Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.

MARK 15:31KJV
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Mark 15:31 (KJV)

What does Mark 15:31 mean?

Mark 15:31 describes how the chief priests, together with the scribes, mocked Jesus as he hung on the cross, saying to each other that although he saved others, he could not save himself. The verse highlights their scorn and disbelief, pointing out the irony they saw in Jesus’s situation.

In this scene, the chief priests and scribes—religious leaders of the time—are speaking among themselves while Jesus is crucified. They refer to Jesus’s reputation for helping and healing others (“he saved others”) but ridicule him for being unable to escape his own execution. Their words are not just insults but also a public rejection of Jesus’s claims and works, delivered at a moment of his greatest suffering.

The Greek behind Mark 15:31

  • ἐνέπαιζον (G1702, enepaizon): This word means “mocking” or “ridiculing.” It carries the sense of open, scornful derision, showing that the religious leaders were not just criticizing but actively making fun of Jesus in a cruel way.
  • ἑαυτὸν (G1438, heauton): This word means “himself.” The emphasis on “himself he cannot save” underlines the leaders’ point that Jesus’s inability to save himself discredits his earlier acts of saving others, in their eyes.
  • δύναται (G1410, dynatai): Translated as “cannot” (with the negative), this word means “is not able.” The leaders are not just saying Jesus chooses not to save himself, but that he is powerless to do so, which deepens their mockery.

Why Mark 15:31 matters

  • Mark 15:31 shows that the religious leaders’ rejection of Jesus was not just private or political but was expressed publicly and with contempt, even at the cross.
  • The verse connects to earlier parts of Mark where Jesus’s ability to save others was a sign of his authority, making the leaders’ words especially pointed and ironic.
  • Understanding the intensity of the mockery helps readers see the depth of Jesus’s isolation and the fulfillment of prophecies about the suffering of the Messiah.

Where else these words appear

“mocking” Greek G1702 · used in 13 verses

  • Matthew 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
  • Matthew 27:41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
  • Luke 18:32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:

“Likewise” Greek G3668 · used in 30 verses

  • Matthew 22:26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
  • Luke 10:37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
  • 1 Corinthians 7:3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.

“scribes” Greek G1122 · used in 67 verses

  • Matthew 2:4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
  • Matthew 26:57 And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
  • Mark 15:1 And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.

“themselves” Greek G240 · used in 94 verses

  • Matthew 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
  • Acts 4:15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,
  • Ephesians 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;