Mark 8:36

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For what does it benefit

King James Version (1611)
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gaine the whole world, and lose his owne soule?

King James Version
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

English Standard Version
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

New American Standard Bible
"For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?

New Century Version
It is worthless to have the whole world if they lose their souls.

Amplified Bible
"For what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world [with all its pleasures], and forfeit his soul?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?

Legacy Standard Bible
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?

Berean Standard Bible
What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?

Contemporary English Version
What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself?

Complete Jewish Bible
Indeed, what will it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life?

Darby Translation
For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul?

Easy-to-Read Version
It is worth nothing for you to have the whole world if you yourself are lost.

Geneva Bible (1587)
For what shall it profite a man, though he should winne the whole world, if he lose his soule?

George Lamsa Translation
For how could a man be benefited, if he should gain the whole world and lose his life?

Good News Translation
Do you gain anything if you win the whole world but lose your life? Of course not!

Lexham English Bible
For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?

Literal Translation
For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?

American Standard Version
For what doth it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?

Bible in Basic English
What profit has a man if he gets all the world with the loss of his life?

Hebrew Names Version
For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?

International Standard Version
For what profit will a person have if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?

Etheridge Translation
For what is a man profited, if the whole world he gain, and his soul be lost ?

Murdock Translation
For, what will a man be profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his life?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For what shall it profite a man, yf he wynne all the worlde, and lose his owne soule?

English Revised Version
For what doth it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?

World English Bible
For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Weymouth's New Testament
Why, what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For what profitith it to a man, if he wynne al the world, and do peiryng to his soule?

Update Bible Version
For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?

Webster's Bible Translation
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul:

New English Translation
For what benefit is it for a person to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his life?

New King James Version
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

New Living Translation
And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?

New Life Bible
For what does a man have if he gets all the world and loses his own soul?

New Revised Standard
For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, what doth it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and be made to forfeit his life?

Douay-Rheims Bible
For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul?

Revised Standard Version
For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
What shall it profet a ma yf he shuld wynne all ye worlde and loose his awne soule?

Young's Literal Translation
for what shall it profit a man, if he may gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
What helpeth it a ma though he wane the whole worlde, and yet toke harme in his soule?

Mace New Testament (1729)
what advantage is it for a man to gain the whole world with the loss of his life?

Simplified Cowboy Version
What good does owning the whole world do for a cowboy without a soul?

Contextual Overview

²⁷ Jesus and his disciples headed out for the villages around Caesarea Philippi. As they walked, he asked, "Who do the people say I am?" ²⁸ "Some say ‘John the Baptizer,'" they said. "Others say ‘Elijah.' Still others say ‘one of the prophets.'" ²⁹ He then asked, "And you—what are you saying about me? Who am I?" Peter gave the answer: "You are the Christ, the Messiah." ³⁰Jesus warned them to keep it quiet, not to breathe a word of it to anyone. He then began explaining things to them: "It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive." He said this simply and clearly so they couldn't miss it. But Peter grabbed him in protest. Turning and seeing his disciples wavering, wondering what to believe, Jesus confronted Peter. "Peter, get out of my way! Satan, get lost! You have no idea how God works." Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for? "If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I'm leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you'll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels." ³³A Meal for Four Thousand At about this same time he again found himself with a hungry crowd on his hands. He called his disciples together and said, "This crowd is breaking my heart. They have stuck with me for three days, and now they have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they'll faint along the way—some of them have come a long distance." His disciples responded, "What do you expect us to do about it? Buy food out here in the desert?" He asked, "How much bread do you have?" "Seven loaves," they said. So Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground. After giving thanks, he took the seven bread loaves, broke them into pieces, and gave them to his disciples so they could hand them out to the crowd. They also had a few fish. He pronounced a blessing over the fish and told his disciples to hand them out as well. The crowd ate its fill. Seven sacks of leftovers were collected. There were well over four thousand at the meal. Then he sent them home. He himself went straight to the boat with his disciples and set out for Dalmanoutha. When they arrived, the Pharisees came out and started in on him, badgering him to prove himself, pushing him up against the wall. Provoked, he said, "Why does this generation clamor for miraculous guarantees? If I have anything to say about it, you'll not get so much as a hint of a guarantee." He then left them, got back in the boat, and headed for the other side. But the disciples forgot to pack a lunch. Except for a single loaf of bread, there wasn't a crumb in the boat. Jesus warned, "Be very careful. Keep a sharp eye out for the contaminating yeast of Pharisees and the followers of Herod." Meanwhile, the disciples were finding fault with each other because they had forgotten to bring bread. Jesus overheard and said, "Why are you fussing because you forgot bread? Don't you see the point of all this? Don't you get it at all? Remember the five loaves I broke for the five thousand? How many baskets of leftovers did you pick up?" They said, "Twelve." "And the seven loaves for the four thousand—how many bags full of leftovers did you get?" "Seven." He said, "Do you still not get it?" They arrived at Bethsaida. Some people brought a sightless man and begged Jesus to give him a healing touch. Taking him by the hand, he led him out of the village. He put spit in the man's eyes, laid hands on him, and asked, "Do you see anything?" He looked up. "I see men. They look like walking trees." So Jesus laid hands on his eyes again. The man looked hard and realized that he had recovered perfect sight, saw everything in bright, twenty-twenty focus. Jesus sent him straight home, telling him, "Don't enter the village." Jesus and his disciples headed out for the villages around Caesarea Philippi. As they walked, he asked, "Who do the people say I am?" "Some say ‘John the Baptizer,'" they said. "Others say ‘Elijah.' Still others say ‘one of the prophets.'" He then asked, "And you—what are you saying about me? Who am I?" Peter gave the answer: "You are the Christ, the Messiah." Jesus warned them to keep it quiet, not to breathe a word of it to anyone. He then began explaining things to them: "It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive." He said this simply and clearly so they couldn't miss it. But Peter grabbed him in protest. Turning and seeing his disciples wavering, wondering what to believe, Jesus confronted Peter. "Peter, get out of my way! Satan, get lost! You have no idea how God works." ³⁴Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for? ³⁸ "If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I'm leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you'll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

what: Job 2:4, Psalms 49:17, Psalms 73:18-20, Matthew 4:8-10, Matthew 16:26, Luke 9:25, Luke 12:19, Luke 12:20, Luke 16:19-23, Philippians 3:7-9, Revelation 18:7, Revelation 18:8

profit: Job 22:2, Malachi 3:14, Romans 6:21, Hebrews 11:24-26, James 1:9-11

Reciprocal: Job 27:8 - General Psalms 62:10 - riches Proverbs 4:7 - with Ecclesiastes 1:3 - profit Ecclesiastes 5:16 - what Jeremiah 41:8 - Slay Ezekiel 28:18 - by the iniquity Matthew 5:29 - for Matthew 10:39 - General Luke 10:42 - one Luke 16:22 - the rich

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For what shall it profit a man,.... In the long run, in the issue of things, who by denying Christ, and his Gospel, may not only save his life for the present, but procure for himself great riches and wealth:

if he shall gain the whole world; were that possible to be done, and which the ambitious, worldly man is desirous of; yet supposing he: had his desire, of what avail would this be in the upshot of things, should the following be his case, as it will,

and lose his own soul? which is immortal and everlasting, when the world, and the glory of it pass away, and so is of more worth than the whole world. The world can only be enjoyed for a season, and that with a great deal of fatigue and trouble; but the soul continues for ever; and if it is lost and damned, its torment always abides, and the smoke of it ascends for ever, its worm never dies, and its fire is never quenched; :-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See this passage illustrated in the notes at Matthew 16:13-28.

Mark 8:32

He spake that saying openly - With boldness or confidence, or without parables or figures, so that there could be no possibility of misunderstanding him.

Mark 8:38

Ashamed of me - Ashamed to own attachment to me on account of my lowly appearance and my poverty.

And of my words - My doctrines, my instructions.

This adulterous and sinful generation - This age given to wickedness, particularly to adultery.

In the glory of his Father - In the day of judgment. See the notes at Matthew 26:64. The meaning of this verse is, Whosoever shall refuse, through pride or wickedness, to acknowledge and serve Christ here, shall be excluded from his kingdom hereafter. He was lowly, meek, and despised; yet there was an inimitable beauty in his character even then. But he will come again in awful grandeur; not as the babe of Bethlehem, not as the man of Nazareth, but as the Son of God, in majesty and glory. They that would not acknowledge him here must be rejected by him there; they that would not serve him on earth will not enjoy his favor in heaven; they that would cast Him out and despise him must be cast out by him, and consigned to eternal, hopeless sorrow.