Mark 2:8
in Mark 2At once Jesus knew in His spirit that they were thinking this way within themselves. “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?” He asked.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And straightway Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, saith unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
KJV
And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
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This verse in Mark 2
Commentary
12 notes on this verseA commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1857)
This passage shows our Lord once more at Capernaum. Once more we find Him doing His accustomed work, preaching the word, and healing those that were sick. We see, in these verses, what great spiritual privileges some people enjoy, and yet make no use of them . This is a truth which is strikingly illustrated by the history of Capernaum. No city in Palestine appears to have enjoyed so much of our Lord's presence, during His earthly ministry, as did this city. It was the place where He dwelt, after He left Nazareth. (Matt. 4:13.)
This site's exposition
At once Jesus knew in His spirit
on Mark 2:8-10
Jesus asks which is easier to say, since forgiveness cannot be checked and a healing can be seen by all. The healing comes so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
And these indeed are testimonies bearing on the incarnation of the Word; and there are also very many others. But let us also look at the subject in hand,-namely, the question, brethren, that in reality the Father's power, which is the Word, came down from heaven, and not the Father Himself. For thus He speaks: "I came forth from the Father, and am come." Now what subject is meant in this sentence, "I came forth from the Father," but just the Word? And what is it that is begotten of Him, but just the Spirit, that is to say, the Word? But you will say to me, How is He begotten? In your own case you can give no explanation of the way in which you were begotten, although you see every day the cause according to man; neither can you tell with accuracy the economy in His case. For you have it not in your power to acquaint yourself with the practised and indescribable art (method) of the Maker, but only to see, and understand, and believe that man is God's work. Moreover, you are asking an account of the generation of the Word, whom God the Father in His good pleasure begat as He willed. Is it not enough for you to learn that God made the world, but do you also venture to ask whence He made it? Is it not enough for you to learn that the Son of God has been manifested to you for salvation if you believe, but do you also inquire curiously how He was begotten after the Spirit? No more than two, in sooth, have been put in trust to give the account of His generation after the flesh; and are you then so bold as to seek the account (of His generation) after the Spirit, which the Father keeps with Himself, intending to reveal it then to the holy ones and those worthy of seeing His face? […]
But if repentance is a thing human, its baptism must necessarily be of the same nature: else, if it had been celestial, it would have given both the Holy Spirit and remission of sins. But none either pardons sins or freely grants the Spirit save God only. Even the Lord Himself said that the Spirit would not descend on any other condition, but that He should first ascend to the Father.
Well, I on my side will first explain the reason of his offence, that I may the more easily explode the scandal of our heretic. Now, that the very Lord Himself of all might, the Word and Spirit of the Father, was operating and preaching on earth, it was necessary that the portion of the Holy Spirit which, in the form of the prophetic gift, had been through John preparing the ways of the Lord, should now depart from John, and return back again of course to the Lord, as to its all-embracing original.
The scribes asserted that only God could forgive sins, yet Jesus not only forgave sins, but showed that he had also another power that belongs to God alone: the power to disclose the secrets of the heart.
(non occ.) Further, He first healed by the remission of sins that which He had come to seek, that is, a soul, so that when they faithlessly doubted, then He might bring forward a work before them, and in this way His word might be confirmed by the work, and a hidden sign be proved by an open one, that is, the health of the soul by the healing of the body.
5 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church2 voices
The Pharisees accused the Lord of blasphemy because He forgave sins, since this belongs to God alone. But the Lord gave them yet another sign of His Divinity — the knowledge of their hearts, for the heart of each person is known to God alone, …
(ubi sup.) Who remits sin by those also to whom He has assigned the power of remitting, and therefore Christ is proved to be very God, for He is able to remit sins as God. The Jews then are in error, who although they hold the Christ both to be God, and to be able to remit sins, do not however believe that Jesus is the Christ. But the Arians err much more madly, who although overwhelmed with the words of the Evangelist, so that they cannot deny that Jesus is the Christ, and can remit sin, nevertheless fear not to deny that He is God. But He Himself, desiring to shame the traitors both by His knowledge of things hidden and by the virtue of His works, manifests Himself to be God. For there follows: And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? In which He shows Himself to be God, since He can know the hidden things of the heart; and in a manner though silent He speaks thus, With the same power and majesty, by which I look upon your thoughts, I can forgive the sins of men.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And immediately, when Jesus perceived in his Spirit,....
His calling of Matthew from the receipt of custom, and his eating, upon that occasion, with publicans and sinners, and justifying himself in so doing,
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1857)
proposed
This passage shows our Lord once more at Capernaum. Once more we find Him doing His accustomed work, preaching the word, and healing those that were sick. We see, in these verses, what great spiritual privileges some people enjoy, and yet make no use of them . This is a truth which is strikingly illustrated by the history of Capernaum. No city in Palestine appears to have enjoyed so much of our Lord's presence, during His earthly ministry, as did this city. It was the place where He dwelt, after He left Nazareth. (Matt. 4:13.) It was the place where many of His miracles were worked, and many of His sermons delivered. But nothing that Jesus said or did seems to have had any effect on the hearts of the inhabitants. They crowded to hear Him, as we read in this passage, "until there was no room about the door." They were amazed. They were astonished. They were filled with wonder at His mighty works. But they were not converted. They lived in the full noon-tide blaze of the Sun of Righteousness, and yet their hearts remained hard. And they drew from our Lord the heaviest condemnation that He ever pronounced against any place, except Jerusalem — "And you people of Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to the place of the dead. For if the miracles I did for you had been done in Sodom, it would still be here today. I assure you, Sodom will be better off on the judgment day than you." (Matt. 11:23, 24) It is good for us all to mark well this case of Capernaum. We are all apt to suppose that it needs nothing but the powerful preaching of the Gospel to convert people's souls, and that if the Gospel is only brought into a place everybody must believe. We forget the amazing power of unbelief, and the depth of man's enmity against God.
The words behind it
22 Greek wordsEvery 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.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| εὐθὺς | euthus | immediately | G2112 → | 87 times |
| ἐπιγνοὺς | epignous | having known | G1921 → | 44 times |
| ὁ | ho | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| Ἰησοῦς | iesous | Jesus | G2424 → | 908 times |
| τῷ | to | in the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πνεύματι | pneumati | spirit | G4151 → | 378 times |
| αὐτοῦ | autou | of Him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ὅτι | hoti | that | G3754 → | 1292 times |
| οὕτως | houtos | thus | G3779 → | 208 times |
| διαλογίζονται | dialogizontai | are reasoning | G1260 → | 16 times |
| ἐν | en | within | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| ἑαυτοῖς | he'autois | themselves | G1438 → | 322 times |
| λέγει | legei | He speaks | G3004 → | 1325 times |
| αὐτοῖς· | autois | to them; | G846 → | 5565 times |
| τί | ti | Why | G5101 → | 563 times |
| ταῦτα | tauta | these things | G3778 → | 1381 times |
| διαλογίζεσθε | dialogizesthe | reason you | G1260 → | 16 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| ταῖς | tais | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| καρδίαις | kardiais | hearts | G2588 → | 156 times |
| ὑμῶν; | humon | of you? | G4771 → | 2973 times |
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
εὐθὺςimmediately
euthusG2112 →87 times
ἐπιγνοὺςhaving known
epignousG1921 →44 times
ὁ<the>
hoG3588 →19766 times
ἸησοῦςJesus
iesousG2424 →908 times
τῷin the
toG3588 →19766 times
πνεύματιspirit
pneumatiG4151 →378 times
αὐτοῦof Him
autouG846 →5565 times
ὅτιthat
hotiG3754 →1292 times
οὕτωςthus
houtosG3779 →208 times
διαλογίζονταιare reasoning
dialogizontaiG1260 →16 times
ἐνwithin
enG1722 →2738 times
ἑαυτοῖςthemselves
he'autoisG1438 →322 times
λέγειHe speaks
legeiG3004 →1325 times
αὐτοῖς·to them;
autoisG846 →5565 times
τίWhy
tiG5101 →563 times
ταῦταthese things
tautaG3778 →1381 times
διαλογίζεσθεreason you
dialogizestheG1260 →16 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
ταῖςthe
taisG3588 →19766 times
καρδίαιςhearts
kardiaisG2588 →156 times
ὑμῶν;of you?
humonG4771 →2973 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
Hebrews 4:13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each…
- Psalms 33:13–15
The LORD looks down from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.
- Proverbs 15:3
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, observing the evil and the good.
- Ecclesiastes 12:14
For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
- 1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the…
- 1 Corinthians 4:5
Through
Psalms 139:2You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar.
it leads to
- Matthew 9:4
But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you harbor evil in your hearts?
- 2 Kings 19:27
But I know your sitting down, your going out and coming in, and your raging against Me.
- Matthew 9:4
Through
Matthew 9:4But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you harbor evil in your hearts?
it leads to
- Luke 6:8
But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and stand among us.” So he got up and stood there.
- Luke 6:8
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Mark
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Gospels; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Hippolytus of Rome, Against the Heresy of One Noetus; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); John Chrysostom, THE GOSPEL OF ST. MATTHEW, HOMILY 29.1; John Chrysostom, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Tertullian, On Baptism; Tertullian, Against Marcion Book IV and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Mark.