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Luke 9:40

in Luke 9

I begged Your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And I besought thy disciples to cast it out; and they could not.

KJV

And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not.

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This verse in Luke 9

Commentary

10 notes on this verse

A commentator

Cyril of Alexandria

COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 52 · Written before 444.

The father of the demoniac was rude and not courteous. He did not simply ask for the healing of the child, and in so doing crown the healer with praises. On the contrary, he spoke disrespectfully of the disciples and found fault with the grace given them. "I brought him," he says, "to your disciples, and they could not cast it out." It was owing to your lack of faith that the grace did not help. Do you not understand that you were the cause that the child was not delivered from his severe illness?

This site's exposition

when they came down from the mountain

on Luke 9:37-40

Coming down from the mountain, Jesus meets a father's cry for his only child, glory giving way at once to suffering. The nine left below could not drive the spirit out, failing where the three on the mountain had just seen glory.

This site's exposition

they were unable

The failure comes after the power given to the Twelve in verse 1. Bede says the failure to heal is sometimes owed to the faith of those who are to be healed. Cyril of Alexandria calls the father rude for faulting the disciples.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Titus of Bostra

Catena Aurea by Aquinas · Written before 378.

proposed

He then seems to accuse the disciples, but his answer is rather a justification of his casting aside his fear, saying, And I besought thy disciples to cast him out: and they could not. As if he said, Think not that I have come lightly unto Thee. Marvellous is Thy greatness! I did not intrude upon Thy presence at once, but went first to Thy disciples. Because they failed to work the cure, I am now compelled to approach Thee. Our Lord therefore does not blame him, but the faithless generation; for it follows, And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation.

The Medieval Church2 voices

A commentator

Bonaventure

Commentary on Luke, Chapter 9 · Written in the 13th century.

proposed

And that this suffering was of great duration is apparent from the difficulty of the cure; whence he adds: And I asked your disciples to cast him out, and they could not. The reason for this, however, was that they could not do so by …

A commentator

Bede

On the Gospel of Luke · Written before 735.

proposed

And I asked your disciples to cast him out, and they could not. In this saying he secretly accuses the apostles, for the impossibility of healing is sometimes attributed not to the weakness of the healers, but to the faith of those who are to …

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

And I besought thy disciples,.... The nine disciples that were left behind, whilst Christ, and the other three, were gone up to the mountain: to cast him out; the devil out of his child: and they could not; See Gill on Mat 17:16.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

O faithless and perverse generation. Dr. Clarke understands this as spoken to his disciples: " Will ye be yet so faithless and full of distrust that ye cannot execute the commission I have given you?" 5. How effectual the cure was, which Christ wrought upon this child,
2 more voices on this verse

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

The event described in these verses took place immediately after the transfiguration. The Lord Jesus, we should remark, did not tarry long on the Mount of Olives. His communion with Moses and Elijah was very short. He soon returned to His usual work of doing good to a sin-stricken world . In His life on earth, to receive honor and have visions of glory — was the exception. To minister to others, to heal all who were oppressed by the devil, to do acts of mercy to sinners — was the rule. Happy are those Christians who have learned of Jesus, to live for others more than for themselves; and who understand that it is "more blessed to give, than to receive." (Acts 20:35.) We have first, in these verses — an example of what a parent should do when he is troubled about his children. We are told of a man in severe distress about his only son. This son was possessed by an evil spirit, and grievously tormented by him, both in body and soul. In his distress, the father makes application to our Lord Jesus Christ for relief. "Master," he says, "I beseech You, look upon my son — for he is my only child." There are many Christian fathers and mothers at this day who are just as miserable about their children as the man of whom we are reading. The son who was once the "desire of their eyes," and in whom their lives were bound up — turns out to be a thief, a profligate, and a companion of sinners. The daughter who was once the flower of the family, and of whom they said, "This girl shall be the comfort of our old age!" — becomes self-willed, worldly minded, and a lover of pleasure more than a lover of God. Their hearts are well near broken. The iron seems to enter into their souls. The devil appears to triumph over them, and rob them of their choicest jewels. They are ready to cry, "I shall go sorrowing to the grave. What good shall my life do to me?"
The event described in these verses took place immediately after the transfiguration. The Lord Jesus, we should remark, did not tarry long on the Mount of Olives. His communion with Moses and Elijah was very short. He soon returned to His usual work of doing good to a sin-stricken world . In His life on earth, to receive honor and have visions of glory — was the exception. To minister to others, to heal all who were oppressed by the devil, to do acts of mercy to sinners — was the rule.

The words behind it

11 Greek words

Every Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

6 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Luke 9:1Then Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and power to cure diseases.5 worksActs 19:13–16Now there were some itinerant Jewish exorcists who tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits. They would say, “I bind you by Jesus, whom Paul proclaims.”3 worksLuke 10:17–19The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.”2 works2 Kings 4:31Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So he went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy has not awakened.”2 worksMatthew 17:20“Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”2 worksMatthew 17:16I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him.”2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Matthew 17:20

    “Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’…

    it leads to

    • Luke 17:6

      And the Lord answered, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

    • Mark 11:23

      “Truly I tell you that if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and has no doubt in his heart but believes that it will happen, it will…

    • Luke 1:37

      For no word from God will ever fail.”

    • Luke 18:27

      But Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

    • Matthew 21:21

      “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain,…

  • Through

    Luke 9:1

    Then Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and power to cure diseases.

    it leads to

    • John 14:12

      Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

    • Luke 10:19

      Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you.

    • Matthew 16:19

      I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Where this verse is studied

About Luke

The Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt, about 1668. Public domain.
The Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt, about 1668. Public domain.
Luke: the study guide →Read Luke 9 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, On the Gospel of Luke; Bonaventure, Commentary on Luke, Chapter 9; Cyril of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 52; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Titus of Bostra, Catena Aurea by Aquinas.

Read on in Luke 9 →