Mark 12:40 (GNV)

Passage

Which deuoure widowes houses, euen vnder a colour of long prayers. These shall receiue the greater damnation.

Nearby Context

Mark 12:38 Moreouer he saide vnto them in his doctrine, Beware of the Scribes which loue to goe in long robes, and loue salutations in the markets,

Mark 12:39 And the chiefe seates in the Synagogues, and the first roumes at feastes,

Mark 12:40 Which deuoure widowes houses, euen vnder a colour of long prayers. These shall receiue the greater damnation.

Mark 12:41 And as Iesus sate ouer against the treasurie, he beheld how the people cast money into the treasurie, and many rich men cast in much.

Mark 12:42 And there came a certaine poore widowe, and she threw in two mites, which make a quadrin.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "deuoure", "widowes", "houses", "euen", "vnder", "colour", "long", and "prayers". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "deuoure" and "widowes", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 39's "And the chiefe seates in the Synagogues..." into verse 41's "And as Iesus sate ouer against the...", so "deuoure" and "widowes" 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 "deuoure" and "widowes" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.