Mark 13:5
in Mark 13Jesus began by telling them, “See to it that no one deceives you.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Jesus began to say unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray.
KJV
And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:
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This verse in Mark 13
Commentary
11 notes on this verse(ubi sup.) For many came forward, when destruction was hanging over Jerusalem, saying that they were Christs, and that the time of freedom was now approaching. Many teachers of heresy also arose in the Church even in the time of the Apostles; and many Antichrists came in the name of Christ, the first of whom was Simon Magus, to whom the Samaritans, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, listened, saying, This man is the great power of God: wherefore also it is added here, And shall deceive many. (Acts 8:10)
This site's exposition
See to it that no one deceives you
on Mark 13:5-6
Before any sign, Jesus opens with See to it that no one deceives you. Many will come in My name, a pattern already at work in first century Judea, where Josephus records several such claimants.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Epist. cxcix. 9.) In answer to the disciples, the Lord tells them of things which were from that time forth to have their course; whether He meant the destruction of Jerusalem which occasioned their question, or His own coming through the Church, (in which He ever comes even unto the end, for we know that He comes in His own, when His members are born day by day,) or the end itself, in which He will appear to judge the quick and the dead.
The Medieval Church3 voices
But before answering their question, He strengthens their minds that they may not be deceived, wherefore there follows: And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you? And this He says, because when the sufferings of the Jews began, some arose professing to be teachers, wherefore there follows: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
And Jesus, answering, began to say to them: See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name saying, I am he, and they will lead many astray. Many, as the destruction of Jerusalem approached, were leaders who claimed they were …
"Many will come," such as, for example, Judas the Galilean and Theudas, who passed themselves off as God's anointed ones.
The Reformation1 voice
Then he said to them, Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines, and pestilences; and there will be frightful appearances and great signs from heaven. The disciples undoubtedly perceived that Christ was paying, as it were, his last adieu to the temple.
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Many shall come in my name (not in the name of Jesus ), but saying, I am the Christ, and so claiming the dignities which I only an entitled to." After the Jews had rejected the true Christ, they were imposed upon, and so ex posed by many false Christs, but never before; those false Christs deceived many;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
And Jesus answering them,.... His four disciples, Peter, John, James, and Andrew: "began to say"; or "said", a way of speaking frequent with this evangelist: take heed lest any man deceive you; See Gill on Mat 24:4.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1857)
The chapter we have now begun is full of prophecy — prophecy of which part has been fulfilled, and part remains to be accomplished. Two great events form the subject of this prophecy. One is the destruction of Jerusalem, and the consequent end of the Jewish dispensation. The other is the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the winding up of the state of things under which we now live. The destruction of Jerusalem was an event which happened only forty years after our Lord was crucified.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1857)
proposed
The chapter we have now begun is full of prophecy — prophecy of which part has been fulfilled, and part remains to be accomplished. Two great events form the subject of this prophecy. One is the destruction of Jerusalem, and the consequent end of the Jewish dispensation. The other is the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the winding up of the state of things under which we now live. The destruction of Jerusalem was an event which happened only forty years after our Lord was crucified. The second coming of Christ is an event which is yet to come, and we may yet live to see it with our own eyes. Chapters like this ought to be deeply interesting to every true Christian. No history ought to receive so much of our attention as the past and future history of the Church of Christ. The rise and fall of worldly empires are events of comparatively small importance in the sight of God. Babylon, and Greece, and Rome, and France, and England, are as nothing in His eyes by the side of the mystical body of Christ. The march of armies and the victories of conquerors are mere trifles in comparison with the progress of the Gospel, and the final triumph of the Prince of Peace. May we remember this in reading prophetical Scripture! "Blessed is he that reads." (Rev. 1:3.) The first thing that demands our attention in the verses before us, is the prediction of our Lord concerning the temple at Jerusalem . The disciples, with the natural pride of Jews, had called their Master's attention to the architectural splendor of the temple. "See," they said, "what massive stones and what buildings are here!" They received an answer from the Lord very different from what they expected, a heart-saddening answer, and one well calculated to stir up inquisitive thoughts in their minds. No word of admiration falls from His lips.
The words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ὁ | ho | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δὲ | de | And | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| Ἰησοῦς | iesous | Jesus | G2424 → | 908 times |
| ἤρξατο | erxato | began | G757 → | 85 times |
| λέγειν | legein | to say | G3004 → | 1325 times |
| αὐτοῖς· | autois | to them; | G846 → | 5565 times |
| βλέπετε | blepete | do take heed | G991 → | 132 times |
| μή | me | lest | G3361 → | 1066 times |
| τις | tis | anyone | G5100 → | 528 times |
| ὑμᾶς | humas | you | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| πλανήσῃ. | planese | may mislead. | G4105 → | 39 times |
Ὁ<the>
hoG3588 →19766 times
δὲAnd
deG1161 →2765 times
ἸησοῦςJesus
iesousG2424 →908 times
ἤρξατοbegan
erxatoG757 →85 times
λέγεινto say
legeinG3004 →1325 times
αὐτοῖς·to them;
autoisG846 →5565 times
βλέπετεdo take heed
blepeteG991 →132 times
μήlest
meG3361 →1066 times
τιςanyone
tisG5100 →528 times
ὑμᾶςyou
humasG4771 →2973 times
πλανήσῃ.may mislead.
planeseG4105 →39 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Colossians 2:8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.
it leads to
- Ephesians 5:6
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.
Reached by 4 separate paths from here.
- 1 Timothy 6:20
O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid irreverent, empty chatter and the opposing arguments of so-called “knowledge,”
- Matthew 7:15
Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
- Galatians 4:9
But now that you know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to those weak and worthless principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them…
- Ephesians 5:6
Through
Luke 21:8Jesus answered, “See to it that you are not deceived. For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.
it leads to
- 1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 John 4:1
Through
2 Thessalonians 2:3Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed.
it leads to
- Matthew 24:4–6
Jesus answered, “See to it that no one deceives you.
- 1 John 2:18
Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour.
- Matthew 24:4–6
Through
Ephesians 5:6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.
it leads to
- Romans 1:18
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
- Romans 1:18
Where this verse is studied
About Mark
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Augustine of Hippo, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bede, On the Gospel of Mark; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); John Calvin, Commentaries; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theophylact of Ohrid, Catena Aurea by Aquinas and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Mark.