And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?

MARK 8:17KJV
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Mark 8:17 (KJV)

What does Mark 8:17 mean?

Mark 8:17 shows Jesus questioning His disciples about their concern over not having bread, pointing out that they still do not understand or perceive what He has been teaching, and asking if their hearts are still hardened. Jesus is highlighting their lack of spiritual insight and their focus on physical needs instead of recognizing deeper truths.

Jesus is speaking directly to His disciples after they worry about not having enough bread. The situation follows the miracle of feeding the crowds, where Jesus had already shown He could provide. By asking these questions, Jesus is challenging the disciples to see beyond their immediate concerns and recognize His power and the meaning behind His actions.

The Greek behind Mark 8:17

  • "διαλογίζεσθε" (dialogizesthe, "reason ye"): This Greek word means to discuss or consider deeply, often with a sense of inward questioning or debate. Jesus is pointing out that the disciples are caught up in their own reasoning about bread instead of trusting Him.
  • "σκληρύνεται" (sklērunetai, "hardened"): This word means to make hard or insensitive. Jesus uses it to ask if their hearts are still resistant or unresponsive to understanding spiritual truths, not just facts.

Why Mark 8:17 matters

  • Mark 8:17 clears up the misunderstanding that Jesus’ miracles were only about meeting physical needs; He wants the disciples to grasp the spiritual lessons behind His actions.
  • This verse emphasizes how even those closest to Jesus can miss the deeper meaning if they focus only on practical concerns.
  • Mark 8:17 connects to the wider passage by showing a pattern: the disciples repeatedly struggle to understand who Jesus is and what His miracles signify, setting up further teaching moments in the Gospel.

Where else these words appear

“hardened” Greek G4456 · used in 5 verses

  • Mark 6:52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.
  • John 12:40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
  • Romans 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded

“ye” Greek G3539 · used in 14 verses

  • Matthew 15:17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
  • Mark 7:18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;
  • Ephesians 3:4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

“ye” Greek G1260 · used in 15 verses

  • Matthew 16:7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.
  • Mark 2:8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
  • Luke 5:21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?

“yet” Greek G3768 · used in 22 verses

  • Matthew 15:17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
  • John 7:8 Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come.
  • Acts 8:16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)