Bible Strands
Mark 3:34
Looking at those seated in a circle around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus speaks to a group seated in a circle around Him immediately after being informed that His biological relatives are waiting outside.
The words — περιβλεψάμενος (periblepsamenos) means "having looked around," describing His physical gaze before He identifies the seated group.
The thread — The passage aligns with Matthew 12:49, though that account records Jesus stretching out His hand rather than looking around, and extends to Luke 11:27 and Romans 8:29 regarding spiritual kinship and divine predestination.
Why it lands — The text explicitly defines brother, sister, and mother as those who do God's will, requiring readers to align their obedience with the circle around Jesus rather than claiming biological privilege.
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 he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
Cross-references
- Matthew 12:49 Pointing to His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers.
- Luke 11:27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and blessed are the breasts that nursed You!”
- Romans 8:29 For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
- Matthew 25:40 And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
- Psalms 22:22 I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the assembly.
- Song of Solomon 4:9 You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your neck.
- Song of Solomon 5:1 I have come to my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends, and drink; drink freely, O beloved.
- Matthew 28:10 “Do not be afraid,” said Jesus. “Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see Me.”
- John 20:17 “Do not cling to Me,” Jesus said, “for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and tell My brothers, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’”
- Hebrews 2:11 For both the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.