Mark 9:43 (DBY)

Passage

And if thy hand serve as a snare to thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having thy two hands to go away into hell, into the fire unquenchable;

Nearby Context

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

Mark 9:42 And whosoever shall be a snare to one of the little ones who believe [in me], it were better for him if a millstone were hung about his neck, and he cast into the sea.

Mark 9:43 And if thy hand serve as a snare to thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having thy two hands to go away into hell, into the fire unquenchable;

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

Mark 9:45 And if thy foot serve as a snare to thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life lame, than having thy two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire unquenchable;

Study Lenses

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

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