Mark 6:15

15 Others said, "He is Elijah." Still others claimed, "He is a prophet. He is like one of the prophets of long ago."

Mark 6:15 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 6:15

Others said that it is Elias
This was the opinion, either of many of the Jews, who expected that Elias the Tishbite would come in person, before the coming of the Messiah; and thought by the appearance and wonderful works of Jesus, that he was now come: or of Herod's courtiers, who said this to divert him from his notion of John the Baptist, which they might perceive was very distressing to him; though the former seems rather to be the sense:

others said, that it is a prophet:
or "the prophet", that was to come, whom Moses had spoken of, and the Jews expected; this was the opinion of others of them: or

as one of the prophets.
The word (h) , "or", is left out in some copies; and so it is in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions; and then the sense is, this new prophet lately raised up, is as one of the old prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others; or one of them had risen up.

Mark 6:15 In-Context

13 They drove out many demons. They poured olive oil on many sick people and healed them.

14 King Herod heard about this. Jesus' name had become well known. Some were saying, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead! That is why he has the power to do miracles."

15 Others said, "He is Elijah." Still others claimed, "He is a prophet. He is like one of the prophets of long ago."

16 But when Herod heard this, he said, "I had John's head cut off. And now he has been raised from the dead!"

17 In fact, it was Herod himself who had given orders to arrest John. He had him tied up and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias. She was the wife of Herod's brother Philip. But now Herod was married to her.