Mark 8:36

“For what does it profit a person to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?”

Mark 8:36 · direct translation from the Greek
Study it in the app

With the Greek beneath

36

Mark 8:36, word by word

does it profitὠφελεῖōphelei

help, benefit

Help, be of use.

Where else “ōphelei” appears
a personἄνθρωπονanthrōpon

someone

Any person, without saying who, as in the parables.

Where else “anthrōpon” appears
to gainκερδῆσαιkerdēsai

gain

To acquire money or goods.

Where else “kerdēsai” appears
the wholeὅλονholon

whole, all

Whole, entire, all.

Where else “holon” appears
worldκόσμονkosmon

creation

Everything God made.

Where else “kosmon” appears
forfeitζημιωθῆναιzēmiōthēnai

lose, suffer loss

Lose, suffer loss.

Where else “zēmiōthēnai” appears
his lifeψυχὴνpsychēn

life

Literally "soul": one's being alive, which can be saved, lost or given.

Where else “psychēn” appears

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Take up your cross

Matthew 16:24-28Luke 9:23-27

See them side by side

Mark 8:34–9:1

8:34And summoning the crowd with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 8:35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for the sake of me and the good news will save it. 8:36For what does it profit a person to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? 8:37For what can a person give in exchange for his life? 8:38For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” 9:1And he was saying to them, “Truly I tell you, there are some of those standing here who will certainly not taste death until they see the kingdom of God having come with power.”

Matthew 16:24-28

24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for the sake of me will find it. 26For what will it profit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what will a person give in exchange for his life? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will repay each one according to his conduct. 28Truly I tell you, there are some of those standing here who will certainly not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Luke 9:23-27

23And he was saying to all, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for the sake of me, that one will save it. 25For what is a person benefited if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself? 26For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and that of the Father and of the holy angels. 27But I tell you truly, there are some of those standing here who will certainly not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

The context

35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for the sake of me and the good news will save it.

36 · This verse (above)

37For what can a person give in exchange for his life?

Read all of Mark 8

To study Mark 8 in a group

  1. 1. What it says

    What did Jesus ask his disciples about who people said he was, and what did Peter answer (vv. 27–29)?

  2. 2. What it means

    What does the blind man see after Jesus' first touch, and what does he see after the second (vv. 23–25)?

  3. 3. How I live it

    Jesus asked, “What will a person give in exchange for his life?” (v. 37). What do you value most in your life?

How to use it