Mark 9:34 (GNV)

Passage

And they helde their peace: for by the way they reasoned among themselues, who should bee the chiefest.

Nearby Context

Mark 9:32 But they vnderstoode not that saying, and were afraide to aske him.

Mark 9:33 After, he came to Capernaum: and when he was in the house, he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among you by the way?

Mark 9:34 And they helde their peace: for by the way they reasoned among themselues, who should bee the chiefest.

Mark 9:35 And he sate downe, and called the twelue, and said to them, If any man desire to be first, the same shalbe last of all, and seruant vnto all.

Mark 9:36 And he tooke a litle childe, and set him in the middes of them, and tooke him in his armes, and sayd vnto them,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "helde", "peace", "reasoned", "themselues", "should", and "chiefest". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "helde" and "peace", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 33's "After he came to Capernaum and when..." into verse 35's "And he sate downe and called the...", so "helde" and "peace" 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 "helde" and "peace" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.