Mark 13:14-23, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Mark 13:14-23
The Desolating Crisis Requires Flight, Not Speculation
When desolation stands where it ought not, the word is flee
When ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not — let him that readeth understand — then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains. Let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house. Let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. Woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days. Pray that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. Except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
Then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not. False Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. Take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. The desolating crisis requires flight, not speculation. Survival by leaving is obedience. The abomination does not securely identify any modern person, religion, technology, or political event. Do not pin Daniel's phrase on a headline and call it faithfulness.
How this should shape us
Treat Jesus' warning as a call to refuse fake deliverers and to move when staying would be folly. Do not spend this chapter matching today's names, gadgets, or parties to 'the abomination.'
Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters differ?
Best judgment: The phrase likely addresses the Jerusalem war and temple profanation while also feeding later eschatological readings. Mark's parenthetical 'let him that readeth understand' calls for discernment, not modern code-breaking. Flight affirms safety.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph flags, supplied-word markup, and coverage.
Mark 13:14-23, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Greek wording, sentence relations, and material variants checked independently of the KJV.
Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/Mark.txt, 13:14-23
Supports: Greek forms, morphology, and lexical ranges; context controls sense.
STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT Matthew–Acts data, rows for 13:14-23
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, older-English clarification, variants, background, and alternatives.
NET Bible Mark PDF, printed pp. 1868–1901, 13:14-23 and attached translator/textual notes
Supports: Narrative boundaries, plot, characterization, kingdom, Christology, discipleship, conflict, Passion, and ending.
Broadhead, Mark, printed pp. 88–101, Mark 11.1–13.37; subsection covering 13:14-23
Supports: Authorship/date limits, whole-book movement, secrecy, disciple failure, Passion, Sonship, and reader-first context.
Enter the Bible Mark course, Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, Theological Themes, and related passage index; applied to 13:14-23
Supports: A complete confessional evangelical interpretation used as one traditioned voice, not consensus.
McKinley, “Mark,” Introduction and commentary heading covering Mark 13:14-23
Supports: Temple-war and final horizons, no-one-knows limit, watchfulness, and date-setting safeguards.
Working Preacher, “Commentary on Mark 13:24–37,” exposition of Mark 13:24–37; read with Enter the Bible, Introductory Issues, “Watches of the night”; applied to 13:14-23
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
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 13:14-23, 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, 13:14-23
Open the Mark Greek text file ↗Lexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: Greek forms, morphology, and lexical ranges; context controls sense.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT Matthew–Acts data, rows for 13:14-23
Open source ↗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, 13:14-23 and attached translator/textual notes
Open the official NET Mark PDF ↗modern scholarly narrative commentary
Mark, Second Edition
Edwin K. Broadhead
Sheffield Phoenix Press; distributed online by the Society of Biblical Literature, 2009
Supports: Narrative boundaries, plot, characterization, kingdom, Christology, discipleship, conflict, Passion, and ending.
Exact location: Broadhead, Mark, printed pp. 88–101, Mark 11.1–13.37; subsection covering 13:14-23
Open Broadhead's complete Mark commentary ↗modern scholarly book introduction
Mark course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world
Paul S. Berge; revised by Kristofer Phan Coffman
Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, 2023 revision; current online course inspected 2026
Supports: Authorship/date limits, whole-book movement, secrecy, disciple failure, Passion, Sonship, and reader-first context.
Exact location: Enter the Bible Mark course, Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, Theological Themes, and related passage index; applied to 13:14-23
Open the Enter the Bible Mark course ↗modern open confessional commentary
Mark
Mike McKinley
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023 online edition
Supports: A complete confessional evangelical interpretation used as one traditioned voice, not consensus.
Exact location: McKinley, “Mark,” Introduction and commentary heading covering Mark 13:14-23
Open McKinley's Mark commentary ↗modern scholarly pastoral passage commentary
Commentary on Mark 13:24–37
Samantha Gilmore
Working Preacher, Luther Seminary, 2023
Supports: Temple-war and final horizons, no-one-knows limit, watchfulness, and date-setting safeguards.
Exact location: Working Preacher, “Commentary on Mark 13:24–37,” exposition of Mark 13:24–37; read with Enter the Bible, Introductory Issues, “Watches of the night”; applied to 13:14-23
Open the Mark 13 commentary ↗