Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Mark 16:17 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 17. 17And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse introduces the longer ending's list of signs with exorcism and new tongues while leaving their scope to the complete ending.
Read It With
- Mark 16:9-20
Read Mark 16:17 with 16:9-20. This verse introduces the longer ending's list of signs with exorcism and new tongues while leaving their scope to the complete ending. The complete unit's controlling movement is: The KJV displays the traditional longer ending: appearances to Mary Magdalene, two travelers, and the Eleven; a worldwide commission; signs; Jesus' ascension; and the disciples' preaching with confirming works.
Why This Verse Appears Here
This verse introduces the longer ending's list of signs with exorcism and new tongues while leaving their scope to the complete ending. This specific contribution advances Mark 16:9-20 toward its narrated or taught result.
Follow the Context
- The longer ending summarizes appearances to Mary Magdalene and two travelers.
- Jesus commissions the Eleven and the ending lists accompanying signs.
- Jesus ascends, and the disciples preach with the Lord's confirming work.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall…”
In plain language: introduces the longer ending's list of signs with exorcism and new tongues while leaving their scope to the complete ending
The KJV displays the traditional longer ending: appearances to Mary Magdalene, two travelers, and the Eleven; a worldwide commission; signs; Jesus' ascension; and the disciples' preaching with confirming works. Within that movement, this wording introduces the longer ending's list of signs with exorcism and new tongues while leaving their scope to the complete ending.
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 signs do not function as a universal checklist proving that every believer or congregation is genuine. Read Mark 16:17 with Mark 16:9-20. In context, the verse introduces the longer ending's list of signs with exorcism and new tongues while leaving their scope to the complete ending.
What Remains True
The KJV longer ending preserves an early church conclusion that witnesses to resurrection mission while remaining textually secondary to Mark's earliest recoverable ending. At Mark 16:17, introduces the longer ending's list of signs with exorcism and new tongues while leaving their scope to the complete ending.
How It Can Shape Life
- At Mark 16:17, keep the KJV text visible, disclose the manuscript evidence plainly, pursue noncoercive witness, and reject dangerous sign-testing. This verse contributes to that response because it introduces the longer ending's list of signs with exorcism and new tongues while leaving their scope to the complete ending.
Teach It Back
Explain Mark 16:17's specific contribution to Mark 16:9-20: introduces the longer ending's list of signs with exorcism and new tongues while leaving their scope to the complete ending. 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 16:9-20 — The KJV Longer Ending Preserves an Early Church ConclusionSources 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: Verses 9-20 are inside the pinned KJV display boundary and must be studied, but the earliest Greek codices Vaticanus and Sinaiticus end at 16:8; other witnesses preserve a shorter ending, the longer ending, both, or additional material. Vocabulary and transition support the judgment that 16:9-20 is an early secondary ending, not Mark's original continuation. Canonical and ecclesial judgments differ. Snake-handling and poison language is descriptive sign tradition, never a command to test God or refuse care.
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 16:9-20, 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, 16:9-20
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, 16:9-20 and attached translator/textual notes
Open the official NET Mark PDF ↗