According to Mark 11:1-33

11  Now when they were getting near to Jerusalem, to Bethʹpha·ge and Bethʹa·ny+ at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples+ 2  and told them: “Go into the village that is within sight, and as soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied on which no man has sat until now. Untie it and bring it here. 3  And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.’” 4  So they went away and found the colt tied at a door, outside on the side street, and they untied it.+ 5  But some of those standing there said to them: “What are you doing untying the colt?” 6  They told them just what Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7  And they brought the colt+ to Jesus, and they put their outer garments on it, and he sat on it.+ 8  Also, many spread their outer garments on the road,+ but others cut down foliage from the fields.+ 9  And those going in front and those coming behind kept shouting: “Save, we pray!+ Blessed is the one who comes in Jehovah’s name!+ 10  Blessed is the coming Kingdom of our father David!+ Save, we pray, in the heights above!”* 11  And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple, and he looked around at everything, but since the hour was already late, he went out to Bethʹa·ny with the Twelve.+ 12  The next day when they were leaving Bethʹa·ny, he felt hungry.+ 13  From a distance he caught sight of a fig tree that had leaves, and he went to see whether he could find something on it. But on coming to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14  So he said to it: “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.”+ And his disciples were listening. 15  They now came to Jerusalem. There he entered the temple and started to throw out those selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves,+ 16  and he would not let anyone carry a utensil through the temple. 17  He was teaching and saying to them: “Is it not written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?+ But you have made it a cave of robbers.”+ 18  And the chief priests and the scribes heard it, and they began to seek how to kill him;+ for they were in fear of him, because all the crowd was astounded at his teaching.+ 19  When it became late in the day, they went out of the city. 20  But when they were passing by early in the morning, they saw the fig tree already withered from its roots.+ 21  Peter, remembering it, said to him: “Rabbi, see! the fig tree that you cursed has withered.”+ 22  In reply Jesus said to them: “Have faith in God. 23  Truly I say to you that whoever tells this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but has faith that what he says is going to happen, he will have it happen.+ 24  This is why I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for, have faith that you have received them, and you will have them.+ 25  And when you stand praying, forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father who is in the heavens may also forgive you your trespasses.”+ 26  —— 27  They came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came 28  and said to him: “By what authority do you do these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?”+ 29  Jesus said to them: “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30  Was the baptism by John+ from heaven or from men?* Answer me.”+ 31  So they began to reason among themselves, saying: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why, then, did you not believe him?’ 32  But dare we say, ‘From men’?” They were in fear of the crowd, for these all held that John had really been a prophet.+ 33  So they answered Jesus: “We do not know.” Jesus said to them: “Neither am I telling you by what authority I do these things.”

Footnotes

^ Or “in the highest places.”
^ Or “of human origin.”

Study Notes

Now: The events described at Mr 11:1-11 take place during the daytime of Nisan 9.​—See App. A7 and B12.

Bethphage: The name of this village on the Mount of Olives comes from Hebrew, probably meaning “House of the Early Figs.” Tradition locates Bethphage between Jerusalem and Bethany on the SE slope of the Mount of Olives, near the peak, about 1 km (less than 1 mi) from Jerusalem.​—Mt 21:1; Lu 19:29; see App. A7, Map 6.

Bethany: See study note on Mt 21:17.

a colt: That is, a young donkey. The accounts of Mark, Luke (19:35), and John (12:14, 15) mention only one animal, the colt, when describing this event. Matthew’s account (21:2-7) adds the detail that the parent donkey was also present.​—See study notes on Mt 21:2, 5.

Save, we pray: Lit., “Hosanna.” That Greek term comes from a Hebrew expression that means “save, we pray” or “save, please.” Here the term is used as a plea to God for salvation or victory; it could be rendered “please, grant salvation to.” In time, it became an expression of both prayer and praise. The Hebrew expression is found at Ps 118:25, which was part of the Hallel Psalms sung regularly during Passover season. Therefore, these words readily came to mind on this occasion. One way God answered this prayer to save the Son of David was by resurrecting him from the dead. At Mr 12:10, 11, Jesus himself quotes Ps 118:22, 23 and applies it to the Messiah.

Jehovah’s: In this quote from Ps 118:25, 26, the divine name, represented by four Hebrew consonants (transliterated YHWH), occurs in the original Hebrew text.​—See App. C.

the coming Kingdom of our father David: The earliest and most reliable manuscripts support the main text reading but there are a few ancient manuscripts that read: “The kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord.” This reading is reflected in some English Bible translations. A number of translations of the Christian Greek Scriptures into Hebrew (referred to as J7, 8, 10-12, 14, 16, 17 in App. C) here use the Tetragrammaton or an abbreviation of it and read: “The kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of Jehovah.”

The next day: That is, Nisan 10.​—See App. A7 and B12.

he found nothing but leaves: Although it was unusual for a fig tree to bear fruit at that time of year, the tree had leaves​—normally a sign that it had produced an early crop of figs. Because the tree had borne only leaves, Jesus knew that it was not going to produce any crop and was therefore deceptive in its appearance. So he cursed it as unproductive, causing it to wither.​—Mr 11:19-21.

temple: See study note on Mt 21:12.

throw out those selling and buying: See study note on Lu 19:45.

money changers: See study note on Mt 21:12.

carry a utensil through the temple: Evidently, some used the temple courtyard as a shortcut to transport items for personal or commercial use. Jesus did not allow this, since it detracted from the sanctity of God’s house. Only Mark’s account mentions this comment by Jesus.

a house of prayer for all the nations: Of the three Gospel writers who quote Isa 56:7, only Mark includes the phrase “for all the nations [peoples].” (Mt 21:13; Lu 19:46) The temple in Jerusalem was meant to be a place where both Israelites and God-fearing foreigners could worship and pray to Jehovah. (1Ki 8:41-43) Jesus rightly condemned the Jews who used the temple for commerce, making it a cave of robbers. Their actions discouraged people of all nations from approaching Jehovah in his house of prayer, depriving them of the opportunity to come to know him.

cave of robbers: See study note on Mt 21:13.

late in the day: That is, late on Nisan 10. Jesus and his disciples went out of Jerusalem, returning to Bethany on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. Jesus likely spent the night at the home of his friends Lazarus, Mary, and Martha.​—See App. A7 and B12.

early in the morning: That is, on Nisan 11. Jesus and his disciples are heading back to Jerusalem for the final day of Jesus’ public ministry before he celebrates the Passover, institutes the Memorial of his death, and faces trial and execution.​—See App. A7 and B12.

stand praying: Among the Hebrews and many of the other nations mentioned in the Bible, there was no set form of posture for prayer. All the attitudes that they assumed were highly respectful. Standing to pray was common.

Some ancient manuscripts here read: “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in the heavens forgive your trespasses.” These words do not appear in the earliest and most reliable manuscripts and are evidently not part of the original text of Mark. Similar words, though, can be found at Mt 6:15 as part of the inspired Scriptures.​—See App. A3.

chief priests: See study note on Mt 2:4.

scribes: See study note on Mt 2:4.

elders: See study note on Mr 8:31.

Media

Bethphage, the Mount of Olives, and Jerusalem
Bethphage, the Mount of Olives, and Jerusalem

This short video follows a path approaching Jerusalem from the east, from the village of modern-day et-Tur—thought to correspond to the Biblical Bethphage—to one of the higher points on the Mount of Olives. Bethany lies east of Bethphage on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. When in Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples customarily spent the night at Bethany, today marked by the town of el-ʽAzariyeh (El ʽEizariya), an Arabic name meaning “The Place of Lazarus.” Jesus undoubtedly stayed at the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. (Mt 21:17; Mr 11:11; Lu 21:37; Joh 11:1) When traveling from their home to Jerusalem, Jesus may have followed a route similar to the one shown in the video. On Nisan 9, 33 C.E., when Jesus rode the colt of a donkey over the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem, he may well have done so from Bethphage, following the road to Jerusalem.

1. Road from Bethany to Bethphage

2. Bethphage

3. Mount of Olives

4. Kidron Valley

5. Temple Mount

Colt, or Young Donkey
Colt, or Young Donkey

The donkey is a hard-hoofed animal of the horse family, distinguished from the horse by its smaller size, shorter mane, longer ears, and shorter tail-hair, with only the end half of the tail having a brush. Although the donkey’s stupidity and stubbornness are proverbial, its intelligence is actually considered to be superior to that of the horse, and it is usually a patient creature. Both men and women, even prominent Israelites, rode donkeys. (Jos 15:18; Jg 5:10; 10:3, 4; 12:14; 1Sa 25:42) Solomon, the son of David, rode to his anointing on his father’s she-mule, a hybrid offspring of a male donkey. (1Ki 1:33-40) It was therefore most appropriate that Jesus, the one greater than Solomon, fulfill the prophecy of Zec 9:9 by riding, not on a horse, but on a young donkey.

NEW WORLD TRANSLATION OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES (STUDY EDITION)
Mark 11
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