Bible Strands
Mark 16:11
And when they heard that Jesus was alive and she had seen Him, they did not believe it.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Mary Magdalene delivers her report to the disciples who are actively mourning and weeping, immediately following her first encounter with the risen Jesus.
The words — ἀκοῦσαντες (akousantes) = having heard; ζῆ (zēa) = He is alive. These terms anchor the verse in the immediate reception of a claim about Jesus’ biological life.
The thread — This pattern of dismissal appears in Luke 24:11, where the women’s words are dismissed as nonsense, and Mark 16:13, where the remaining disciples also refuse to believe. The motif extends to Mark 9:19, where Jesus addresses the surrounding unbelieving generation.
Why it lands — The text records a direct refusal to accept eyewitness testimony regarding Jesus’ life, demanding readers confront their own criteria for belief. It places the burden of response on the reader to examine whether they will accept resurrection claims on the basis of reported sight.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
Cross-references
- Luke 24:11 But their words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believe the women.
- Mark 16:13 And they went back and reported it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.
- Mark 9:19 “O unbelieving generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to Me.”
- Luke 24:23 but they did not find His body. They came and told us they had seen a vision of angels, who said that Jesus was alive.
- Exodus 6:9 Moses relayed this message to the Israelites, but on account of their broken spirit and cruel bondage, they did not listen to him.
- Job 9:16 If I summoned Him and He answered me, I do not believe He would listen to my voice.