And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
What does Mark 6:31 mean?
Let not ministers do any thing or teach any thing, but what they are willing should be told to their Lord.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Mark 6:30-34 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Mark 6:31
A desert place - A retired place, across the sea from Capernaum, where they would be free from interruption. There were many coming and going - Coming to be healed and retiring, or coming to hear him preach. It means that they were "thronged," or that there was a vast multitude attending his preaching.
Key words
- them
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And he said unto them,.
Context in Mark 6
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Mark 6 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as rising conflict and parables. Mark is the swiftest and starkest Gospel, presenting Jesus as the mighty Son of God whose mission reaches its center in suffering, abandonment, and resurrection. Read this chapter with the wider themes of discipleship, the cross, and secrecy in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Bible verses about rest and weariness
Passages on exhaustion, sabbath, quietness, and the invitation to find rest in God rather than in mere withdrawal alone.
Passages on trusting God, receiving Christ, persevering without sight, and the relation between faith and lived obedience.
Bible verses about suffering and trials
Key passages on grief, endurance, lament, divine mystery, and the Christian claim that suffering is neither final nor meaningless.
Passages on peace with God, peace in the heart, peace in community, and the biblical difference between true peace and false reassurance.