Mark 3:11
in Mark 3And when the unclean spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him and cried out, “You are the Son of God!”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the unclean spirits, whensoever they beheld him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.
KJV
And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.
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This verse in Mark 3
Commentary
10 notes on this verse(ubi sup.) Both therefore fell down before the Lord, those who had the plagues of bodily diseases, and those who were vexed by unclean spirits. The sick did this simply with the intention of obtaining health, but the demoniacs, or rather the devils within them, because under the mastery of a fear of God they were compelled not only to fall down before Him, but also to praise His majesty; wherefore it goes on, And they cried out, saying, Thou art the Son of God.
This site's exposition
when the unclean spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him
on Mark 3:11-12
The unclean spirits cried out the title the whole book is built toward, You are the Son of God. He warned them sternly not to make Him known, refusing a true confession from a hostile source.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Both the devils and the faithful confessed Christ. "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God," said Peter. "We know who thou art. Thou art the Son of God," said the devils. I hear a similar confession, but I do not find a similar charity. In one there is love, in another fear. He is lovely to those who are sons. He is terrible to those who are not sons.
The "faith that works by love," is not the same faith that demons have. "For the devils also believe and tremble," but do they love? If they had not believed, they would not have said: "You are the holy one of God" or "You are the Son of God." But if they had loved, they would not have said: "What have we to do with you?"
The Medieval Church1 voice
"However many had plagues, unclean spirits, when they saw him, would fall down before him." Both groups would indeed fall down before the Lord, that is, both those who had plagues of physical infirmities and those who were afflicted by unclean spirits: but the sick, …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And unclean spirits, when they saw him,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Unclean spirits - Persons who were possessed of evil spirits. Thou art the Son of God - The Son of God, by way of eminence. In this place it is equivalent to the Messiah, who was, among the Jews, called the Son of God. Hence, they were charged not to make him known, because he was not desirous that it should be blazoned abroad that he claimed to be the Messiah.
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1857)
These verses show us our Lord again working a miracle. He heals a man in the synagogue, "who had a withered hand." Always about His Father's business — always doing good — doing it in the sight of enemies as well as of friends — such was the daily tenor of our Lord's earthly ministry. And He "left us an example that we should follow His steps." (1 Peter 2:21.) Blessed indeed are those Christians who strive, however feebly, to imitate their Master! Let us observe in these verses, how our Lord Jesus Christ was watched by His enemies .
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1857)
proposed
These verses show us our Lord again working a miracle. He heals a man in the synagogue, "who had a withered hand." Always about His Father's business — always doing good — doing it in the sight of enemies as well as of friends — such was the daily tenor of our Lord's earthly ministry. And He "left us an example that we should follow His steps." (1 Peter 2:21.) Blessed indeed are those Christians who strive, however feebly, to imitate their Master! Let us observe in these verses, how our Lord Jesus Christ was watched by His enemies . We read that "they watched Him, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath day, that they might accuse Him." What a melancholy proof we have here of the wickedness of human nature! It was the Sabbath day, when these things happened. It was in the synagogue, where men were assembled to hear the word and worship God. Yet even on the day of God, and at the time of worshiping God, these wretched formalists were plotting mischief against our Lord. The very men who pretended to such strictness and, sanctity in little things, were full of malicious and angry thoughts in the midst of the congregation. (Prov. 5:14.) Christ's people must not expect to fare better than their Master. They are always watched by an ill-natured and spiteful world. Their conduct is scanned with a keen and jealous eye. Their ways are noted and diligently observed. They are marked men. They can do nothing without the world's noticing it. Their dress, their expenditure, their employment of time, their conduct in all the relations of life, are all rigidly and closely marked. Their adversaries wait for their halting, and if at any time they fall into an error, the ungodly rejoice. It is good for all Christians to keep this before their minds. Wherever we go, and whatever we do, let us remember that, like our Master, we are "watched."
Thou art the Son of God - Two MSS., and the later Syriac, have, Thou art the Christ, the Son of God. One of Stephens’s MSS. has, Thou art the Holy One of God. A MS. in the library of Leicester has, συ ει ὁ Θεος, υἱος, Thou art God, the Son. This is an uncommon reading, which is not confirmed by any MS. yet discovered.
The words behind it
20 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 |
| τὰ | ta | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πνεύματα | pneumata | spirits | G4151 → | 378 times |
| τὰ | ta | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀκάθαρτα, | akatharta | unclean, | G169 → | 32 times |
| ὅταν | hotan | whenever | G3752 → | 123 times |
| αὐτὸν | auton | Him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ἐθεώρουν, | etheoroun | they were seeing | G2334 → | 58 times |
| προσέπιπτον | prosepipton | they were falling down | G4363 → | 8 times |
| αὐτῷ | auto | before Him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἔκραζον | ekrazon | they were crying out | G2896 → | 55 times |
| λέγοντες | legontes | saying | G3004 → | 1325 times |
| ὅτι | hoti | that | G3754 → | 1292 times |
| σὺ | su | You yourself | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| εἶ | ei | are | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| ὁ | ho | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| υἱὸς | huios | Son | G5207 → | 377 times |
| τοῦ | tou | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θεοῦ. | theou | of God. | G2316 → | 1312 times |
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
τὰthe
taG3588 →19766 times
πνεύματαspirits
pneumataG4151 →378 times
τὰ<the>
taG3588 →19766 times
ἀκάθαρτα,unclean,
akathartaG169 →32 times
ὅτανwhenever
hotanG3752 →123 times
αὐτὸνHim
autonG846 →5565 times
ἐθεώρουν,they were seeing
etheorounG2334 →58 times
προσέπιπτονthey were falling down
prosepiptonG4363 →8 times
αὐτῷbefore Him
autoG846 →5565 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἔκραζονthey were crying out
ekrazonG2896 →55 times
λέγοντεςsaying
legontesG3004 →1325 times
ὅτιthat
hotiG3754 →1292 times
σὺYou yourself
suG4771 →2973 times
εἶare
eiG1510 →2333 times
ὁthe
hoG3588 →19766 times
υἱὸςSon
huiosG5207 →377 times
τοῦ<the>
touG3588 →19766 times
θεοῦ.of God.
theouG2316 →1312 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
Matthew 8:29“What do You want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have You come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
it leads to
- James 2:19
You believe that God is one. Good for you! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Mark 1:24
“What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
- Luke 4:34
“Ha! What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
- Mark 5:7
And he shouted in a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God not to torture me!”
- Luke 8:28
When the man saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him, shouting in a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You…
- James 2:19
Through
Luke 4:41Demons also came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But He rebuked the demons and would not allow them to speak, because they knew He was the Christ.
it leads to
- Mark 1:34
And He healed many who were ill with various diseases and drove out many demons. But He would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.
- Mark 1:34
Through
Matthew 4:3The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
it leads to
- 1 Thessalonians 3:5
For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter had somehow tempted you and caused our labor to be in…
- Genesis 3:1–5
Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any…
- 1 Thessalonians 3:5
Where this verse is studied
About Mark
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, Mark; Augustine of Hippo, ON THE PSALMS 50.2; Augustine of Hippo, LETTER 194, TO SIXTUS; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bede, On the Gospel of Mark; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament and John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748).