Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Mark 11:21 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 21. 21And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse advances Mark 11:12-26's dialogue or teaching at Mark 11:21 by recording, “And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away”.
Read It With
- Mark 11:12-26
Read Mark 11:21 with 11:12-26. This verse advances Mark 11:12-26's dialogue or teaching at Mark 11:21 by recording, “And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away”. 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.
Why This Verse Appears Here
This verse advances Mark 11:12-26's dialogue or teaching at Mark 11:21 by recording, “And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away”. This specific contribution advances Mark 11:12-26 toward its narrated or taught result.
Follow the Context
- Mark 11:12-26 is one coherent narrated or teaching movement titled “Fig Tree and Temple Interpret Fruitless Worship.” Its opening change of scene, speaker, audience, journey stage, or controversy and its closing response distinguish it from the adjacent unit.
- 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.
- 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.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
The temple action does not authorize antisemitism, attacks on worship sites, or religious violence.
What Remains True
This verse advances Mark 11:12-26's dialogue or teaching at Mark 11:21 by recording, “And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away”. Its faithful force remains governed by God's kingdom, Jesus' cross-defined authority, truthful discipleship, and protection of vulnerable people.
How It Can Shape Life
- When teaching Mark 11:21, explain this exact role inside Mark 11:12-26, state the material uncertainty or first-century control, and refuse the unit's first harmful misuse.
Teach It Back
Explain Mark 11:21's specific contribution to Mark 11:12-26: advances Mark 11:12-26's dialogue or teaching at Mark 11:21 by recording, “And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away”. Include the surrounding movement, one uncertainty or ethical boundary, and what the verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
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 ↗