Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Mark 11:17 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 17. 17And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse joins Isaiah's house of prayer for all nations to Jeremiah's den-of-robbers charge against the temple's present practice.
Leaves without fruit, and a house meant for the nations
This verse is one part of that explanation in Mark 11:12-26. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Mark 11:12-26
Read Mark 11:17 with 11:12-26. This verse joins Isaiah's house of prayer for all nations to Jeremiah's den-of-robbers charge against the temple's present practice. The complete unit's controlling movement is: Jesus' enacted word against a leafed fig tree frames his disruption of temple commerce and teaching about prayer for all nations; the withered tree leads to faith, prayer, forgiveness, and the KJV's reciprocal-forgiveness saying.
Follow the Context
- Jesus speaks against the leafed fig tree.
- The temple action exposes fruitless worship and invokes prayer for all nations.
- The withered tree leads into trust, prayer, and forgiveness, including the KJV's verse 26 textual boundary.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations…”
In plain language: joins Isaiah's house of prayer for all nations to Jeremiah's den-of-robbers charge against the temple's present practice
Jesus' enacted word against a leafed fig tree frames his disruption of temple commerce and teaching about prayer for all nations; the withered tree leads to faith, prayer, forgiveness, and the KJV's reciprocal-forgiveness saying. Within that movement, this wording joins Isaiah's house of prayer for all nations to Jeremiah's den-of-robbers charge against the temple's present practice.
Why it matters: This wording carries a material narrative, lexical, textual, historical, theological, ethical, or misuse boundary.
How certain? probableWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
The temple action does not authorize antisemitism, attacks on worship sites, or religious violence. Read Mark 11:17 with Mark 11:12-26. In context, the verse joins Isaiah's house of prayer for all nations to Jeremiah's den-of-robbers charge against the temple's present practice.
What Remains True
The fig tree frames a temple confrontation over fruitless worship, prayer for all nations, trust, and forgiveness. At Mark 11:17, joins Isaiah's house of prayer for all nations to Jeremiah's den-of-robbers charge against the temple's present practice.
Teach It Back
Explain Mark 11:17's specific contribution to Mark 11:12-26: joins Isaiah's house of prayer for all nations to Jeremiah's den-of-robbers charge against the temple's present practice. Include the surrounding movement, one uncertainty or ethical boundary, and what the verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Mark 11:12-26 — Fig Tree and Temple Interpret Fruitless WorshipSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The preferred reading follows Mark's immediate narrative and whole-book movement while keeping the material alternative visible: The intercalation interprets temple judgment, but the exact target—commerce, leadership, exclusion, or fruitlessness—is debated. It does not condemn Judaism or Jewish worship. Mountain-moving is prophetic hyperbole about trust, not a blank check. KJV verse 26 reflects the later Greek tradition and remains inside the pinned display boundary although many critical editions bracket or omit it.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph flags, supplied-word markup, and coverage.
Exact location: Mark 11:12-26, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, sentence relations, and material variants checked independently of the KJV.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/Mark.txt, 11:12-26
Open the Mark Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Mark with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, older-English clarification, variants, background, and alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible Mark PDF, printed pp. 1868–1901, 11:12-26 and attached translator/textual notes
Open the official NET Mark PDF ↗