Mark 9:43 (ASV)

Passage

And if thy hand cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed, rather than having thy two hands to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.

Nearby Context

Mark 9:41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink, because ye are Christ`s, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

Mark 9:42 And whosoever shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it were better for him if a great millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

Mark 9:43 And if thy hand cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed, rather than having thy two hands to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.

Mark 9:44 [where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.]

Mark 9:45 And if thy foot cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life halt, rather than having thy two feet to be cast into hell.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hand", "cause", "thee", "stumble", "good", "enter", and "life". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hand" and "cause", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 42's "And whosoever shall cause one of these..." into verse 44's "where their worm dieth not and the...", so "hand" and "cause" 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 "hand" and "cause" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.