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Mark 7:31

in Mark 7

Then Jesus left the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And again he went out from the borders of Tyre, and came through Sidon unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the borders of Decapolis.

KJV

And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.

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This verse in Mark 7

Commentary

12 notes on this verse
Departing from the coasts - The country or regions of Tyre. Came unto the sea of Galilee - The Sea of Tiberias. See the notes at Mat 4:18. Decapolis - See the notes at Mat 4:25. He did not go immediately into Capernaum, or any city where he was known, but into the retired regions around the Sea of Galilee. This was done to avoid the designs of the Pharisees, who sought his life.

This site's exposition

into the region of the Decapolis

Jesus reaches the sea of Galilee through Decapolis, by a wide detour from Tyre. This region had already heard the testimony of the healed Gadarene demoniac, so the people Jesus meets had been prepared by His former patient.

The record, by era

The Medieval Church5 voices

Mystically, Tyre is interpreted narrowness, and signifies Judæa, to which the Lord said, (v. Isa. 28:20) "For the bed is grown too narrow," and from which he turns himself to the Gentiles. Sidon means 'hunting,' for our race is like an untamed beast, and 'sea,' which means a wavering inconstancy. Again, the Saviour comes to save the Gentiles in the midst of the coasts of Decapolis, which may be interpreted, as the commands of the Decalogue. Further, the human race throughout its many members is reckoned as one man, eaten up by varying pestilence, in the first created man; it is blinded, that is, its eye is evil; it becomes deaf, when it listens to, and dumb when it speaks, evil. And they prayed Him to lay His hand upon him, because many just men, and patriarchs, wished and longed for the time when the Lord should come in the flesh.

A commentator

Theophylact of Ohrid

Commentary on Mark · Written before 1107.

proposed

The Lord does not linger in pagan places, but quickly withdraws from them, so as not to give the Jews, as I said, a pretext for saying about Him that He acts unlawfully by mingling with pagans. Having therefore withdrawn from the region of Tyre …

A commentator

Bede

On the Gospel of Mark · Written before 735.

proposed

And again, leaving the borders of Tyre, he came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the midst of the borders of Decapolis. Decapolis is (as the name itself proves) a region of ten cities across the Jordan to the East around Hippos and …

A commentator

Bede

Catena Aurea by Aquinas · Written before 735.

proposed

(in Marc.

A commentator

Theophylact of Ohrid

Catena Aurea by Aquinas · Written before 1107.

proposed

The Lord did not wish to stay in the parts of the Gentiles, lest He should give the Jews occasion to say, that they esteemed Him a transgressor of the law, because He held communion with the Gentiles, and therefore He immediately returns; wherefore it is said, And again departing from the coasts of Tyre, he came through Sidon, to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the borders of Decapolis. Which is rightly placed after the deliverance of one possessed with a devil, for such an instance of suffering came from the devil. There follows, And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears.
5 more voices on this verse

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture

And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon,....

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

Beyond this it is not clear from the Evangelist's language that the people saw into the claims of Jesus. Well, of these cases Mark here singles out one, whose cure had something peculiar in it.
The first thing that demands our notice in these verses, is the mighty miracle that is here recorded . We read that they brought unto our Lord "one that was deaf and had an impediment in his speech," and besought Him that He would "put His hand upon him." At once the petition is granted, and the cure is wrought. Speech and hearing are instantaneously given to the man by a word and a touch. "Immediately his ears were opened, and his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plain."
The first thing that demands our notice in these verses, is the mighty miracle that is here recorded . We read that they brought unto our Lord "one that was deaf and had an impediment in his speech," and besought Him that He would "put His hand upon him." At once the petition is granted, and the cure is wrought. Speech and hearing are instantaneously given to the man by a word and a touch. "Immediately his ears were opened, and his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plain." We see but half the instruction of this passage, if we only regard it as an example of our Lord's divine power. It is such an example, beyond doubt, but it is something more than that. We must look further, deeper, and lower than the surface, and we shall find in the passage precious spiritual truths. Here we are meant to see our Lord's power to heal the spiritually deaf. He can give the chief of sinners a hearing ear. He can make him delight in listening to the very Gospel which he once ridiculed and despised. Here also we are meant to see our Lord's power to heal the spiritually dumb. He can teach the hardest of transgressors to call upon God. He can put a new song in the mouth of him whose talk was once only of this world. He can make the vilest of men speak of spiritual things, and testify the Gospel of the grace of God. When Jesus pours forth His Spirit, nothing is impossible. We must never despair of others. We must never regard our own hearts as too bad to be changed. He that healed the deaf and dumb still lives. The cases which society pronounces hopeless, are not incurable if they are brought to Christ. The second thing which demands our notice in these verses, is the peculiar manner in which our Lord thought good to work the miracle here recorded .

The words behind it

20 Greek words

Every 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.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

7 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Mark 5:20So the man went away and began to proclaim throughout the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.7 worksMatthew 4:25The large crowds that followed Him came from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.6 worksMatthew 15:29–31Moving on from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee. Then He went up on a mountain and sat down.6 worksMark 7:24Jesus left that place and went to the region of Tyre. Not wanting anyone to know He was there, He entered a house, but was unable to escape their notice.5 worksMatthew 4:18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.4 worksMatthew 11:21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.3 works
The other 1 cross-references, with their words ▾
Mark 3:8Jerusalem, Idumea, the region beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon. The large crowd came to Him when they heard what great things He was doing.1 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Mark 7:24

    Jesus left that place and went to the region of Tyre. Not wanting anyone to know He was there, He entered a house, but was unable to escape their notice.

    it leads to

    • Matthew 15:21–28

      Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.

    • Mark 3:7–8

      So Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, accompanied by a large crowd from Galilee, Judea,

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • Matthew 11:21

      “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

    • Mark 6:31–32

      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…

    • Ezekiel 28:2

      “Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of…

  • Through

    Mark 5:20

    So the man went away and began to proclaim throughout the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.

    it leads to

    • Matthew 4:25

      The large crowds that followed Him came from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

  • Through

    Matthew 11:21

    “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

    it leads to

    • Ezekiel 3:6–7

      not to the many peoples of unfamiliar speech and difficult language whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.

  • Through

    Matthew 4:25

    The large crowds that followed Him came from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

    it leads to

    • Luke 6:17

      Then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of His disciples was there, along with a great number of people from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and the…

Where this verse is studied

About Mark

Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt, 1633, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Public domain.
Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt, 1633, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Public domain.
Mark: the study guide →Read Mark 7 →
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, Mark; Bede, On the Gospel of Mark; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; 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); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Pseudo-Jerome, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Mark and Theophylact of Ohrid, Catena Aurea by Aquinas.

Read on in Mark 7 →