Mark 9:47 (LSB)

Passage

And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell,

Nearby Context

Mark 9:45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell,

Mark 9:46 [and where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.]

Mark 9:47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell,

Mark 9:48 where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

Mark 9:49 “For everyone will be salted with fire.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "causes", "stumble", "gouge", "better", "enter", "kingdom", "than", and "having". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "causes" and "stumble", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 46's "and where their worm does not die..." into verse 48's "where their worm does not die and...", so "causes" and "stumble" 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 "causes" and "stumble" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.