Mark 11:2
in Mark 11and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and saith unto them, Go your way into the village that is over against you: and straightway as ye enter into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon no man ever yet sat; loose him, and bring him.
KJV
And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.
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This verse in Mark 11
Commentary
18 notes on this verse(Cat. in Marc. Oxon.) Not indeed that He was compelled by necessity to ride on a colt from the mount of Olives to Jerusalem, for He had gone over Judæa and all Galilee on foot, but this action of His is typical. It goes on: And many spread their garments in the way: that is, under the feet of the colt; and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. This, however, was rather done to honour Him, and as a Sacrament, than of necessity.
This site's exposition
Jesus sent out two of His disciples
on Mark 11:1-3
Jesus sent out two of His disciples with exact instructions, and the scene answers Zechariah 9:9 before any crowd gathers. His reply, The Lord needs it, lays claim to the colt in the name of the Lord.
This site's exposition
no one has ever sat
Jesus knew where the colt was tied before His disciples went. Clarke notes that a colt on which no one had ever sat was fit for a holy use. Justin Martyr saw in it the prophet's word of a king coming to Jerusalem on a colt.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
And we will cite the prophetic utterances of another prophet, Zephaniah, to the effect that He was foretold expressly as to sit upon the foal of an ass and to enter Jerusalem. The words are these: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."
"Untie the donkey and bring it to me." He began with a manger and finished with a donkey, in Bethlehem with a manger, in Jerusalem with a donkey.
Note that the place where the ass was found tied was a village, and a village without a name. For in comparison with the great world in heaven, the whole earth is a village.
The Medieval Church2 voices
Say to the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your king will come to you, gentle, and sitting upon a donkey, and its foal, the offspring of a beast of burden." The daughter of Zion is the church of the faithful, a figure of the heavenly Jerusalem, …
And immediately upon entering it, you will find a colt tied, upon which no man has yet sat. Untie it and bring it. And if anyone says to you: What are you doing? say: Because the Lord needs it, and immediately he will send it …
10 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church5 voices
(in Marc. 3, 41) But in what way He sent His disciples and for what purpose is shown in these words, And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you.
(ubi sup.) But He sent His disciples to a hold, which was over against them, that is, He appointed doctors to penetrate into the ignorant parts of the whole world, into, as it were, the walls of the hold placed against them.
(ubi sup.) For the colt of the ass, wanton and unshackled, denotes the people of the nations, on whom no man had yet sat, because no wise doctor had, by teaching them the things of salvation, put upon them the bridle of correction, to oblige them to restrain their tongues from evil, or to compel them into the narrow path of life.
Now consider how many things the Lord foretold to His disciples, that they should find a colt; wherefore it goes on, And as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat, loose him, and bring him; and that they should be impeded in taking it, wherefore there follows, And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye, The Lord hath need of him; and that on saying this, they should be allowed to take him; wherefore there follows, And straightway he will send him hither; and as the Lord had said, so it was fulfilled. Thus it goes on: And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without, in a place where two ways meet; and they loose him.
Jesus often came to Jerusalem at other times as well, but never with such glory as now. Before, on account of the envy of the Jews, He concealed Himself, but now, since the time of suffering determined by Him Himself had come, He goes openly, …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And saith unto them, go your way into the village,.... Either of Bethany or of Nob. The Ethiopic version renders it "the city", and so reads a copy of Stephens's: some have thought the city of Jerusalem is intended, but without any reason; See Gill on Mat 21:9; over against you.
8 ); for to him it is owing, and to his mediation, that we have any remaining benefit by the grant God made to man, of a sovereignty in this lower world, Gen. i. And perhaps Christ, in riding the ass's colt, would give a shadow of his power over the spirit of man, who is born as the wild ass's colt, Job xi. The colt was brought from a place where two ways met (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
Whereon never man sat - No animal was allowed to be employed in sacred uses, even among the heathen, that had previously been used for any domestic or agricultural purpose; and those which had never been yoked were considered as sacred. See several proofs of this in the note on Num 19:2 (note), and add this from Ovid: - Bos tibi, Phoebus ait, solis occurret in arvis, Nullum passa jugum curvique immunis aratri Met. lib. iii. v. 10 The Delphic oracles this answer give: - Behold among the fields a lonely cow, Unworn with yokes, unbroken to the plough.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1857)
The event described in these verses, is a singular exception in the history of our Lord's earthly ministry. Generally speaking, we see Jesus withdrawing Himself from public notice — often passing His time in the remote parts of Galilee — not infrequently abiding in the wilderness — and so fulfilling the prophecy, that He should "not cry, nor strive, nor let His voice be heard in the streets." Here, and here only, our Lord appears to drop His private character, and of His own choice to call public attention to Himself.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1857)
proposed
The event described in these verses, is a singular exception in the history of our Lord's earthly ministry. Generally speaking, we see Jesus withdrawing Himself from public notice — often passing His time in the remote parts of Galilee — not infrequently abiding in the wilderness — and so fulfilling the prophecy, that He should "not cry, nor strive, nor let His voice be heard in the streets." Here, and here only, our Lord appears to drop His private character, and of His own choice to call public attention to Himself. He deliberately makes a public entry into Jerusalem, at the head of His disciples. He voluntarily rides into the holy city, surrounded by a vast multitude, crying, Hosanna, like king David returning to his palace in triumph. (2 Sam. 19:40.) All this too was done at a time when myriads of Jews were gathered out of every land to Jerusalem, to keep the Passover. We may well believe that the holy city rang with the tidings of our Lord's arrival. It is probable there was not a house in Jerusalem in which the entry of the prophet of Nazareth was not known and talked of that night. These things should always be remembered in reading this portion of our Lord's history. It is not for nothing that this entry into Jerusalem is four times related in the New Testament. It is evident that it is a scene in the earthly life of Jesus, which Christians are intended to study with special attention. Let us study it in that spirit, and see what practical lessons we may learn from the passage for our own souls. Let us observe, in the first place, how public our Lord purposely made the last act of His life. He came to Jerusalem to die, and He desired that all Jerusalem should know it. When He taught the deep things of the Spirit, He often spoke to none but His apostles. When He delivered His parables, He often addressed none but a multitude of poor and ignorant Galileans.
The words behind it
28 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| λέγει | legei | says | G3004 → | 1325 times |
| αὐτοῖς· | autois | to them; | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ὑπάγετε | hupagete | do go | G5217 → | 79 times |
| εἰς | eis | into | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| τὴν | ten | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| κώμην | komen | village | G2968 → | 27 times |
| τὴν | ten | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| κατέναντι | katenanti | before | G2713 → | 8 times |
| ὑμῶν· | humon | you; | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| εὐθὺς | euthus | immediately | G2112 → | 87 times |
| εἰσπορευόμενοι | eisporeuomenoi | entering | G1531 → | 18 times |
| εἰς | eis | into | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| αὐτὴν | auten | it | G846 → | 5565 times |
| εὑρήσετε | heuresete | you will find | G2147 → | 175 times |
| πῶλον | polon | a colt | G4454 → | 12 times |
| δεδεμένον | dedemenon | tied | G1210 → | 43 times |
| ἐφ᾽ | eph᾽ | upon | G1909 → | 883 times |
| ὃν | hon | which | G3739 → | 1405 times |
| οὐδεὶς | oudeis | no [one] | G3762 → | 232 times |
| οὔπω | oupo | not yet | G3768 → | 26 times |
| ἀνθρώπων | anthropon | a person | G444 → | 549 times |
| ἐκάθισεν· | ekathisen | sat; | G2523 → | 44 times |
| λύσατε | lusate | do untie | G3089 → | 42 times |
| αὐτὸν | auton | it | G846 → | 5565 times |
| καὶ | kai | also | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| φέρετε. | pherete | do lead [it]. | G5342 → | 66 times |
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
λέγειsays
legeiG3004 →1325 times
αὐτοῖς·to them;
autoisG846 →5565 times
ὑπάγετεdo go
hupageteG5217 →79 times
εἰςinto
eisG1519 →1755 times
τὴνthe
tenG3588 →19766 times
κώμηνvillage
komenG2968 →27 times
τὴν<the>
tenG3588 →19766 times
κατέναντιbefore
katenantiG2713 →8 times
ὑμῶν·you;
humonG4771 →2973 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
εὐθὺςimmediately
euthusG2112 →87 times
εἰσπορευόμενοιentering
eisporeuomenoiG1531 →18 times
εἰςinto
eisG1519 →1755 times
αὐτὴνit
autenG846 →5565 times
εὑρήσετεyou will find
heureseteG2147 →175 times
πῶλονa colt
polonG4454 →12 times
δεδεμένονtied
dedemenonG1210 →43 times
ἐφ᾽upon
eph᾽G1909 →883 times
ὃνwhich
honG3739 →1405 times
οὐδεὶςno [one]
oudeisG3762 →232 times
οὔπωnot yet
oupoG3768 →26 times
ἀνθρώπωνa person
anthroponG444 →549 times
ἐκάθισεν·sat;
ekathisenG2523 →44 times
λύσατεdo untie
lusateG3089 →42 times
αὐτὸνit
autonG846 →5565 times
καὶalso
kaiG2532 →9120 times
φέρετε.do lead [it].
phereteG5342 →66 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
About Mark

This page draws on 14 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Homilies on the Gospels 2.3; Bede, On the Gospel of Mark; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Justin Martyr, The First Apology, Chapter XXXV; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON JOHN 18; Pseudo-Chrysostom, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Theophylact of Ohrid, Catena Aurea by Aquinas and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Mark.
