Mark 10:40 (GNV)

Passage

But to sit at my right hand, and at my left, is not mine to giue, but it shalbe giuen to them for whome it is prepared.

Nearby Context

Mark 10:38 But Iesus sayd vnto them, Ye knowe not what ye aske. Can ye drinke of the cup that I shall drinke of, and be baptized with the baptisme that I shall be baptized with?

Mark 10:39 And they said vnto him, We can. But Iesus sayd vnto them, Ye shall drinke in deede of the cup that I shall drinke of, and be baptized with the baptisme wherewith I shalbe baptized:

Mark 10:40 But to sit at my right hand, and at my left, is not mine to giue, but it shalbe giuen to them for whome it is prepared.

Mark 10:41 And when the ten heard that, they began to disdaine at Iames and Iohn.

Mark 10:42 But Iesus called them vnto him, and sayd to them, Ye know that they which are princes among the Gentiles, haue domination ouer them, and they that be great among them, exercise authoritie ouer them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "right", "hand", "left", "mine", "giue", "shalbe", "giuen", and "whome". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "right" and "hand", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 39's "And they said vnto him We can..." into verse 41's "And when the ten heard that they...", so "right" and "hand" 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 "right" and "hand" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.