Mark 9:16 (GNV)

Passage

Then hee asked the Scribes, What dispute you among your selues?

Nearby Context

Mark 9:14 And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the Scribes disputing with them.

Mark 9:15 And straightway all the people, when they behelde him, were amased, and ranne to him, and saluted him.

Mark 9:16 Then hee asked the Scribes, What dispute you among your selues?

Mark 9:17 And one of the companie answered, and said, Master, I haue brought my sonne vnto thee, which hath a dumme spirit:

Mark 9:18 And wheresoeuer he taketh him, he teareth him, and he fometh, and gnasheth his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples, that they should cast him out, and they could not.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "And straightway all the people when they..." into verse 17's "And one of the companie answered and...", so "asked" and "scribes" 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 "asked" and "scribes" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.