Lectionary Calendar
Monday, July 28th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Literal Standard Version

Mark 11:3

and if anyone may say to you, Why do you do this? Say that the LORD has need of it, and immediately He will send it here."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Bethany;   Jesus, the Christ;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Bethany;   Trees;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Prophecy;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Mark, the Gospel of;   Triumphal Entry;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Mss;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Consciousness;   Dispersion ;   Divinity of Christ;   Dominion (2);   Entry into Jerusalem;   Fig-Tree ;   Incarnation (2);   Interpretation;   Names and Titles of Christ;   Passion Week;   Poverty (2);   Preaching Christ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - New Testament;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Names titles and offices of christ;   Olives;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.’”
King James Version (1611)
And if any man say vnto you, Why doe yee this? Say yee, that the Lord hath need of him: and straightway he will send him hither.
King James Version
And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.
English Standard Version
If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?' say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.'"
New American Standard Bible
"And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it'; and immediately he will send it back here."
New Century Version
If anyone asks you why you are doing this, tell him its Master needs the colt, and he will send it at once."
Amplified Bible
"If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord needs it'; and immediately he will send it here."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' you say, 'The Lord has need of it'; and immediately he will send it back here."
Legacy Standard Bible
And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?' you say, ‘The Lord has need of it'; and immediately he will send it back here."
Berean Standard Bible
If anyone asks, 'Why are you doing this?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it and will return it shortly.'"
Contemporary English Version
If anyone asks why you are doing that, say, ‘The Lord needs it and will soon bring it back.'"
Complete Jewish Bible
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?' tell him, ‘The Lord needs it,' and he will send it here right away."
Darby Translation
And if any one say to you, Why do ye this? say, The Lord has need of it; and straightway he sends it hither.
Easy-to-Read Version
If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkey, tell them, ‘The Master needs it. He will send it back soon.'"
Geneva Bible (1587)
And if any man say vnto you, Why doe ye this? Say that the Lord hath neede of him, and straightway he will send him hither.
George Lamsa Translation
And if any man should say to you, Why are you doing this? say to him that our Lord needs it; and immediately he will send it here.
Good News Translation
And if someone asks you why you are doing that, say that the Master needs it and will send it back at once."
Lexham English Bible
And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?' say ‘The Lord has need of it, and will send it here again at once.'"
Literal Translation
And if anyone says to you, Why do you do this? say, The Lord has need of it. And he will at once send it here.
American Standard Version
And if any one say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye, The Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him back hither.
Bible in Basic English
And if anyone says to you, Why are you doing this? say, The Lord has need of him and will send him back straight away.
Hebrew Names Version
If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord needs him;' and immediately he will send him back here."
International Standard Version
If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?,' say, 'The Lord needs it,' and he will send it back here at once."
Etheridge Translation
And if any man shall say to you, Why do you this ? say to him, Because for our Lord it is requested, and at once he will send him hither.
Murdock Translation
And, if any one say to you, Why do ye this? Say ye to him: Because our Lord hath need of him. And immediately he will send him hither.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And yf any man say vnto you, why do ye so? Say ye, that the Lorde hath neede of hym: and strayghtway he wyll sende hym hyther.
English Revised Version
And if any one say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye, The Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him back hither.
World English Bible
If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord needs him;' and immediately he will send him back here."
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And if any say to you, Why do ye this? Say, The Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.
Weymouth's New Testament
And if any one asks you, `Why are you doing that?' say, `The Master needs it, and will send it back here without delay.'"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And if ony man seye ony thing to you, What doen ye? seie ye, that he is nedeful to the Lord, and anoon he schal leeue hym hidir.
Update Bible Version
And if any one says to you, Why do you do this? say, The Lord has need of him; and right away he will send him back here.
Webster's Bible Translation
And if any man shall say to you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and immediately he will send him hither.
New English Translation
If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?' say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here soon.'"
New King James Version
And if anyone says to you, "Why are you doing this?' say, "The Lord has need of it,' and immediately he will send it here."
New Living Translation
If anyone asks, ‘What are you doing?' just say, ‘The Lord needs it and will return it soon.'"
New Life Bible
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing that?' say, ‘The Lord needs it. He will send it back again soon.'"
New Revised Standard
If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?' just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.'"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, if anyone unto you should say - Why are ye doing this? say - The Lord, of him hath need; and, straightway, he sendeth him off again here.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And if any man shall say to you: What are you doing? Say ye that the Lord hath need of him. And immediately he will let him come hither.
Revised Standard Version
If any one says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.'"
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And if eny man saye vnto you: why do ye soo? Saye that the Lorde hath neade of him: and streight waye he will sende him hidder.
Young's Literal Translation
and if any one may say to you, Why do ye this? say ye that the lord hath need of it, and immediately he will send it hither.'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And yf eny man saye vnto you: wherfore do ye that? Then saye ye: The LORDE hath nede therof, and forth with he shal sende it hither.
Mace New Testament (1729)
if any one should ask you, why you do so? tell him, the Lord has occasion for it, and immediately he will send it hither.
Simplified Cowboy Version
If anyone questions you, just tell them the Lord needs it and will return it shortly."

Contextual Overview

1And when they come near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage, and Bethany, to the Mount of Olives, He sends forth two of His disciples, 2and says to them, "Go away into the village that is in front of you, and immediately, entering into it, you will find a colt tied, on which no one of men has sat, having loosed it, bring [it]: 3and if anyone may say to you, Why do you do this? Say that the LORD has need of it, and immediately He will send it here."4And they went away, and found the colt tied at the door outside, by the two ways, and they loose it, 5and certain of those standing there said to them, "What do you—loosing the colt?" 6And they said to them as Jesus commanded, and they permitted them. 7And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on it, and He sat on it, 8and many spread their garments in the way, and others were cutting down branches from the trees, and were strewing in the way. 9And those going before and those following were crying out, saying, "Hosanna! Blessed [is] He who is coming in the Name of the LORD; 10blessed is the coming kingdom, in the Name of the LORD, of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

that: Psalms 24:1, Acts 10:36, Acts 17:25, 2 Corinthians 8:9, Hebrews 2:7-9

and straightway: Mark 14:15, 1 Chronicles 29:12-18, Psalms 110:3, Acts 1:24

Reciprocal: Psalms 97:5 - the Lord of Matthew 21:2 - General Mark 14:13 - Go Mark 14:14 - The Master Luke 19:31 - the Lord John 21:7 - It is

Cross-References

Genesis 11:4
And they say, "Give help, let us build for ourselves a city and tower with its head in the heavens, and make for ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of all the earth."
Genesis 11:6
and YHWH says, "Behold, the people [is] one, and one language [is] to them all, and this it has dreamed of doing; and now, nothing is restrained from them of that which they have purposed to do.
Genesis 11:7
Give help, let us go down there and confuse their language, so that a man will not understand the language of his companion."
Genesis 11:18
And Peleg lives thirty years [[or one hundred and thirty years]], and begets Reu.
Genesis 14:10
And the Valley of Siddim [is] full of bitumen-pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah flee, and fall there, and those left have fled to the mountain.
Exodus 1:14
and make their lives bitter in hard service, in clay, and in brick, and in every [kind] of service in the field; all their service in which they have served [is] with rigor.
Exodus 2:3
and she has not been able to hide him anymore, and she takes an ark of rushes for him, and covers it with bitumen and with pitch, and puts the boy in it, and puts [it] in the weeds by the edge of the River;
2 Samuel 12:31
and he has brought out the people who [are] in it, and sets [them] to the saw, and to cutting instruments of iron, and to axes of iron, and has caused them to pass over into the brick-kiln; and so he does to all the cities of the sons of Ammon; and David turns back, and all the people, to Jerusalem.
Psalms 64:5
They strengthen an evil thing for themselves, || They recount of the hiding of snares, || They have said, "Who looks at it?"
Proverbs 1:11
If they say, "Come with us, we lay wait for blood, || We watch secretly for the innocent without cause,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And if any man say unto you,.... As very likely they would, and it would be strange if they should not say something to them, especially the owners of it:

why do ye this? Why do ye untie the ass, and attempt to carry it away, when it is none of your own, and it belongs to another man?

Say ye that the Lord hath need of him; our Lord and yours, the Lord of heaven and earth, and all things in it; it looks as if this title, "the Lord", was what Jesus was well known by; see John 11:28; unless it can be thought, that the owners of the colt were such, that believed in Christ, as is not improbable; and so would at once understand by the language who it was for, and let it go:

and straightway he will send him, hither; as soon as ever he hears that the Lord, by whom he would presently understand Jesus, wanted him for his present purpose; he will send him with all readiness and cheerfulness, without the least hesitation, or making any dispute about it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See this passage illustrated in the notes at Matthew 21:1-16.

Mark 11:4

Two ways met - A crossroads. A public place, probably near the center of the village.

Mark 11:5

What do ye, loosing the colt? - Or, why do ye do this? What authority have you for doing it?

See this passage illustrated in the notes at Matthew 21:1-16.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Mark 11:3. And straightway he will send him hither. — From the text, I think it is exceedingly plain, that our Lord did not beg, but borrow, the colt; therefore the latter clause of this verse should be understood as the promise of returning him. Is not the proper translation the following? And if any one say to you, Why do ye this? Say, the Lord hath need of him, and will speedily send him back hither - και ευθεως αυτον αποστελλει ὡδε. Some eminent critics take the same view of the passage.


 
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