Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Mark 8:36

"For what doth it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?" — Mark 8:36 (ASV)

These two verses emphasize the incomparable worth of the “soul” (GK 6034) that which survives human death). Once a person has forfeited his or her share in eternal life (in this context, by a denial of Jesus), even the whole world cannot buy back eternal life.