And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.
they.
Genesis 37:11 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.
Luke 2:50,51 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them…
Luke 24:7,8 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again…
what.
Mark 9:32 But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.
Matthew 16:22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
Luke 18:33,34 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again…
discussing what it meant
The disciples' discussion indicates their struggle to comprehend Jesus' prediction of His death and resurrection. This reflects a common theme in the Gospels where the disciples often misunderstand Jesus' teachings (Mark 8:31-33). The concept of resurrection was not entirely foreign to Jewish thought, as seen in the Pharisees' belief in the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:8), but the idea of the Messiah rising from the dead was perplexing to them. This discussion highlights their need for further revelation and understanding, which would come after Jesus' resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2).
to rise from the dead
The phrase "to rise from the dead" is central to Christian doctrine, emphasizing the resurrection as a pivotal event in salvation history. In the Old Testament, there are allusions to resurrection, such as in Isaiah 26:19 and Daniel 12:2, which speak of the dead rising. Jesus' resurrection is a fulfillment of these prophecies and serves as a type of firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Corinthians 15:20). The resurrection is also a testament to Jesus' victory over sin and death, affirming His divine nature and the hope of eternal life for believers (Romans 6:9-10). The disciples' struggle to understand this concept underscores the radical nature of Jesus' mission and the transformative power of His resurrection.
“ So they kept this matter to themselves” (Mark 9:10).
• After witnessing the Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John obeyed Jesus’ command not to relate what they had seen “until the Son of Man had risen from the dead” (Mark 9:9).
• Their silence models the same restraint Jesus earlier required when He “strictly warned them not to make Him known” (Mark 3:12) and when He told the Twelve “to tell no one about Him” (Mark 8:30).
• Obedience sometimes means holding truth in trust until God’s timing unfolds, just as the prophets “searched and inquired carefully” until the appointed time (1 Peter 1:10–12).
“ discussing” (Mark 9:10).
• Obedience did not stifle curiosity; it redirected it inward. They “reasoned among themselves” (Luke 24:15) long before they would later converse with the risen Lord.
• Healthy discussion within a believing community is encouraged in Scripture—“Come now, let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18)—so long as it drives us back to the Lord’s words.
• In this moment the disciples illustrated Proverbs 25:2: “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.”
“ what it meant” (Mark 9:10).
• The disciples were not questioning whether Jesus spoke truth, but what His truth signified. Their struggle mirrors Daniel’s: “I heard, but I did not understand” (Daniel 12:8).
• Jesus had plainly predicted His death and resurrection just days earlier (Mark 8:31), yet preconceived expectations of a triumphant political Messiah clouded their comprehension (John 12:34).
• Their inquiry shows that divine revelation can be crystal-clear and still require the Spirit’s illumination for full understanding (John 16:12–13).
“ to rise from the dead” (Mark 9:10).
• First-century Jews believed in a general resurrection at the end of the age (Daniel 12:2; John 11:24). The idea of one Man rising ahead of time was radical, hence their perplexity.
• Jesus repeatedly foretold a literal, bodily resurrection:
– “The Son of Man is going to be delivered… and after three days He will rise” (Mark 9:31).
– “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19–22).
• His resurrection would validate His deity (Romans 1:4), secure our justification (Romans 4:25), and guarantee our own future resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20–22).
Mark 9:10 captures obedient silence paired with earnest inquiry. The disciples honored Jesus’ timing, wrestled honestly with His promise, and foreshadowed every believer’s journey from limited understanding to full assurance when the risen Christ makes all things clear.
(10) And they kept that saying with themselves.--We again note what we may describe as a characteristic touch, analysing the mental condition of the disciples in relation to their Master's teaching.Verses 10, 11. - Questioning among themselves what the rising again from the dead should mean; that is, his own rising from the dead, of which our Lord had just been speaking. No doubt the general resurrection at the end of the world was an article of faith with which the disciples were familiar. But they could not understand, when he spake of his own immediate rising from the dead. So their perplexities led them at last to ask him the question; or rather to make the remark to him, The scribes say that Elijah must first come; with a view to obtaining some clearer understanding. They had just seen Elijah in the Transfiguration, and they had seen him disappear. They wondered why he should have departed. They thought, it may be, that he ought to have remained, that he might be the forerunner of Christ and of his kingdom and glory, according to the prophecy of Malachi (Malachi 4:6). This the scribes taught; but they erred in the confusion of times, for they did not distinguish the first coming of Christ in the flesh from his second advent to judgment. The thought upon the mind of the disciples appears to have been this: They heard Christ speak of his own resurrection as close at hand, and they had seen the type of it in his transfiguration; and they thought that immediately after that, Christ's kingdom would come, and he would reign gloriously. Why, then, had not Elijah remained, that he might be his precursor? St. Matthew (Matthew 17:13) tells us that our Lord's words which follow showed the disciples that when he said that Elijah was to come first and restore all things, he meant them to understand" that he spake unto them of John the Baptist." Upon the question of a future coming of Elijah, it seems safest to confess our ignorance. The prophecy of Malachi was no doubt in part fulfilled in the coming of John the Baptist; but it would be rash to affirm that it may not receive another and more literal fulfillment before the second advent. A host of ancient Christian expositors have held that Elijah will appear in person before the second advent of Christ. St. Augustine, in his 'City of God' (20:29), says, "Not without reason do we hope that before the coming of our Judge and Savior Elias will come, because we have good reason to believe that he is now alive; for, as Holy Scripture distinctly informs us, he gas taken up from this life in a chariot of fire. When, therefore, he is come he shall give a spiritual explanation of the Law which the Jews at present understand carnally, and will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers; that is, the Jews who are the children will understand the Law in the same sense as their fathers the prophets understood it." Indeed, this is one of the principal reasons assigned by the Fathers for this appearance of Elijah, that he may convert the Jews.