Mark 9:31 (DRB)

Passage

But they understood not the word: and they were afraid to ask him.

Nearby Context

Mark 9:29 And departing from thence, they passed through Galilee: and he would not that any man should know it.

Mark 9:30 And he taught his disciples and said to them: The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise again the third day.

Mark 9:31 But they understood not the word: and they were afraid to ask him.

Mark 9:32 And they came to Capharnaum. And when they were in the house, he asked them: What did you treat of in the way?

Mark 9:33 But they held their peace, for in the way they had disputed among themselves, which of them should be the greatest.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 30's "And he taught his disciples and said..." into verse 32's "And they came to Capharnaum And when...", so "understood" and "word" 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 "understood" and "word" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.