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Mark 3:20-35
New King James Version
Mark 3:20-35
New King James Version
A House Divided Cannot Stand(A)
20 Then the multitude came together again, (B)so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 But when His (C)own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, (D)for they said, “He is out of His mind.”
22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, (E)“He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the (F)ruler of the demons He casts out demons.”
23 (G)So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. 27 (H)No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.
The Unpardonable Sin(I)
28 (J)“Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”— 30 because they (K)said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers Send for Him(L)
31 (M)Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. 32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers [a]are outside seeking You.”
33 But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” 34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the (N)will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Mark 3:32 NU, M add and Your sisters
Mark 3:20-35
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised
Mark 3:20-35
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised
20 and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’ 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.’ 23 And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.
28 ‘Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’— 30 for they had said, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’
The True Kindred of Jesus
31 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, ‘Your mother and your brothers and sisters[a] are outside, asking for you.’ 33 And he replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Mark 3:32 Other ancient authorities lack and sisters
Mark 3:20-35
New International Version
Mark 3:20-35
New International Version
Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law(A)(B)
20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered,(C) so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.(D) 21 When his family[a] heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”(E)
22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem(F) said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul!(G) By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”(H)
23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables:(I) “How can Satan(J) drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.(K) 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”(L)
30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”
31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived.(M) Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”
33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.
34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
Footnotes
- Mark 3:21 Or his associates
Mark 3:20-35
English Standard Version
Mark 3:20-35
English Standard Version
20 Then he went (A)home, and the crowd gathered again, (B)so that they could not even eat. 21 (C)And when (D)his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He (E)is out of his mind.”
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
22 And (F)the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, (G)“He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” 23 (H)And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But (I)no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. (J)Then indeed he may plunder his house.
28 (K)“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29 but whoever (L)blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Jesus' Mother and Brothers
31 (M)And his mother and his (N)brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers[a] are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And (O)looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 (P)For whoever (Q)does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
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- Mark 3:32 Other manuscripts add and your sisters
Mark 3:20-35
New English Translation
Mark 3:20-35
New English Translation
Jesus and Beelzebul
20 Now[a] Jesus[b] went home, and a crowd gathered so that they were not able to eat. 21 When his family[c] heard this they went out to restrain him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” 22 The experts in the law[d] who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,”[e] and, “By the ruler[f] of demons he casts out demons!” 23 So[g] he called them and spoke to them in parables:[h] “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If[i] 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[j] house and steal his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can thoroughly plunder his house.[k] 28 I tell you the truth,[l] people will be forgiven for all sins, even all the blasphemies they utter.[m] 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, but is guilty of an eternal sin”[n] 30 (because they said, “He has an unclean spirit”[o]).
Jesus’ True Family
31 Then[p] Jesus’[q] mother and his brothers[r] came. Standing[s] outside, they sent word to him, to summon him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him and they said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers[t] are outside looking for you.” 33 He answered them and said, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”[u] 34 And looking at those who were sitting around him in a circle, he said, “Here[v] are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God is[w] my brother and sister and mother.”
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- Mark 3:20 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
- Mark 3:20 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Mark 3:21 tc Western witnesses D W it, instead of reading οἱ παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ (hoi par’ autou, here translated “family”), have περὶ αὐτοῦ οἱ γραμματεῖς καὶ οἱ λοιποί (peri autou hoi grammateis kai hoi loipoi, “[when] the scribes and others [heard] about him”). But this reading is obviously motivated, for it removes the embarrassing statement about Jesus’ family’s opinion of him as “out of his mind” and transfers this view to the Lord’s opponents. The fact that virtually all other witnesses have οἱ παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ here, coupled with the strong internal evidence for the shorter reading, shows this Western reading to be secondary.tn On the meaning “family” for οἱ παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ (hoi par’ autou), see BDAG 756-57 s.v. παρά A.3.b.β.ב.sn The incident involving the religious leaders accusing Jesus of being in league with the devil (3:22-30) is sandwiched between Mark’s mention of Jesus’ family coming to restrain him (the Greek word for restrain here is also used to mean arrest; see Mark 6:17; 12:12; 14:1, 44, 46, 49, 51) because they thought he was out of his mind (3:21). It is probably Mark’s intention in this structure to show that Jesus’ family is to be regarded as not altogether unlike the experts in the law [scribes] in their perception of the true identity of Jesus; they are incorrect in their understanding of him as well. The tone is obviously one of sadness and the emphasis on Jesus’ true family in vv. 31-35 serves to underscore the comparison between his relatives and the scribes on the one hand, and those who truly obey God on the other.
- 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 3:28 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”
- Mark 3:28 tn Grk “all the sins and blasphemies they may speak will be forgiven the sons of men.”
- Mark 3:29 sn Is guilty of an eternal sin. This passage has troubled many people, who have wondered whether or not they have committed this eternal sin. Three things must be kept in mind: (1) the nature of the sin is to ascribe what is the obvious work of the Holy Spirit (e.g., releasing people from Satan’s power) to Satan himself; (2) it is not simply a momentary doubt or sinful attitude, but is indeed a settled condition which opposes the Spirit’s work, as typified by the religious leaders who opposed Jesus; and (3) a person who is concerned about it has probably never committed this sin, for those who commit it here (i.e., the religious leaders) are not in the least concerned about Jesus’ warning. On this last point see W. W. Wessel, “Mark,” EBC 8:645-46.
- Mark 3:30 sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.
- Mark 3:31 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
- Mark 3:31 tn Grk “his”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Mark 3:31 sn The issue of whether Jesus had brothers (siblings) has had a long history in the church. Epiphanius, in the 4th century, argued that Mary was a perpetual virgin and had no offspring other than Jesus. Others argued that these brothers were really cousins. Nothing in the text suggests any of this. See also John 7:3.
- Mark 3:31 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
- Mark 3:32 tc ‡ Many mss read “and your sisters” here after “your brothers” (A D Γ 700 pm it). However, the pedigree of several of the mss which lack this phrase is considerable (א B C K L W Δ Θ ƒ1,13 28 33 565 892 1241 1424 2542 pm lat sy). It seems likely that this phrase was added by an early Western scribe to harmonize this statement with Jesus’ response in v. 35. NA27 has the words in brackets, indicating some doubt as to their authenticity.
- Mark 3:33 tn Grk “Who is my mother and my brothers?” The use of the singular verb ἐστιν (estin) here singles out Mary above Jesus’ brothers, giving her special prominence (see ExSyn 401-2). This is slightly unnatural in English since the predicate nominative is plural, though, so a plural verb was used in the translation.
- Mark 3:34 tn Grk “Behold my mother and my brothers.”
- Mark 3:35 tn The pleonastic pronoun οὗτος (houtos, “this one”) which precedes this verb has not been translated.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
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New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
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New English Translation (NET)
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