Mark 9:43 (GNV)

Passage

Wherefore, if thine hand cause thee to offend, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life, maimed, then hauing two hands, to goe into hell, into the fire that neuer shalbe quenched,

Nearby Context

Mark 9:41 And whosoeuer shall giue you a cup of water to drinke for my Names sake, because ye belong to Christ, verely I say vnto you, he shall not lose his rewarde.

Mark 9:42 And whosoeuer shall offend one of these litle ones, that beleeue in me, it were better for him rather, that a milstone were hanged about his necke, and that he were cast into the sea.

Mark 9:43 Wherefore, if thine hand cause thee to offend, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life, maimed, then hauing two hands, to goe into hell, into the fire that neuer shalbe quenched,

Mark 9:44 Where their worme dyeth not, and the fire neuer goeth out.

Mark 9:45 Likewise, if thy foote cause thee to offend, cut it off: it is better for thee to go halt into life, then hauing two feete, to be cast into hell, into the fire that neuer shalbe quenched,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wherefore", "thine", "hand", "cause", "thee", "offend", and "better". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wherefore" and "thine", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 42's "And whosoeuer shall offend one of these..." into verse 44's "Where their worme dyeth not and the...", so "wherefore" and "thine" 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 "wherefore" and "thine" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.