Mark 16:18 (YLT)

Passage

serpents they shall take up; and if any deadly thing they may drink, it shall not hurt them; on the ailing they shall lay hands, and they shall be well.'

Nearby Context

Mark 16:16 he who hath believed, and hath been baptized, shall be saved; and he who hath not believed, shall be condemned.

Mark 16:17 `And signs shall accompany those believing these things; in my name demons they shall cast out; with new tongues they shall speak;

Mark 16:18 serpents they shall take up; and if any deadly thing they may drink, it shall not hurt them; on the ailing they shall lay hands, and they shall be well.'

Mark 16:19 The Lord, then, indeed, after speaking to them, was received up to the heaven, and sat on the right hand of God;

Mark 16:20 and they, having gone forth, did preach everywhere, the Lord working with <FI>them<Fi> , and confirming the word, through the signs following. Amen.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "And signs shall accompany those believing these..." into verse 19's "The Lord then indeed after speaking to...", so "serpents" and "shall" 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 "serpents" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.