Mark 10:40 (ASV)

Passage

but to sit on my right hand or on [my] left hand is not mine to give; but [it is for them] for whom it hath been prepared.

Nearby Context

Mark 10:38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink the cup that I drink? or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

Mark 10:39 And they said unto him, We are able. And Jesus said unto them, The cup that I drink ye shall drink; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:

Mark 10:40 but to sit on my right hand or on [my] left hand is not mine to give; but [it is for them] for whom it hath been prepared.

Mark 10:41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be moved with indignation concerning James and John.

Mark 10:42 And Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they who are accounted to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great ones exercise authority over them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "right", "hand", "left", "mine", "give", "hath", and "been". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "right" and "hand", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 39's "And they said unto him We are..." into verse 41's "And when the ten heard it they...", so "right" and "hand" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "right" and "hand" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.