Mark 3:22
in Mark 3And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons He drives out demons.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the scribes that came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and, By the prince of the demons casteth he out the demons.
KJV
And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
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This verse in Mark 3
Commentary
11 notes on this verse(ubi sup.) Now there is a great difference between those who do not understand the word of God from slowness of intellect, such as those, who are here spoken of, and those who purposely blaspheme, of whom it is added, And the Scribes which came down from Jerusalem, &c. For what they could not deny, they endeavour to pervert by a malicious interpretation, as if they were not the works of God, but of a most unclean spirit, that is, of Beelzebub, who was the God of Ekron.
This site's exposition
The multitude cometh together again
on Mark 3:20-22
The crowd's demand is now so constant that Jesus and his own cannot even eat bread, and his family hears of the pace he is keeping and concludes he is beside himself, a plain accusation of madness from people who loved him but could not yet see what he was doing. Scribes down from Jerusalem, sent with more authority than local objectors, level a darker charge, he hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils, attributing his authority over demons to alliance with their own prince. The bench reads the two accusations together as the chapter's turning point, family concern for his sanity and religious leadership's charge of demonic power both converging on the same growing fame that verse 7 already described sweeping every region.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the prince of demons he casts out demons." It is not without reason that those who brought such blasphemy against the Lord are said to have come down from Jerusalem; but …
Likewise, the scribes from Jerusalem also said that He had a demon in Himself. Since they could not deny the miracles that had been performed before them, they revile them in another way, attributing them to demons.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit - Is it not astonishing, that men who have ever read these words, should doubt, what is the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost? Can any words declare more plainly, that it is "the ascribing those miracles to the power of the devil which Christ wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost?"
Satan is not cast out, he only goes out by consent. There was nothing in the manner of Christ's casting out devils, that gave any cause to suspect this; he did it as one having authority; but so they will have it, who resolve not to believe him. The rational answer which Christ gave to this objection, demonstrating the absurdity of it.
And the Scribes which came down from Jerusalem,....
4 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And the scribes ... - See the notes at Mat 12:24-32. The occasion of their saying this was, that he had healed a man possessed with a devil. The scribes, who came from Jerusalem to watch his conduct, charged him with having made a compact or agreement with the prince of the devils.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1857)
We all know how painful it is to have our conduct misunderstood and misrepresented, when we are doing right. It is a trial which our Lord Jesus Christ had to endure continually, all through His earthly ministry. We have an instance in the passage before us. The "Scribes who came down from Jerusalem" saw the miracles which He worked. They could not deny their reality. What then did they do? They accused our blessed Savior of being in league and union with the devil. They said, "He has Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casts he out devils."
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1857)
proposed
We all know how painful it is to have our conduct misunderstood and misrepresented, when we are doing right. It is a trial which our Lord Jesus Christ had to endure continually, all through His earthly ministry. We have an instance in the passage before us. The "Scribes who came down from Jerusalem" saw the miracles which He worked. They could not deny their reality. What then did they do? They accused our blessed Savior of being in league and union with the devil. They said, "He has Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casts he out devils." In our Lord's answer to this wicked accusation, there are expressions which deserve special attention. Let us see what lessons they contain for our use. We ought to notice, in the first place, how great is the evil of dissension and divisions . This is a lesson which is strongly brought out in the beginning of our Lord's reply to the scribes. He shows the absurdity of supposing that Satan would "cast out Satan," and so help to destroy his own power. He appeals to the notorious fact, which even his enemies must allow, that there can be no strength where there is division. "If a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand." This truth is one which does not receive sufficient consideration. On no point has the abuse of the right of private judgment produced so much evil. The divisions of Christians are one great cause of the weakness of the visible church. They often absorb energy, time, and power, which might have been well bestowed on better things. They furnish the infidel with a prime argument against the truth of Christianity. They help the devil. Satan indeed is the chief promoter of religious divisions. If he cannot extinguish Christianity, he labors to make Christians quarrel with one another, and to set every man's hand against his neighbor.
He hath Beelzebub - See on Mat 12:24-26 (note).
The words behind it
21 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 |
| οἱ | hoi | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γραμματεῖς | grammateis | scribes | G1122 → | 62 times |
| οἱ | hoi | those | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀπὸ | apo | from | G575 → | 640 times |
| Ἱεροσολύμων | hi'erosolumon | Jerusalem | G2414 → | 62 times |
| καταβάντες | katabantes | having come down | G2597 → | 81 times |
| ἔλεγον | elegon | were saying | G3004 → | 1325 times |
| ὅτι | hoti | that | G3754 → | 1292 times |
| Βεελζεβοὺλ | beelzeboul | Beelzebul | G954 → | |
| ἔχει | echei | He has | G2192 → | 707 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ὅτι | hoti | that | G3754 → | 1292 times |
| ἐν | en | By | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| τῷ | to | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἄρχοντι | archonti | prince | G758 → | |
| τῶν | ton | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δαιμονίων | daimonion | demons | G1140 → | 61 times |
| ἐκβάλλει | ekballei | He casts out | G1544 → | 79 times |
| τὰ | ta | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δαιμόνια.¶ | daimonia | demons. | G1140 → | 61 times |
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
οἱthe
hoiG3588 →19766 times
γραμματεῖςscribes
grammateisG1122 →62 times
οἱthose
hoiG3588 →19766 times
ἀπὸfrom
apoG575 →640 times
ἹεροσολύμωνJerusalem
hi'erosolumonG2414 →62 times
καταβάντεςhaving come down
katabantesG2597 →81 times
ἔλεγονwere saying
elegonG3004 →1325 times
ὅτιthat
hotiG3754 →1292 times
ΒεελζεβοὺλBeelzebul
beelzeboulG954 →
ἔχειHe has
echeiG2192 →707 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ὅτιthat
hotiG3754 →1292 times
ἐνBy
enG1722 →2738 times
τῷthe
toG3588 →19766 times
ἄρχοντιprince
archontiG758 →
τῶνof the
tonG3588 →19766 times
δαιμονίωνdemons
daimonionG1140 →61 times
ἐκβάλλειHe casts out
ekballeiG1544 →79 times
τὰthe
taG3588 →19766 times
δαιμόνια.¶demons.
daimoniaG1140 →61 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 9:34But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that He drives out demons.”
it leads to
- Luke 11:15
but some of them said, “It is by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons, that He drives out demons.”
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Matthew 12:23–24
The crowds were astounded and asked, “Could this be the Son of David?”
- John 3:20
Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
- Luke 11:15
Through
Matthew 12:24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.”
it leads to
- Matthew 9:34
But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that He drives out demons.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Matthew 9:34
Through
John 7:20“You have a demon,” the crowd replied. “Who is trying to kill You?”
it leads to
- John 8:48
The Jews answered Him, “Are we not right to say that You are a Samaritan and You have a demon?”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- John 10:20
Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and insane. Why would you listen to Him?”
- John 8:48
Through
Matthew 10:25It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his…
it leads to
- Matthew 12:24
But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.”
- John 7:20
“You have a demon,” the crowd replied. “Who is trying to kill You?”
- Matthew 12:24
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Mark
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
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); 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); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Mark.