Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Mark 13:35 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 35. 35Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse anchors a specific action, description, or claim at Mark 13:35 within Mark 13:32-37: “Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning”.
Read It With
- Mark 13:32-37
Read Mark 13:35 with 13:32-37. This verse anchors a specific action, description, or claim at Mark 13:35 within Mark 13:32-37: “Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning”. The complete unit's controlling movement is: Jesus says no one—not angels nor the Son, but the Father—knows the day or hour, compares disciples to servants awaiting an absent master, names the four night watches, and commands all to stay awake.
Why This Verse Appears Here
This verse anchors a specific action, description, or claim at Mark 13:35 within Mark 13:32-37: “Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning”. This specific contribution advances Mark 13:32-37 toward its narrated or taught result.
Follow the Context
- Mark 13:32-37 is one coherent narrated or teaching movement titled “No One Knows the Hour, So Every Disciple Must Watch.” Its opening change of scene, speaker, audience, journey stage, or controversy and its closing response distinguish it from the adjacent unit.
- Jesus says no one—not angels nor the Son, but the Father—knows the day or hour, compares disciples to servants awaiting an absent master, names the four night watches, and commands all to stay awake.
- The explicit ignorance statement rules out date-setting. 'Nor the Son' is textually secure in Mark and materially informs Christological discussion. Watchfulness becomes faithful readiness through the Passion's four watches, not sleepless panic.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
The passage does not permit calculating the date or hour.
What Remains True
This verse anchors a specific action, description, or claim at Mark 13:35 within Mark 13:32-37: “Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning”. 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 13:35, explain this exact role inside Mark 13:32-37, state the material uncertainty or first-century control, and refuse the unit's first harmful misuse.
Teach It Back
Explain Mark 13:35's specific contribution to Mark 13:32-37: anchors a specific action, description, or claim at Mark 13:35 within Mark 13:32-37: “Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning”. Include the surrounding movement, one uncertainty or ethical boundary, and what the verse does not authorize.
Your explanation stays in this browser. It is not sent or saved.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Mark 13:32-37 — No One Knows the Hour, So Every Disciple Must WatchSources 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 explicit ignorance statement rules out date-setting. 'Nor the Son' is textually secure in Mark and materially informs Christological discussion. Watchfulness becomes faithful readiness through the Passion's four watches, not sleepless panic.
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 13:32-37, 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, 13:32-37
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, 13:32-37 and attached translator/textual notes
Open the official NET Mark PDF ↗