Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?

MARK 8:18KJV
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Mark 8:18 (KJV)

What does Mark 8:18 mean?

In Mark 8:18, Jesus asks his disciples why they are not grasping the meaning of what they have witnessed and heard. He also asks whether they remember his earlier actions. His questions challenge their difficulty in connecting those experiences with the situation they now face.

Jesus uses eyes and ears as a picture of understanding, not simply of physical sight and hearing. His question about remembering moves beyond what the disciples can see and hear at that moment to what they already know from being with him.

The Greek behind Mark 8:18

  • “see” — βλέπω (blepō): The Greek word can mean to see or perceive. Here, the question points beyond eyesight to the disciples’ difficulty in recognizing the meaning of what is before them.
  • “remember” — μνημονεύω (mnēmoneuō): The word means to recall or keep something in mind. Jesus’s question prepares for his references to the two occasions when he fed crowds with a small amount of bread.

Why Mark 8:18 matters

  • The disciples’ concern is not just about a forgotten meal. They are discussing their lack of bread when Jesus questions their understanding in Mark 8:14–17.
  • Jesus points them to specific events they can recall. In Mark 8:19–20, he asks how many baskets of leftovers they collected after the two crowds were fed.
  • The questions about eyes and ears echo language used elsewhere in Scripture for people who fail to understand what they encounter, as in Jeremiah 5:21. That familiar picture gives force to Jesus’s questions.

Where else these words appear

“ye” Greek G3421 · used in 21 verses

  • Matthew 16:9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
  • Acts 20:35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
  • 2 Timothy 2:8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:

“ears” Greek G3775 · used in 35 verses

  • Matthew 10:27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
  • Luke 4:21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
  • 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

“eyes” Greek G3788 · used in 86 verses

  • Matthew 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
  • Luke 10:23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:
  • Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

“ye” Greek G991 · used in 119 verses

  • Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
  • Luke 10:24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
  • 1 Corinthians 8:9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.