Mark 3:22-27
New American Standard Bible
22 The scribes who came down (A)from Jerusalem were saying, “He [a]is possessed by [b](B)Beelzebul,” and “(C)He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.” 23 (D)And so He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in (E)parables: “How can (F)Satan cast out Satan? 24 And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if (G)Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but [c]he is finished! 27 (H)But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.
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Mark 3:22-27
New English Translation
22 The experts in the law[a] who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,”[b] and, “By the ruler[c] of demons he casts out demons!” 23 So[d] he called them and spoke to them in parables:[e] “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If[f] a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom will not be able to stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan rises against himself and is divided, he is not able to stand and his end has come. 27 But no one is able to enter a strong man’s[g] house and steal his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can thoroughly plunder his house.[h]
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- Mark 3:22 tn Or “The scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
- Mark 3:22 tn Grk “He has Beelzebul.”sn Beelzebul is another name for Satan. So some people, particularly here the experts in the law, recognized Jesus’ work as supernatural, but called it diabolical.
- Mark 3:22 tn Or “prince.”
- Mark 3:23 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
- Mark 3:23 sn Jesus spoke two parables to demonstrate the absurdity of the thinking of the religious leaders who maintained that he was in league with Satan and that he actually derived his power from the devil. The first parable (vv. 23-26) teaches that if Jesus cast out demons by the ruler of the demons, then in reality Satan is fighting against himself, with the result that his kingdom has come to an end. The second parable (v. 27) about tying up a strong man proves that Jesus does not need to align himself with the devil because Jesus is more powerful. Jesus defeated Satan at his temptation (1:12-13) and by his exorcisms he clearly demonstrated himself to be stronger than the devil. The passage reveals the desperate condition of the religious leaders, who in their hatred for Jesus end up attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan (a position for which they will be held accountable, 3:29-30). For an explanation of what a parable is, see the note on parables in 4:2.
- Mark 3:24 sn The three conditional statements in vv. 24-26 express the logical result of the assumption that Jesus heals by Satan’s power, expressed by the religious leaders. The point is clear: If the leaders are correct, then Satan’s kingdom will not stand, so the suggestion makes no sense. Satan would not seek to heal.
- Mark 3:27 sn The strong man here pictures Satan.
- Mark 3:27 sn Some see the imagery here as similar to Eph 4:7-10, although no opponents are explicitly named in that passage. Jesus has the victory over Satan. Jesus’ acts of healing mean that the war is being won and the kingdom is coming.
Mark 3:22-27
King James Version
22 And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.
27 No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.
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