Mark 3: The withered hand, the twelve, and a house divided
A free study, verse by verse. Text: World English Bible. Notes come from the Greek. How to read a study
What happens?
Jesus heals a man's withered hand on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees go out and plan with the Herodians how to destroy him. Crowds come from many places, and Jesus goes up the mountain and appoints twelve. His friends go out to seize him, saying he is insane, scribes from Jerusalem say he drives out demons by the prince of the demons, and Jesus answers them. His mother and brothers stand outside, and he says who his family is.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. Jesus speaks in verses 3, 4, 5 and 23 to 29, and in verses 33 to 35, but his words are not in gold. The unclean spirits cry out in verse 11, and those are the spirits' words, not God's. His friends speak in verse 21, the scribes from Jerusalem in verse 22, those who said he had an unclean spirit in verse 30, and the crowd in verse 32. No verse is in gold. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1He entered again into the synagogue, and there was a man there whose hand was withered.
In plain English: Jesus went into the synagogue again. A man was there whose hand was withered.
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2They watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day, that they might accuse him.
In plain English: They watched Jesus to see whether he would heal the man on the Sabbath day, so that they could accuse him.
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3He said to the man whose hand was withered, “Stand up.”
In plain English: Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, "Stand up."
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4He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath day to do good or to do harm? To save a life or to kill?” But they were silent.
In plain English: Then he said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath day to do good or to do harm? To save a life or to kill?" But they were silent.
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5When he had looked around at them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their hearts, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored as healthy as the other.
In plain English: Jesus looked around at them with anger. He was grieved at the hardness of their hearts. He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." The man stretched it out, and his hand was restored, as healthy as the other one.
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6The Pharisees went out, and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
In plain English: The Pharisees went out, and at once they made a plan with the Herodians against Jesus, about how they might destroy him.
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7Jesus withdrew to the sea with his disciples; and a great multitude followed him from Galilee, from Judea,
In plain English: Jesus went away with his disciples to the sea. A great crowd followed him from Galilee and from Judea,
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8from Jerusalem, from Idumaea, beyond the Jordan, and those from around Tyre and Sidon. A great multitude, hearing what great things he did, came to him.
In plain English: from Jerusalem, from Idumaea, from beyond the Jordan, and from around Tyre and Sidon. A great crowd came to him, because they had heard what great things he was doing.
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9He spoke to his disciples that a little boat should stay near him because of the crowd, so that they wouldn’t press on him.
In plain English: He told his disciples to keep a little boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not press on him.
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10For he had healed many, so that as many as had diseases pressed on him that they might touch him.
In plain English: He had healed many people, so everyone who had diseases pushed forward to touch him.
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11The unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, fell down before him and cried, “You are the Son of God!”
In plain English: Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down in front of him and cried out, "You are the Son of God!"
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12He sternly warned them that they should not make him known.
In plain English: Jesus strictly warned them many times not to make him known.
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13He went up into the mountain and called to himself those whom he wanted, and they went to him.
In plain English: Jesus went up onto the mountain and called to himself the ones he wanted, and they came to him.
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14He appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he might send them out to preach
In plain English: He appointed twelve, so that they would be with him and so that he could send them out to preach
The Greek word: "Appointed" is poieo. The dictionary gives "to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct)".
How it is translated: It is in 47 verses of Mark, and this Bible prints "appointed" in only 1 of them, this verse.
What changes: Read word for word, the Greek says "he made twelve". Read as "appointed", it says he set twelve in place for what follows. The text gives the reasons in this verse and in verse 15.
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15and to have authority to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:
In plain English: and to have authority to heal diseases and to drive out demons.
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16Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter);
In plain English: Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter;
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17James the son of Zebedee; and John, the brother of James, (whom he called Boanerges, which means, Sons of Thunder);
In plain English: James, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges, which means "Sons of Thunder";
The Greek word: The name is Boanerges. The dictionary gives "sons of commotion". The text itself says it means "Sons of Thunder".
Good to know: Mark says Jesus gave this name to James and John. It is the only place in Mark that has the name, and Mark gives its meaning in the same verse.
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18Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, the son of Alphaeus; Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot;
In plain English: Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, the son of Alphaeus; Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot;
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19and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. Then he came into a house.
In plain English: and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. Then Jesus went into a house.
Good to know: "Betrayed" is paradidomi, the same word that is "taken into custody" in . It is in 19 verses of Mark, and this Bible prints a form of "betray" in 6 of them.
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20The multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
In plain English: The crowd came together again, so that Jesus and his disciples could not even eat bread.
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21When his friends heard it, they went out to seize him; for they said, “He is insane.”
In plain English: When his friends heard about it, they went out to take hold of him, for they were saying, "He is out of his mind."
The Greek words: "His friends" is hoi par autou, word for word "those from beside him". "Insane" is existemi. The dictionary gives "to put (stand) out of wits, i.e. astound, or (reflexively) become astounded, insane".
How it is translated: Existemi is in 4 verses of Mark. This Bible prints "amazed" in 3 of them, and "insane" in 1 (this verse). In it is "amazed".
What changes: "Friends" is how this Bible reads "those from beside him". The text does not say who they were. "Insane" is how this Bible reads the word here, and the dictionary allows it. Read as "astounded", the sentence would say that he is astounded.
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22The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons he casts out the demons.”
In plain English: The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebul," and, "He drives out the demons by the prince of the demons."
The Greek word: "Beelzebul" is Beelzeboul. The dictionary gives "dung-god; Beelzebul, a name of Satan".
Good to know: In Mark the scribes say two things: "He has Beelzebul" and "By the prince of the demons he casts out the demons". Jesus's answer in verses 23 to 26 speaks of Satan. A similar name, Baal Zebub, "the god of Ekron", is in . Mark does not say the two names are the same.
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23He summoned them and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?
In plain English: Jesus called them to himself and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan?
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24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
In plain English: If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
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25If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
In plain English: If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
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26If Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he can’t stand, but has an end.
In plain English: If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.
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27But no one can enter into the house of the strong man to plunder unless he first binds the strong man; then he will plunder his house.
In plain English: No one can enter the strong man's house and take his goods unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can take everything from his house.
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28“Most certainly I tell you, all sins of the descendants of man will be forgiven, including their blasphemies with which they may blaspheme;
In plain English: Truly I tell you, all sins of the people will be forgiven, including all the blasphemies they speak.
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29but whoever may blaspheme against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.”
In plain English: But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness (word for word: "has no forgiveness into the age"), and is guilty of an eternal judgment (or: condemnation)."
The Greek words: "Never" is, word for word, ouk ... eis ton aiona, "not into the age". Aion is "properly, an age; by extension, perpetuity (also past); by implication, the world". "Eternal" is aionios, "perpetual (also used of past time, or past and future as well)".
How it is translated: Aionios is in 3 verses of Mark, and in all 3 this Bible prints "eternal". Aion is in 4 verses; this Bible prints "age" in 2, "ever" in 1, and in this verse the idea is carried by "never".
What changes: Read as "into the age", the verse says that forgiveness does not come in that age. Read as "never", it says it does not come at all. Read as "eternal judgment", the guilt is called age-long or lasting. The Greek words allow both.
Good to know: and also speak of blasphemy against the Spirit, in different words. Verse 30 gives the reason Mark states: they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."
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30—because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
In plain English: Jesus said this because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."
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31His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent to him, calling him.
In plain English: His mother and his brothers came. They stood outside and sent to him, calling him.
Church tradition: Churches read who these "brothers" are in more than one way. The text says: the word is adelphos, "a brother (literally or figuratively) near or remote". Verse 32 adds sisters, and in verse 35 Jesus uses the words brother, sister and mother of whoever does the will of God. names four brothers (James, Joses, Judah and Simon) and mentions sisters. says his brothers did not believe in him.
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32A multitude was sitting around him, and they told him, “Behold, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside looking for you.”
In plain English: A crowd was sitting around Jesus. They said to him, "Look, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside, looking for you."
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33He answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
In plain English: He answered them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?"
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34Looking around at those who sat around him, he said, “Behold, my mother and my brothers!
In plain English: He looked around at the people sitting in a circle around him and said, "Look, here are my mother and my brothers!
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35For whoever does the will of God is my brother, my sister, and mother.”
In plain English: Whoever does the will of God is my brother, my sister, and my mother."
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