes também: Em verdade vos digo, que há alguns dos que aqui estão, que não experimentarão a morte, até que vejam o reino de Deus vindo com poder.
Il leur dit encore: Je vous le dis en vérité, quelques-uns de ceux qui sont ici ne mourront point, qu’ ils n’ aient vu le royaume de Dieu venir avec puissance.
Und er sprach zu ihnen: Wahrlich ich sage euch: Es stehen etliche hier, die werden den Tod nicht schmecken, bis daß sie sehen das Reich Gottes mit seiner Kraft kommen.
En Hij zeide tot hen: Voorwaar, Ik zeg u, dat er sommigen zijn van degenen, die hier staan, die den dood niet zullen smaken, totdat zij zullen hebben gezien, dat het Koninkrijk Gods met kracht gekomen is.
E diceva loro: In verità io vi dico che alcuni di coloro che son qui presenti non gusteranno la morte, finché non abbian visto il regno di Dio venuto con potenza.
I mówił im: Zaprawdę powiadam wam, iż są niektórzy z tych, co tu stoją, którzy nie ukuszą śmierci, ażby ujrzeli, że królestwo Boże przyszło w mocy.
И сказал им: истинно говорю вам: есть некоторые из стоящих здесь, которые не вкусят смерти, как уже увидят Царствие Божие, пришедшее в силе.
耶穌又 對他們 說：「我實在 告訴 你們， 站 在這裡的， 有人 在沒 嘗 死 味以前，必要看見 神的 國 大有 能力 臨到。」
And he said to them, Truly I say to you, There are some here who will have no taste of death till they see the kingdom of God come with power.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Mark 9:1
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Mark 9:1 is the conclusion of Jesus' discourse on self-denial and the coming judgment (Mark 8:34, 38), not the start of a new topic. Multiple early commentators, Adam Clarke, Albert Barnes, John Gill, and Matthew Henry, note that Matthew 16:28 is parallel and that the verse properly belongs to the preceding chapter. The promise that some standing there would not taste death before seeing the Kingdom of God come with power is taken as a sweeping statement fulfilled in several events close in time. The Cambridge Bible lists the Transfiguration, the Resurrection, and the destruction of Jerusalem. Wesley's Notes specifically names the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit was poured out. Gill points to the spread of the gospel and the fall of Jerusalem as expressions of Christ's regal power. The consensus is that Jesus did not refer to a single future moment but to a series of manifestations of the Kingdom's power, beginning within the lifetime of his hearers.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Transfiguration view: The immediate context: 'after six days' (Mark 9:2) and the visible glory given to three disciples as a preview of the Kingdom's power.
- Pentecost view: Wesley and others point to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 as the Kingdom coming with power, fulfilling Joel's prophecy and empowering the church.
- Second Coming view: Some interpreters see this as a prediction of the parousia, arguing that 'some standing here' refers to the generation that would see the end, though this raises questions about the delay.
- Multiple-fulfillment view: A broad consensus holds that the Transfiguration, Resurrection, Pentecost, and the fall of Jerusalem together express the Kingdom's power within that generation, with no single event exhausting the promise.
What is clear: Jesus assured his hearers that a visible, powerful manifestation of God's reign would occur within the lifespan of some of them, anchoring their hope in tangible historical events.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Fulfillment event | The promise was fulfilled within the lifetime of some first-century hearers. | Catholics and many Protestants point to the Transfiguration as the primary fulfillment; Pentecostals also see Pentecost; others emphasize the Resurrection or the destruction of Jerusalem as a judgment manifestation of the Kingdom. |
| Identity of 'some standing here' | Refers to specific disciples and possibly other followers present with Jesus. | Some traditions limit 'some' to Peter, James, and John who saw the Transfiguration; others include the whole apostolic group or even the entire generation, noting that all but the apostle John died before AD 70. |
| Meaning of 'kingdom come with power' | A visible, powerful demonstration of God's reign, not merely spiritual or inward. | Within Protestant theology some see it as the inauguration of the church age; others as the eschatological consummation; Catholics see it in the continuing life of the Church, especially in the sacraments and magisterium. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Mark 9:1 stands at a literary hinge. In the preceding verses Jesus has spoken of taking up the cross and losing one's life for his sake, then warned that the Son of Man will come in glory with his angels and reward each person according to their works (Mark 8:38). Now he turns directly to the disciples and the crowd and gives a solemn assurance: some of them will personally witness a foretaste of that coming Kingdom in power. The phrase “taste death” is a common Semitic idiom for dying (see John 8:52; Hebrews 2:9). It means not simply to experience death but to undergo the full reality of it. The double negative in Greek, ou mē, strengthens the denial: they will certainly not die before seeing this event.
The words “the kingdom of God come with power” highlight the Greek noun dunamis. This is not a quiet, inward arrival. It is a display of divine might. The perfect participle elēluthuian (“having come”) suggests the Kingdom's arrival is envisioned as already accomplished by the time it is seen. Jesus does not say “when it comes” but “when it has come.” Readers in the first century would have recognized this as a promise that the age of fulfillment, the long-awaited reign of God, would break into history within a generation. The event six days later, the Transfiguration (Mark 9:2, 8), gave three disciples a vivid preview of Christ's glory, complete with Moses and Elijah representing the Law and the Prophets. But the Kingdom's power also appeared at Pentecost with the outpouring of the Spirit (Acts 2), in the rapid spread of the gospel, and in the judgment of Jerusalem in AD 70, when the temple system collapsed. The verse thus anchors hope in tangible, historical demonstrations of God's reign.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Mark 9:1. The verse is uniformly attested in the major Greek manuscripts. Its placement at the boundary of chapters 8 and 9 varies by edition; some early manuscripts and versions treat it as the conclusion of chapter 8, which is how several commentators (Clarke, Barnes, Gill) read it. This editorial difference does not affect the text itself.
Reception History
Early church writers such as Irenaeus and Origen read Mark 9:1 in light of the Transfiguration, seeing the glory of Christ as a foretaste of the resurrection. Medieval commentators linked the verse to the visible power of the Church and the coming of the Spirit. During the Reformation, figures like John Calvin and Martin Luther emphasized Pentecost and the spread of the gospel as the Kingdom's power breaking in. Wesley's Notes (Methodist) pointed specifically to the day of Pentecost. In modern scholarship the verse remains a crux: some interpreters read it as Jesus' mistaken prediction of an imminent parousia, while others see multiple fulfillments that protect the promise's credibility. Across all traditions, however, the verse has been a source of hope, reminding Christians that the Kingdom is not only future but has already arrived with power in Christ's works and the Spirit's outpouring.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- A solemn promise amid hard teaching. The verse is not a disconnected oracle but the capstone of Jesus' call to sacrifice and cross-bearing. It assures that following him is worth the cost because the Kingdom will visibly come.
- Multiple fulfillments, one Lord. The Transfiguration, Resurrection, Pentecost, and the fall of Jerusalem each reveal a facet of Christ's kingly power. God keeps his word in ways that unfold across time.
- Hope for those who wait. “Some standing here” includes ordinary disciples who would taste death later but first saw the Kingdom's power. The same promise sustains believers who live between the already and the not yet.
Five-point outline
- “Most certainly I tell you”, Jesus speaks with divine authority, using the solemn formula amēn that introduces twenty-five of his most important sayings in the Gospels.
- “Some standing here”, This is not a vague hope but a time-bound promise to specific hearers. It stresses the nearness of the Kingdom.
- “Will in no way taste death”, The double negative in Greek (ou mē) rules out any exception. These people would die only after seeing the fulfillment.
- “Until they see God's Kingdom come with power”, The perfect participle “having come” treats the Kingdom's arrival as a past reality once it is seen. Power (dunamis) is the hallmark, miracles, Spirit, and judgment.
- A pattern of hope. Each generation of Christians can point to places where the Kingdom has broken in: conversions, answered prayer, church growth, and Christ's presence in suffering.
Illustration hooks
- A schoolteacher promises a class that before the year ends they will see the results of a science project. The promise creates expectation; the day the experiment works is a small fulfillment. Jesus' promise worked similarly for the first disciples.
- A family watches a loved one battle a long illness. The doctor says, “You will see improvement before the month is out.” That word becomes a lifeline. Jesus gave his community a lifeline when the cross loomed largest.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Did Jesus make a mistake? Some standing there died without seeing the Second Coming, was the promise wrong?
- How can we see the Kingdom's power today when so much around us seems weak and broken?
- What does it mean to “see” the Kingdom? Is it a visible event or an inward transformation?
Leading a Discussion
This passage sits at the end of a hard conversation. Jesus has told his followers they must take up a cross and lose their lives for him. Then he gives a promise: some of them will see the Kingdom come with power before they die. It is a lifeline of hope in the middle of demanding discipleship.
Discussion questions
- Read Mark 8:34, 38 aloud. What does Jesus ask of his followers? How does verse 9:1 answer the tension those demands create?
- Why does Jesus say “some” rather than “all”? What does that imply about the disciples' different futures?
- The Greek phrase “taste death” (geusōntai thanatou) appears also in Hebrews 2:9 and John 8:52. What does “taste” add to the idea of dying?
- Multiple early interpreters saw the Transfiguration, Pentecost, or the fall of Jerusalem as the fulfillment. Do you think Jesus intended one event or a series of events? Why?
- In what ways have you seen the Kingdom of God “come with power” in your own life or community? How would you describe that experience?
- How does this verse help Christians who feel they are waiting for God to act in a difficult situation?
- The promise was time-bound, “some standing here.” What does it mean for us, who are not among those first hearers, to still trust in the coming of the Kingdom?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Matthew 16:28 | Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste of death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.” |
| Matthew 24:30 | and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. |
| Matthew 25:31 | “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. |
| Mark 13:26 | Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. |
| Mark 13:30 | Most certainly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen. |
| Luke 2:26 | It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. |
| Luke 9:27 | But I tell you the truth: There are some of those who stand here who will in no way taste of death until they see God’s Kingdom.” |
| Luke 22:18 | for I tell you, I will not drink at all again from the fruit of the vine, until God’s Kingdom comes.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that Mark 9:1 actually belongs to the preceding chapter and discourse, not to the transfiguration narrative that follows. He directs readers to Matthew 16:27-28 for the proper context, treating the verse as a continuation of Jesus' earlier teaching rather than the start of a new scene.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that this verse does not belong where it is often placed in the chapter division. He insists it properly belongs with the preceding chapter and discourse, forming the conclusion to that earlier teaching rather than starting a new one.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentator sees Jesus' promise as fulfilled in multiple events within the disciples' own lifetimes: the transfiguration six days later, the resurrection witnessed by nearly all, and the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple that John lived to see. Each event, he argues, displayed the kingdom of God coming with power.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
And he saide vnto them, Verely I say vnto you, that there be some of them that stande here, which shall not taste of death till they haue seene the kingdome of God come with power.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill identifies the kingdom of God coming with power as the rapid spread of the Gospel and the judgment on the Jewish nation, events that occurred within the lifetime of the listeners. He also notes that this verse properly belongs to the preceding chapter.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange observes that Mark omits Peter's blessing and special prerogative after his confession, since Peter, as Mark's informant, kept back details that honored himself. He also notes that Mark alone has Jesus calling the people to hear the law of suffering, uses the phrase "adulter
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley points to the Day of Pentecost as the fulfillment of the promise that some would see the kingdom of God coming with power. For him, that power was visibly demonstrated when three thousand people were converted to God in a single day, marking the kingdom's decisive advance.