What Does Mark 6:31 Mean?
Two renderings of the same sentence, the verses it belongs to, and what the passage is doing — so you can decide what it means rather than take someone's word for it.
"And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat." Mark 6:31, King James Version
The same verse in modern English
"And He said to them, “Come with Me privately to a solitary place, and let us rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat." Mark 6:31, Berean Standard Bible
What it sits inside
A verse quoted on its own is the commonest way one gets misread. Here it is with what comes immediately before and after, in the King James Version.
Mark 6:29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
Mark 6:30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.
Mark 6:31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
Mark 6:32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.
Mark 6:33 And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.
A conversation built on it
Stopping feels selfish when people still need you. The disciples were in exactly that position — so busy they could not eat — and what they were given was not one more town. It was a boat and a quiet shore. Rest was never the reward for finishing.
Questions people ask
What does Mark 6:31 mean?
In modern English (Berean Standard Bible) it reads: “And He said to them, “Come with Me privately to a solitary place, and let us rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.” The King James rendering most people know is: “And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”
What is the context of Mark 6:31?
The verses immediately around it read: (Mark 6:29) And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb. (Mark 6:30) And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. (Mark 6:31) And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. (Mark 6:32) And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. (Mark 6:33) And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.
How is Mark 6:31 used in a conversation about this?
Stopping feels selfish when people still need you. The disciples were in exactly that position — so busy they could not eat — and what they were given was not one more town. It was a boat and a quiet shore. Rest was never the reward for finishing.
Reading it is one thing. Saying what it stirs up is another.
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