Mark 16:20

And they went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked through them, confirming His word by the signs that accompanied it.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The Markan narrator closes the Gospel by reporting what the disciples did after Jesus' ascension (v. 19). It is the final sentence of Mark.

The words — sunergountos (συνεργοῦντος), a present participle, means "working with" and marks the Lord's action as ongoing and cooperative rather than a single past event. ekēruxan (ἐκήρυξαν) is the same verb used for gospel proclamation throughout Acts and Paul's letters.

The thread — The pattern of human proclamation plus divine confirmation recurs in Acts 8:4 (scattered disciples preaching wherever they went) and Acts 14:3 (the Lord affirming the message of His grace). 1 Corinthians 2:4 parallels the "demonstration of power" attached to the word.

Why it lands — The verse places the reader in the audience, not the pulpit: the message arrived confirmed, and the question is whether the reader received it as such. It removes the option of treating the gospel as merely human persuasion.

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

ἐκεῖνοιekeinoiThey δὲdenow ἐξελθόντεςexelthonteshaving gone forth ἐκήρυξανekēruxanthey preached πανταχοῦ,pantachoueverywhere,τοῦtouof the κυρίουkuriouLord συνεργοῦντοςsunergountos[who] working with [them]καὶkaiand τὸνtonthe λόγονlogonword βεβαιοῦντοςbebaiountosconfirming διὰdiathrough τῶνtōnthe ἐπακολουθούντωνepakolouthountōnaccompanying σημείων.sēmeiōnsigns.ἀμήν.]]¶amēnAmen.

King James Version

And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Cross-references

1 Corinthians 2:4 My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,
Acts 14:3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who affirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.
Acts 8:4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
Romans 15:19 by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
Hebrews 2:4 and was affirmed by God through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.
Acts 5:12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people, and with one accord the believers gathered together in Solomon’s Colonnade.
Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
1 Corinthians 3:6 I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.
Acts 4:30 as You stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”
2 Corinthians 6:1 As God’s fellow workers, then, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.