Mark 8:27

ἐξῆλθεν. He left Bethsaida, which had been rebuilt by Philip the tetrarch and named Julias in honour of the daughter of Augustus, and came to the neighbourhood of Paneas, which had been rebuilt by Philip and named Caesarea in honour of Augustus himself (Joseph. Ant. XVIII. ii. 1). It was called Καισάρεια ἡ Φιλίππου in order to distinguish it from K. Στρατῶνος on the coast. Our Lord is once more going northwards, in order to find quiet for the training of the Twelve and for His own preparation for suffering and death. He may also have been avoiding the dangerous dominions of Antipas, because His hour was not yet come. But this time, instead of following the coast to Tyre and Sidon, He goes inland, up the valley of the Jordan to one of its sources, near the ancient Laish or Dan. The name Paneas (preserved in the modern Banias, which is near the old city) points to a heathen population. It had its Παναεῖον, a grotto sacred to Pan, and inscriptions containing Pan’s name have been found in the rocks. Evidently Christ did not seek this region in order to preach to the inhabitants. Since the attempt to make Him a king, His public preaching, even among Jews, seems to have been less.

ἐπηρώτα. Conversational; see on Mark 4:10; Mark 5:9. Mt. has λέγει.

Τίνα με λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι; This crucial question shows that the education of the Twelve is now reaching a high level. It was mainly for their sake that He asked it; yet He may have asked for information as to remarks which they had heard when He was not with them; see on Mark 5:30. But in any case the question was educational; it would teach the disciples how little effect their mission had had on the large majority of the Jews.