Mark 16: 18

Mark 16:18

They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

a. NLT: They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

b. NIV: they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

c. YLT: 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.'

d. Amplified Bible: They will pick up serpents; and [even] if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well.

e. Worrell Translation: they will take up serpents; and, if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands of the sick, and they will recover.

1. “They shall take up serpents…”

a. they shall take up [142 * airo] [Strong: a primary root; to lift up; by implication, to take up or away; figuratively, to raise (the voice), keep in suspense (the mind), specially, to sail away (i.e. weigh anchor); by Hebraism (compare 5375) to expiate sin:--away with, bear (up), carry, lift up, loose, make to doubt, put away, remove, take (away, up).] [Thayer: to raise up, elevate, lift up, to raise from the ground, take up: stones, to raise upwards, elevate, lift up: the hand, to draw up: a fish, to take upon one's self and carry what has been raised up, to bear, to bear away what has been raised, carry off, to move from its place, to take off or away what is attached to anything, to remove, to carry off, carry away with one, to appropriate what is taken, to take away from another what is his or what is committed to him, to take by force, to take and apply to any use, to take from among the living, either by a natural death, or by violence, cause to cease.]

b. serpents [3789 * ophis] [Strong: probably from 3700 (through the idea of sharpness of vision); a snake, figuratively, (as a type of sly cunning) an artful malicious person, especially Satan:--serpent.]

1). Applying these divine words to snake handlers is dangerous error. Using this as a support for handling snakes is no different to the example found in the temptations of Christ by the devil. During one temptation the devil brought him to the top of the temple and tempted him to jump off and as Scripture promises, the angels would catch him. Jesus replied that this would be tempting God.

a). Matthew 4:5-7 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

4:6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

4:7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

b). The passage the devil was misquoting is Psalm 91:11, 12.

2). This passage is strictly speaking of authority in the spiritual realm and in the natural.

a). Luke 10:17-20 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.

10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

b). Acts 28:1-6 And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita.

28:2 And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.

28:3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

28:4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.

28:5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

28:6 Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

2. “…and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them…”

a. and if [2579 * kan] [Strong: from 2532 and 1437; and (or even) if:--and (also) if (so much as), if but, at the least, though, yet.]

b. drink [4095 * pino] [Strong: a prolonged form of pio pee'-o, which (together with another form) poo po'-o occurs only as an alternate in certain tenses; to imbibe (literally or figuratively):--drink.

c. any…thing [5100 * tis] [Strong: an enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object:--a (kind of), any (man, thing, thing at all), certain (thing), divers, he (every) man, one (X thing), ought, + partly, some (man, -body, - thing, -what), (+ that no-)thing, what(-soever), X wherewith, whom(-soever), whose(-soever).]

d. deadly [2286 * thanasimos] [Strong:  from 2288; fatal, i.e. poisonous:--deadly.]

e. it shall not [3364 * ou me] [Strong: 3756 and 3361; a double negative strengthening the denial; not at all:--any more, at all, by any (no) means, neither, never, no (at all), in no case (wise), nor ever, not (at all, in any wise).

f. hurt [984 * blapto] [Strong:  a primary verb; properly, to hinder, i.e. (by implication) to injure:--hurt.]

g. them [846 * autos] [Strong: from the particle au (perhaps akin to the base of 109 through the idea of a baffling wind) (backward); the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative 1438) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons:--her, it(-self), one, the other, (mine) own, said, (self-), the) same, ((him-, my-, thy- )self, (your-)selves, she, that, their(-s), them(-selves), there(-at, - by, -in, -into, -of, -on, -with), they, (these) things, this (man), those, together, very, which.]

3. “…they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

a. they shall lay [2007 * epitithemi] [Strong: from 1909 and 5087; to impose (in a friendly or hostile sense):--add unto, lade, lay upon, put (up) on, set on (up), + surname, X wound.]

b. hands [5495 * cheir] [Strong: perhaps from the base of 5494 in the sense of its congener the base of 5490 (through the idea of hollowness for grasping); the hand (literally or figuratively (power); especially (by Hebraism) a means or instrument):--hand.]

c, on [1909 * epi] [Strong: a primary preposition; properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution (with the genitive case), i.e. over, upon, etc.; of rest (with the dative case) at, on, etc.; of direction (with the accusative case) towards, upon, etc.:--about (the times), above, after, against, among, as long as (touching), at, beside, X have charge of, (be-, (where-))fore, in (a place, as much as, the time of, -to), (because) of, (up-)on (behalf of), over, (by, for) the space of, through(-out), (un-)to(-ward), with. In compounds it retains essentially the same import, at, upon, etc. (literally or figuratively).]

d. the sick [732 * arrhostos; a-without; rhonnuni-to strenghten] [Strong:  from 1 (as a negative particle) and a presumed derivative of 4517; infirm:--sick (folk, -ly).]

e. and [846 * autos] [Strong: apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:--and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.]

f. they shall [2192 * echo] [Strong: (used in certain tenses only) a primary verb; to hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remote; such as possession; ability, contiuity, relation, or condition):--be (able, X hold, possessed with), accompany, + begin to amend, can(+ -not), X conceive, count, diseased, do + eat, + enjoy, + fear, following, have, hold, keep, + lack, + go to law, lie, + must needs, + of necessity, + need, next, + recover, + reign, + rest, + return, X sick, take for, + tremble, + uncircumcised, use.]

g. recover [2573 * kalos] [Strong: adverb from 2570; well (usually morally):--(in a) good (place), honestly, + recover, (full) well.]

1). All of the signs that Jesus mentions in Mark 16:17, 18: casting out devils, speaking in new tongues, taking up serpents, drinking any deadly thing and not suffering hurt, and laying hands on the sick, these are all to be done in the name of Jesus.

2). Examples of laying hands on the sick and them recovering are:

a). Acts 3:1-8 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

3:2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;

3:3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.

3:4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.

3:5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.

3:6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

3:7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

3:8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

b). Acts 5:12-16 And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch.

5:13 And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.

5:14 And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)

5:15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.

5:16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

c). Acts 28:7-9  In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously.

28:8 And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.

28:9 So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed:

3). The “laying on of hands”, for prayer, for consecration, for ordination is one of the foundational principles of the doctrine of Christ.

a). Hebrews 6:1, 2 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

6:2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

4). Jesus practiced “laying on of hands”.

a). Mark 6:4, 5  But Jesus, said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.

6:5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.