Mark 9:44 (DRB)

Passage

And if thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter lame into life everlasting than having two feet to be cast into the hell of unquenchable fire:

Nearby Context

Mark 9:42 And if thy hand scandalize thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life, maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into unquenchable fire:

Mark 9:43 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.

Mark 9:44 And if thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter lame into life everlasting than having two feet to be cast into the hell of unquenchable fire:

Mark 9:45 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.

Mark 9:46 And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee with one eye to enter into the kingdom of God than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire:

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 43's "Where their worm dieth not and the..." into verse 45's "Where their worm dieth not and the...", so "foot" and "scandalize" 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 "foot" and "scandalize" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.