Bible Strands
Mark 9:17
Someone in the crowd replied, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a spirit that makes him mute.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — An unnamed man from the crowd addresses Jesus as "Teacher" to report his son's condition immediately after Jesus asks the crowd about their dispute. This exchange occurs at the foot of the mountain where the disciples had just failed to cast out the spirit.
The words — The phrase εἷς ἐκ τοῦ ὄχλου (heis ek tou ochlou) literally translates to "one out of the crowd," specifying the speaker's identity. The verb ἀπεκρίθη (apekrithē) means "answered," marking the man's reply as a direct response to Jesus' question in verse 16.
The thread — The account of a mute spirit aligns with the exorcism recorded in Luke 11:14 and directly precedes Jesus' confrontation with the same spirit in Mark 9:25. It follows the recurring Gospel pattern of individuals bringing the afflicted to Jesus, similar to the crowd bringing children in Mark 10:13.
Why it lands — The text records a father's admission that human agents failed to resolve the crisis, forcing him to bring the burden directly to Jesus. It requires the reader to acknowledge the limits of human effort and present the problem to Christ without delay.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
Cross-references
- Mark 9:25 When Jesus saw that a crowd had come running, He rebuked the unclean spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” He said, “I command you to come out and never enter him again.”
- Luke 11:14 One day Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. And when the demon was gone, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowds were amazed,
- Mark 10:13 Now people were bringing the little children to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them, and the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
- Luke 9:38 Suddenly a man in the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only child.
- Matthew 12:22 Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed the man so that he could speak and see.
- Matthew 17:15 “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.
- Mark 5:23 and pleaded with Him urgently, “My little daughter is near death. Please come and place Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live.”
- Mark 7:26 Now she was a Greek woman of Syrophoenician origin, and she kept asking Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
- John 4:47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die.