Mark 10:44 (DBY)

Passage

and whosoever would be first of you shall be bondman of all.

Nearby Context

Mark 10:42 But Jesus having called them to [him], says to them, Ye know that those who are esteemed to rule over the nations exercise lordship over them; and their great men exercise authority over them;

Mark 10:43 but it is not thus among you; but whosoever would be great among you, shall be your minister;

Mark 10:44 and whosoever would be first of you shall be bondman of all.

Mark 10:45 For also the Son of man did not come to be ministered to, but to minister, and give his life a ransom for many.

Mark 10:46 And they come to Jericho, and as he was going out from Jericho, and his disciples and a large crowd, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, the blind [man], sat by the wayside begging.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whosoever", "first", "shall", and "bondman". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whosoever" and "first", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 43's "but it is not thus among you..." into verse 45's "For also the Son of man did...", so "whosoever" and "first" 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 "whosoever" and "first" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.