Mark 9:10

10 They puzzled over that, wondering what on earth "rising from the dead" meant.

Mark 9:10 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 9:10

And they kept that saying with themselves
"They retained it in their own mind", as the Persic version renders it; "they kept [it] close", as Luke says, ( Luke 9:36 ) , among themselves, and acquainted no man with it: and which refers either to the whole of Christ's charge, relating to the vision on the mount; or else only to what he said about his resurrection from the dead; and which they took notice of particularly, and laid hold upon, as the word will bear to be rendered; and so the Ethiopic version does render it, "and they observed his saying"; what he last said concerning the son of man's rising from the dead;

questioning with one other what the rising from the dead should
mean:
they inquired, disputed, and reasoned with one another, what should be the meaning of such an expression: not that they were ignorant of the general resurrection of the dead; for this was the hope of Israel, and the general sense of the Jewish nation: but they did not know what he meant by his particular rising from the dead: whether he meant it in a literal sense, which supposed his death; and that though he had lately told them of, they knew not how to reconcile to the notions they had of a long and flourishing temporal kingdom of the Messiah; or whether he meant a and interest, in such manner as they expected.

Mark 9:10 In-Context

8 The next minute the disciples were looking around, rubbing their eyes, seeing nothing but Jesus, only Jesus.
9 Coming down the mountain, Jesus swore them to secrecy. "Don't tell a soul what you saw. After the Son of Man rises from the dead, you're free to talk."
10 They puzzled over that, wondering what on earth "rising from the dead" meant.
11 Meanwhile they were asking, "Why do the religion scholars say that Elijah has to come first?"
12 Jesus replied, "Elijah does come first and get everything ready for the coming of the Son of Man. They treated this Elijah like dirt, much like they will treat the Son of Man, who will, according to Scripture, suffer terribly and be kicked around contemptibly."
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.