John Gill Commentary Mark 11

And when they came nigh to Jerusalem
The Syriac and Ethiopic versions read, "when he came nigh"; that is, Jesus; though not without his disciples, nor the multitude:

unto Bethphage and Bethany ;
two places so called, near Jerusalem: Bethphage began where Bethany ended, and reached to the city itself. The Vulgate Latin only makes mention of Bethany; (See Gill on Matthew 21:1).

At the Mount of Olives ;
near which, the above places were:

he sendeth forth two of his disciples ;
perhaps Peter and John.

And saith unto them, go your way into the village
Either of Bethany or of Nob. The Ethiopic version renders it "the city", and so reads a copy of Stephens's: some have thought the city of Jerusalem is intended, but without any reason; (See Gill on Matthew 21:9);

over against you .
The Syriac and Persic versions read, "over against us": the sense is the same; for Christ and his disciples were together: this suits with either of the above mentioned places:

and as soon as ye be entered into it ;
are come to the town's end, and to one of the first houses in it,

ye shall find a colt tied :
Matthew says, "an ass tied, and a colt with her", (Matthew 21:2) ; both no doubt true:

whereon never man sat ;
which had never been backed and broke, and which makes it the more wonderful, that Christ should choose to ride upon it, and that that should quietly carry him:

loose him, and bring him ;
that is, away to me.

And if any man say unto you
As very likely they would, and it would be strange if they should not say something to them, especially the owners of it:

why do ye this ?
Why do you untie the ass, and attempt to carry it away, when it is none of your own, and it belongs to another man?

Say ye that the Lord hath need of him ;
our Lord and yours, the Lord of heaven and earth, and all things in it; it looks as if this title, "the Lord", was what Jesus was well known by; see (John 11:28) ; unless it can be thought, that the owners of the colt were such, that believed in Christ, as is not improbable; and so would at once understand by the language who it was for, and let it go:

and straightway he will send him, hither ;
as soon as ever he hears that the Lord, by whom he would presently understand Jesus, wanted him for his present purpose; he will send him with all readiness and cheerfulness, without the least hesitation, or making any dispute about it.

And they went their way
The two disciples went to the village, where Christ sent them, without objecting any difficulties that might present, in the execution of these orders:

and found the colt tied by the door without ;
in the street, fastened to the door of the owner's house, at the town's end:

in a place where two ways met ;
to go into and out of the village; at the corner house, where two ways met; so that the place was very public, and such an affair could not be transacted, without being seen:

and they loose him ;
as soon as ever they came to the place, they immediately began to untie the colt, and were going away with him.

And certain of them that stood there The Ethiopic version reads, who walked there; who were either standing hard by, or walking about the place, being inhabitants of it; and either the owners of the colt, or their servants, or both:

said unto them, what do you loosing the colt ? What do you mean by it? do you intend to take the colt away? what business have you with it? what right have you to do so? and what is your end in it?