Mark 16:18 (WEB)

Passage

they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Nearby Context

Mark 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned.

Mark 16:17 These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new languages;

Mark 16:18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Mark 16:19 So then the Lord, after he had spoken to them, was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

Mark 16:20 They went out, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed. Amen.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "take", "serpents", "drink", "deadly", "hurt", "hands", "sick", and "recover". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "take" and "serpents", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "These signs will accompany those who believe..." into verse 19's "So then the Lord after he had...", so "take" and "serpents" 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 "take" and "serpents" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.