Mark 11:23 AV
For verily I say unto you,
That¹ whosoever shall say unto this mountain,
Be thou removed²,
and be thou cast³ into the sea;
and shall not doubt⁴ in his heart⁵,
but shall believe⁶
that those things which he saith
shall come to pass⁷;
he shall have⁸ whatsoever he saith.
¹) That, because, since.
²) To raise upwards, elevate, lift up.
³) To throw or let go of a thing, without caring where it falls.
⁴) To be at variance with one’s self, hesitate, doubt.
⁵) Denotes the centre of all physical and spiritual life.
⁶) To think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in.
⁷) To become, i.e. to come to pass, happen.
⁸) Shall be
Other translations
Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him. [AMP] Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. [ESV] and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, "Go jump in the lake'--no shuffling or shilly-shallying--and it's as good as done. [MSB] For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. [KJV] "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. [NIV] I assure you that you can say to this mountain, 'May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,' and your command will be obeyed. All that's required is that you really believe and do not doubt in your heart. [NLT] For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, "Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. [NKJV]
Study
Jesus answered and said unto them
Jesus reacted on His disciples, who were wondering at His power, in causing the fig tree to wither so suddenly, and so completely.
Verily
The word ‘verily’ is translated from the Greek word ἀμήν — amen (pronounced as am–ane’) and is of Hebrew origin: ןמַאָ; (amen) and has the meaning of ‘verily’ (101 times in the Amplified Version, or ‘amen’ (51 times in the Amplified Version).
▪︎ It is at the beginning of a discourse translated as: surely, truly, of a truth
▪︎ and at the end: so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled.
It was a custom, which passed over from the synagogues to the Christian assemblies, that when he who had read or discoursed, had offered up solemn prayer to God, the others responded Amen, and thus made the substance of what was uttered their own.
The word “amen” is a remarkable word. It was transliterated directly from the Hebrew into the Greek of the New Testament, then into Latin and into English and many other languages, so that it is practically a universal word.
It has been called the best known word in human speech.
The word is directly related — in fact, almost identical — to the Hebrew word for “believe” (amam), or faithful. Thus, it came to mean “sure” or “truly,” an expression of absolute trust and confidence.
Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed …
he shall have whatsoever he saith
It is clear that Jesus was not talking about moving physical obstacles (For who would be interested to literally move a mountain?), but about moving moral and spiritual obstacles out of the way that could hinder the growth of His Kingdom.
Whosoever
See, Matthew 17:20; Luke 11:1, 17:6 ; John 14:13, 14
This mountain
The mount pointed at was probably the mountain of Olives, where they were near, or the temple mount which was also near.
Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea
That pointed probably to the Dead Sea, which was nearest, and visible in the far distance, yet many miles off.
Shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe
That is: If ye have faith in God, in His power, which reaches to all things: the object of faith is expressed in Mark, and by way of exhortation, “have faith in God”, that He will enable you to perform whatsoever ye shall desire (This does not mean filling in your desires for a new car, or a life in luxury, but your desires to do what is needed to preach His Kingdom.
You may, and must believe God, and in the power, and will of God to do for you, and by you, the thing desired for the growth of His Kingdom.
▪︎ This kind of faith should not admit of the least degree of doubting:
▪︎ there must be no hesitation in the mind,
▪︎ no reasoning upon the thing, how it can be performed;
▪︎ the mind must not be divided between the power and will of God, and the difficulties and discouragements which attend the case, but must believe in hope against hope, with a full persuasion of accomplishment.
Remember that it was for want of such faith, without doubting, the disciples could not cure the child that was lunatic.
Those things which he saith shall come to pass
This is showing that things that hinder the continuation of His Kingdom, and are equally difficult, or seemingly impossible for us, are no obstacles to Him. And He is able to do what is necessary for us, and through us.
It shall come to pass; that is, provided the person doubts not; or, as it is said in Mark, “shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things, which he saith, shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith”.
He shall have whatsoever he saith
Whatever He commands shall be done
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The call ‘Have faith in God’ is followed by a teaching about faith (Mark 11:23), prayer (Mark 11:24) and forgiveness (Mark 11:25, 26), three things that are inseparable (James 5: 14-16; compare James 1: 5-8).
Faith in God makes the impossible possible.
Prayer of faith is not a hidden psychic power by which a person is capable of all kinds of supernatural things, but an expression of a total reliance on God’s goodness.
Twitter: @SchoemakerHarry
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