All men seek for thee - That is, many men, or multitudes. The inquiry after him was general. They told him this, evidently, with a view to induce him to leave his place of retirement, and to prevail upon him to appear publicly to instruct the multitudes.

All men seek for thee - Some to hear; some to be healed; some to be saved; and some, perhaps, through no good motive. There are all sorts of followers in the train of Christ; but how few walk steadily, and persevere unto the end!

And when they had found him,.... In the desert and solitary place, where he had been praying:

they said unto him; in order to engage him to go with them, and as the reason why they sought him with so much eagerness and diligence,

all men seek for thee; not all the men in the world, nor, it may be, all the inhabitants of Capernaum, but a large number of them, who were inquiring after him, some for one thing, some for another; some to see him, what manner of man he was, and some to hear him, what sort of doctrine he preached, and others to see his miracles, or to have themselves, or their sick healed; and the disciples were loath that such an opportunity of doing good should be missed, and therefore sought for him, till they found him.

All

All the people of Capernaum, all are seeking thee. The continuous present tense. So Rev., better than A. V. The all is peculiar to Mark.

And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.

37. And when they had found him-evidently after some search.

they said unto him, All men seek for thee-By this time, "the multitudes" who, according to Luke (Lu 4:42), "sought after Him"-and who, on going to Peter's house, and there learning that Peter and a few more were gone in search of Him, had set out on the same errand-would have arrived, and "came unto Him and stayed Him, that He should not depart from them" (Lu 4:42); all now urging His return to their impatient townsmen.

1:29-39 Wherever Christ comes, he comes to do good. He cures, that we may minister to him, and to others who are his, and for his sake. Those kept from public ordinances by sickness or other real hinderances, may expect the Saviour's gracious presence; he will soothe their sorrows, and abate their pains. Observe how numerous the patients were. When others speed well with Christ, it should quicken us in seeking after him. Christ departed into a solitary place. Though he was in no danger of distraction, or of temptation to vain-glory, yet he retired. Those who have the most business in public, and of the best kind, must yet sometimes be alone with God.