The Fallible Study Bible

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Mark3:20–27

A House Divided

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Mark 3:20–27 — A House Divided. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

20

Then Jesus went home, and once again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples could not even eat.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai erchetai eis oikon kai palin ho ochlos synerchetai hōste dynasthai mē mēde autous phagein arton

Word by word16 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiThenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἔρχεταιerchetai[Jesus] wentG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
ἔρχομαι: to come or go Present tense in a past narrative, Mark's signature. The Son of God is not resting at home; he arrives, and the house fills before he can sit.
εἰςeisG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
οἶκονoikonhomeG3624
√ οἶκος — a dwelling (more or less extensive, literal or figurative)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
οἶκος: a dwelling, literal or figurative Anarthrous and ordinary: a house in a lake town. Yet the unit will turn on two houses, the divided household that cannot stand (v. 25) and the strong man's house that gets emptied (v. 27), so Mark's first noun of place is already doing structural work.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
πάλινpalinonce againG3825
√ πάλιν — (adverbially) anew, iAdverb
πάλιν (G3825, "anew, again"): the crowd is a repeat condition, not an event.
ὁhoaG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ὄχλοςochloscrowdG3793
√ ὄχλος — a throng (as borne along)NounNominative Masculine Singular
συνέρχεταιsynerchetaigatheredG4905
√ συνέρχομαι — to convene, depart in company with, associate with, or (specially), cohabit (conjugally)VerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
συνέρχομαι: to convene, to come together in company The crowd acts as one body with a middle-voice verb. Gill: "the press was so great, and their importunities so urgent" that no one could eat. The irony Mark is setting up is that the multitude gathers to Jesus in the same hour his own household sets out to remove him.
ὥστεhōsteso thatG5620
√ ὥστε — so too, iConjunction
δύνασθαιdynasthai[He and His disciples] couldG1410
√ δύναμαι — to be able or possibleVerbPresent Infinitive Middle or Passive
δύνασθαι (G1410, Present Infinitive): inability held open, not a single failure.
μὴmēnotG3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
μὴ with μηδὲ (G3361 + G3366) piles negation on negation: "not, not even." Greek strengthens by accumulating negatives where English must not.
μηδὲmēdeevenG3366
√ μηδέ — but not, not evenConjunction
αὐτοὺςautousvvvG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
φαγεῖνphageineatG5315
√ φάγω — to eat (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Infinitive Active
φάγω: to eat Aorist infinitive: not even one meal got taken. Barnes draws the pastoral moral, that "religion is all-important" and may displace ordinary business; Henry draws the same line more sharply, that such men "will rather lose a meal than an opportunity of doing good."
ἄρτονartonG740
√ ἄρτος — bread (as raised) or a loafNounAccusative Masculine Singular
ἄρτος: bread, or a loaf The object BSB omits. In Mark's own vocabulary this noun is loaded: the bread not eaten here (3:20) is the bread broken and distributed in 6:41, where the verb of distribution is the very verb of ruinous division in vv. 24 to 26.
21

When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai hoi par’ autou akousantes exēlthon kratēsai auton gar elegon hoti Exestē

Word by word12 · parsed
καὶkai[When]G2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
οἱhoivvvG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
παρ’par’His familyG3844
√ παρά — properly, nearPreposition
παρά: properly, near, from beside The whole ambiguity of the verse sits in this preposition. "Those from beside him" can mean kin, household, or associates; Poole will not settle it, Ellicott reads it as "from His home," Cambridge names "His brethren and His mother" on the strength of v. 31, and Barnes insists it excludes the apostles.
αὐτοῦautou. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ἀκούσαντεςakousantesheard [about this]G191
√ ἀκούω — to hear (in various senses)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
ἀκούω: to hear Aorist participle: report reaches them before they act. What they heard was not a scandal but a crowd.
ἐξῆλθονexēlthonthey went outG1831
√ ἐξέρχομαι — to issue (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
κρατῆσαιkratēsaito take custodyG2902
√ κρατέω — to use strength, iVerbAorist Infinitive Active
κρατέω: to use strength, to seize Aorist infinitive of purpose. The verb does not distinguish rescue from arrest, and the commentators divide accordingly: Gill reads kindness, "this was in kindness to him, and does not design any violent action upon him"; Maclaren reads a plan to carry him off "to some safe restraint in Nazareth." The text itself reports only the grip.
αὐτόνautonof HimG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
γὰρgarG1063
√ γάρ — properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensificationConjunction
ἔλεγονelegonsayingG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
Imperfect of λέγω: a settled, repeated verdict rather than one remark. Barnes suspects its source, "common report said," and even that Christ's enemies started it.
ὅτιhotiG3754
√ ὅτι — demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant)Conjunction
ἘξέστηExestēHe is out of His mindG1839
√ ἐξίστημι — to put (stand) out of wits, iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ἐξίστημι: to stand out of one's wits The pivot of the verse and of Mark's whole irony. Literally to be displaced from oneself; in Hellenistic usage both madness and ecstasy. Ellicott hears the seed of the scribes' harsher charge, comparing John 10:20, "He hath a devil, and is mad." So the kindest thing his kin can say of him and the cruellest thing his enemies can say stand only one step apart.
22

And 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.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai hoi grammateis hoi katabantes apo Hierosolymōn elegon hoti echei Beelzeboul kai hoti En tō archonti tōn daimoniōn ekballei ta daimonia

Word by word21 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiAndG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
οἱhoitheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
γραμματεῖςgrammateisscribesG1122
√ γραμματεύς — scribe, town-clerkNounNominative Masculine Plural
γραμματεύς: scribe, town-clerk The literate class, the men whose trade is texts. Benson notes the cost of their credentials: "the common people now began to drink in the poison from these learned, good, honourable men!"
οἱhoiwhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
καταβάντεςkatabanteshad come downG2597
√ καταβαίνω — to descend (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
καταβαίνω: to descend Aorist participle. Geographical fact and narrative menace at once: the capital's scholars have travelled to Galilee for the express purpose of rendering a verdict, and Pulpit reads their words as an official finding meant "to undermine his influence."
ἀπὸapofromG575
√ ἀπό — "off," iPreposition
ἹεροσολύμωνHierosolymōnJerusalemG2414
√ Ἱεροσόλυμα — Hierosolyma (iNounGenitive Neuter Plural
ἔλεγονelegonwere sayingG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
Imperfect again, matching v. 21: the charge was circulated, not blurted.
ὅτιhotiG3754
√ ὅτι — demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant)Conjunction
ἔχειecheiHe is possessedG2192
√ ἔχω — to hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remoteVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ἔχω: to hold Present active. Two constructions in one verse: he has Beelzebul, and he acts by the ruler of demons. Maclaren observes what the accusation concedes, that "this man casteth out demons" is admitted by his enemies; the dispute is only over the power behind it.
ΒεελζεβοὺλBeelzeboulby BeelzebulG954
√ Βεελζεβούλ — dung-godNounAccusative Masculine Singular
Βεελζεβούλ: dung-god (Strong's gloss) Rare in the New Testament (seven verses by the Verifier's count), and every occurrence is this same controversy. The name carries a pagan pedigree into a Jewish courtroom insult; Cambridge preserves both the habitation and the dunghill etymologies without deciding.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὅτιhotiG3754
√ ὅτι — demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant)Conjunction
ἘνEnByG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
τῷtōtheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Singular
ἄρχοντιarchontiprinceG758
√ ἄρχων — a first (in rank or power)NounDative Masculine Singular
ἄρχων: a first in rank or power The word supplies the unit's political grammar. Once the accusers posit a ruler over the demons, they have posited a kingdom, and Jesus answers on precisely that ground in v. 24.
τῶνtōnof theG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Neuter Plural
δαιμονίωνdaimoniōndemonsG1140
√ δαιμόνιον — a dæmonic beingNounGenitive Neuter Plural
ἐκβάλλειekballeiHe drives outG1544
√ ἐκβάλλω — to eject (literally or figuratively)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ἐκβάλλω: to eject Present Indicative Active: he is doing it, habitually. The scribes concede the exorcisms as fact. Pulpit: "There was no questioning the facts."
τὰtaG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Plural
δαιμόνιαdaimoniademonsG1140
√ δαιμόνιον — a dæmonic beingNounAccusative Neuter Plural
23

So Jesus called them together and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan?

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai proskalesamenos autous elegen autois en parabolais Pōs dynatai Satanas ekballein Satanan

Word by word12 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiSoG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
προσκαλεσάμενοςproskalesamenos[Jesus] called them togetherG4341
√ προσκαλέομαι — to call toward oneself, iVerbAorist Participle MiddleNominative Masculine Singular
προσκαλέομαι: to call toward oneself Middle voice, aorist. Jesus does not defend himself at a distance or send word; he draws the delegation from Jerusalem into conversation. The posture matters for the sola reading below: the answer to slander here is argument offered face to face.
αὐτοὺςautous. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
ἔλεγενelegen[and] began to speakG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
Imperfect ἔλεγεν: he kept saying, a sustained reply, the same tense Mark used for both accusations.
αὐτοῖςautoisto themG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
παραβολαῖςparabolaisparablesG3850
√ παραβολή — a similitude ("parable"), iNounDative Feminine Plural
παραβολή: a similitude, a parable Dative plural. Ellicott stretches the term to any argument from analogy; Gill divides the material, calling v. 27 "properly a parable" while "the other seem to be proverbs." So the form itself is mixed, and Mark's label is generous.
ΠῶςPōsHowG4459
√ πῶς — an interrogative particle of mannerAdverb
δύναταιdynataicanG1410
√ δύναμαι — to be able or possibleVerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
δύναμαι: to be able The load-bearing verb of the unit. Asked here, denied of the kingdom (v. 24), denied in the future of the house (v. 25), denied of Satan (v. 26), denied of the housebreaker (v. 27). Every one of Christ's sentences in this reply is about what power cannot do.
ΣατανᾶςSatanasSatanG4567
√ Σατανᾶς — the accuser, iNounNominative Masculine Singular
Σατανᾶς: the accuser The name means accuser, and the scene is an accusation. The scribes accuse Jesus of alliance with the accuser; the reply exposes that their charge requires the accuser to accuse himself.
ἐκβάλλεινekballeindrive outG1544
√ ἐκβάλλω — to eject (literally or figuratively)VerbPresent Infinitive Active
ΣατανᾶνSatananSatanG4567
√ Σατανᾶς — the accuser, iNounAccusative Masculine Singular
Accusative of the same name: object of ἐκβάλλειν. Grammar carries the reductio.
24

If a kingdom is divided against itself, it cannot stand.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai ean basileia meristhē eph’ heautēn ekeinē hē basileia ou dynatai stathēnai

Word by word12 · parsed
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐὰνeanIfG1437
√ ἐάν — a conditional particleConjunction
βασιλείαbasileiaa kingdomG932
√ βασιλεία — properly, royalty, iNounNominative Feminine Singular
βασιλεία: properly, royalty, a kingdom The scribes introduced a ruler (v. 22); Jesus draws out the implied realm. Gill widens the application to "any of the kingdoms of this world, and the kingdom of Satan," so the maxim is political before it is demonological.
μερισθῇmeristhēis dividedG3307
√ μερίζω — to part, iVerbAorist Subjunctive Passive3rd Person Singular
μερίζω: to part, to divide A rare verb, thirteen verses in the Greek New Testament by the Verifier's count, and Paul's word for God's apportioning (Romans 12:3, 2 Corinthians 10:13) and for the fracture at Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:13). Here it is the passive of self-ruin. The same lexeme in Mark 6:41 is Christ dividing bread for a multitude, which is the difference between division as gift and division as death.
ἐφ’eph’againstG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
ἑαυτὴνheautēnitselfG1438
√ ἑαυτοῦ — him- (her-, it-, them-, also (in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons) my-, thy-, our-, your-) self (selves), etcReflexive PronounAccusative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Reflexive ἑαυτοῦ with ἐπί: the strike lands on the striker.
ἐκείνηekeinēvvvG1565
√ ἐκεῖνος — that one (or (neuter) thing)Demonstrative PronounNominative Feminine Singular
ἡhēvvvG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
βασιλείαbasileia[it]G932
√ βασιλεία — properly, royalty, iNounNominative Feminine Singular
Resumptive repetition of βασιλεία: the proverb form, not redundancy.
οὐouvvvG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
δύναταιdynataicannotG1410
√ δύναμαι — to be able or possibleVerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
δύναται: the third of the unit's five uses of G1410. Present tense, a standing impossibility.
σταθῆναιstathēnaistandG2476
√ ἵστημι — to stand (transitively or intransitively), used in various applications (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Infinitive Passive
ἵστημι: to stand, transitively or intransitively Aorist Passive infinitive. The kingdom cannot be stood up. Read with v. 26, where Satan cannot στῆναι (Active) and "has an end," the two voices sketch the whole case: no outside prop can raise a self-divided realm, and the realm cannot raise itself.
25

If a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai ean oikia meristhē eph’ heautēn ekeinē hē oikia ou dynēsetai stathēnai

Word by word12 · parsed
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐὰνeanIfG1437
√ ἐάν — a conditional particleConjunction
οἰκίαoikiaa houseG3614
√ οἰκία — properly, residence (abstractly), but usually (concretely) an abode (literally or figuratively)NounNominative Feminine Singular
οἰκία: a residence, an abode, a household The word covers walls and the people inside them. In this narrative frame that is pointed: the crowd has filled a house (v. 20), his kin have come out from one to seize him (v. 21), and his mother and brothers will stand outside one a few verses later. The maxim about a divided household is spoken in a house where the households are dividing.
μερισθῇmeristhēis dividedG3307
√ μερίζω — to part, iVerbAorist Subjunctive Passive3rd Person Singular
μερίζω again, rare and passive: the second beat of the proverb.
ἐφ’eph’againstG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
ἑαυτὴνheautēnitselfG1438
√ ἑαυτοῦ — him- (her-, it-, them-, also (in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons) my-, thy-, our-, your-) self (selves), etcReflexive PronounAccusative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
ἐκείνηekeinēvvvG1565
√ ἐκεῖνος — that one (or (neuter) thing)Demonstrative PronounNominative Feminine Singular
ἡhēvvvG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
οἰκίαoikia[it]G3614
√ οἰκία — properly, residence (abstractly), but usually (concretely) an abode (literally or figuratively)NounNominative Feminine Singular
οὐouvvvG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
δυνήσεταιdynēsetaicannotG1410
√ δύναμαι — to be able or possibleVerbFuture Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
δύναμαι: to be able Future Middle here, against the Present of v. 24. Whether Mark is varying his style or preserving Jesus's own escalation cannot be settled from the text; the change is real and the English does not show it.
σταθῆναιstathēnaistandG2476
√ ἵστημι — to stand (transitively or intransitively), used in various applications (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Infinitive Passive
Aorist Passive of ἵστημι, identical to v. 24: the repetition is the argument.
26

And if Satan is divided and rises against himself, he cannot stand; his end has come.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai ei ho Satanas emeristhē kai anestē eph’ heauton ou dynatai stēnai alla telos echei

Word by word15 · parsed
καὶkaiAndG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
εἰeiifG1487
√ εἰ — if, whether, that, etcConjunction
εἰ with the indicative (G1487): the supposition granted as though real, tightening the reductio.
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ΣατανᾶςSatanasSatanG4567
√ Σατανᾶς — the accuser, iNounNominative Masculine Singular
ἐμερίσθηemeristhēis dividedG3307
√ μερίζω — to part, iVerbAorist Indicative Passive3rd Person Singular
μερίζω: to part, to divide Third and last use in the unit, now Aorist Indicative Passive with Satan as subject. Gill states the consequence plainly, that in such a case Satan's "power and authority will soon be destroyed, both over his own species, and among men."
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἀνέστηanestērisesG450
√ ἀνίστημι — to stand up (literal or figurative, transitive or intransitive)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ἀνίστημι: to stand up An uprising verb inside a standing argument. Satan rising against himself is civil war in the realm of evil, and Mark sets the word beside two infinitives of standing so the ear hears the contradiction: to stand up thus is to be unable to stand.
ἐφ’eph’againstG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
ἑαυτὸνheautonhimselfG1438
√ ἑαυτοῦ — him- (her-, it-, them-, also (in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons) my-, thy-, our-, your-) self (selves), etcReflexive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
οὐouvvvG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
δύναταιdynataihe cannotG1410
√ δύναμαι — to be able or possibleVerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
δύναται: the fourth negated ability in four verses.
στῆναιstēnaistandG2476
√ ἵστημι — to stand (transitively or intransitively), used in various applications (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Infinitive Active
Active στῆναι, against the Passive of vv. 24 and 25. The distinction is small in English and exact in Greek.
ἀλλὰallaG235
√ ἀλλά — properly, other things, iConjunction
τέλοςtelos[his] endG5056
√ τέλος — properly, the point aimed at as a limit, iNounAccusative Neuter Singular
τέλος: the point aimed at as a limit, an end Not annihilation on the spot but a fixed boundary already in place. Read with v. 27, the logic is that the strong man is not merely doomed in principle; someone has come to bind him.
ἔχειecheihas comeG2192
√ ἔχω — to hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remoteVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ἔχω again, the verb of the accusation in v. 22. They said Jesus has Beelzebul; he says Beelzebul has an end.
27

Indeed, no one can enter a strong man’s house to steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

all’ oudeis ou dynatai eiselthōn eis tēn tou ischyrou oikian diarpasai autou ta skeuē ean mē prōton dēsē ton ischyron kai tote diarpasei autou tēn oikian

Word by word26 · parsed
ἀλλ’all’IndeedG235
√ ἀλλά — properly, other things, iConjunction
ἀλλ’ (G235): the adversative that turns the reductio into a positive claim. Having shown what Satan cannot do, Jesus says what someone else must have done.
οὐδεὶςoudeisno oneG3762
√ οὐδείς — not even one (man, woman or thing), iAdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
οὐou. . .G3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
δύναταιdynataicanG1410
√ δύναμαι — to be able or possibleVerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
εἰσελθὼνeiselthōnenterG1525
√ εἰσέρχομαι — to enter (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
εἰσέρχομαι: to enter Aorist participle. The housebreaking is deliberate and sequential: enter, bind, then carry off. The order is the argument, and it places the binding before the exorcisms the scribes have just witnessed.
εἰςeis. . .G1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τὴνtēnG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
τοῦtouvvvG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ἰσχυροῦischyroua strong man’sG2478
√ ἰσχυρός — forcible (literally or figuratively)AdjectiveGenitive Masculine Singular
ἰσχυρός: forcible, strong Articular adjective: the Strong One. The word concedes real power to the adversary, which is why the saying is not triumphalism. Cambridge draws the comparative that the Greek leaves implicit here, naming Christ "the Stronger than the Strong."
οἰκίανoikianhouseG3614
√ οἰκία — properly, residence (abstractly), but usually (concretely) an abode (literally or figuratively)NounAccusative Feminine Singular
διαρπάσαιdiarpasaito stealG1283
√ διαρπάζω — to seize asunder, iVerbAorist Infinitive Active
διαρπάζω: to seize asunder, to plunder Aorist infinitive of purpose, and the verb stands twice in one sentence, here and as a Future at word 22. It is a raider's word, seizing and carrying off by force, and Jesus chooses it for his own work rather than softening it: what he does to the adversary's household is not persuasion but confiscation. The pairing of tenses is the point, since the aorist states what no one can do before the binding and the future states what certainly follows it.
αὐτοῦautouhisG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
τὰtaG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Plural
σκεύηskeuēpossessionsG4632
√ σκεῦος — a vessel, implement, equipment or apparatus (literally or figuratively [specially, a wife as contributing to the usefulness of the husband])NounAccusative Neuter Plural
σκεῦος: a vessel, implement, equipment The goods of the household. Paul's use of the same noun for persons as vessels is a canonical resonance rather than a claim about this verse; here the point is simply that they belong to the strong one until someone stronger enters.
ἐὰνeanunlessG1437
√ ἐάν — a conditional particleConjunction
μὴmē. . .G3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
πρῶτονprōtonvvvG4412
√ πρῶτον — firstly (in time, place, order, or importance)AdverbSuperlative
δήσῃdēsēhe first ties upG1210
√ δέω — to bind (in various applications, literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Subjunctive Active3rd Person Singular
δέω: to bind, literally or figuratively Aorist Subjunctive Active with ἐὰν μή and πρῶτον: the one indispensable prior act. Cambridge dates it, saying Christ "first bound the Evil One, when He triumphed over his temptations"; Pulpit puts it in Jesus's own mouth as a necessity, "must first bind Satan himself, otherwise he would never suffer me to take his captives from him." Both are readings, not the text's own words.
τὸνtontheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
ἰσχυρὸνischyronstrong manG2478
√ ἰσχυρός — forcible (literally or figuratively)AdjectiveAccusative Masculine Singular
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
τότεtoteThenG5119
√ τότε — the when, iAdverb
τότε (G5119): the hinge of time. The plundering is after the binding, which is why v. 27 answers v. 22 rather than merely refuting it.
διαρπάσειdiarpaseihe can plunderG1283
√ διαρπάζω — to seize asunder, iVerbFuture Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
Future Indicative of διαρπάζω: the plundering is stated as what will happen, not as what might be permitted.
αὐτοῦautouhisG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
τὴνtēnG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
οἰκίανoikianhouseG3614
√ οἰκία — properly, residence (abstractly), but usually (concretely) an abode (literally or figuratively)NounAccusative Feminine Singular

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. A house too full for bread — 3:20

Mark opens in the present tense: ἔρχεται (G2064), he comes into a house, and the crowd συνέρχεται (G4905), convenes itself again, until no one can eat ἄρτον (G740). Ellicott hears an eyewitness in the detail, calling it "eminently characteristic of St. Mark." Cambridge locates the house at Capernaum, "which, had now become our Lord's temporary home"; Gill names Simon's house and adds the exhausting backstory, that Christ "had been up all night, which he had spent in prayer." Barnes turns it to pastoral use, that "religion is all-important," and Henry to the same end, that such men "will rather lose a meal than an opportunity of doing good." Pulpit sees the literary purpose: Mark records the missed meal "in order to show the contrast between the zeal of the multitude and the very different feelings of our Lord's own connections." ⚙ Note what the unit's first noun of place is. A house. Two verses later the parable will hang on whether a house can stand.

ii. Two verdicts, one step apart — 3:21-22

Both charges come in the Imperfect, ἔλεγον: talk that keeps going. His own οἱ παρ’ αὐτοῦ, "the ones from beside him," go out to κρατῆσαι (G2902) him, a verb of bare grip, saying Ἐξέστη (G1839), he stood out of himself. Poole refuses to settle who they are, recording that it is "no small dispute who are here called our Saviour's friends," and refuses to condemn them, "believing that they did verily believe as they spake." Gill goes further and reads kindness: "this was in kindness to him, and does not design any violent action upon him." Cambridge names them relatives and glosses the verdict as ecstasy, noting Paul's own use of the word at 2 Corinthians 5:13. Maclaren takes the darker view, that they came "to carry Him off to some safe restraint in Nazareth," and states the scandal in one line: "The Incarnate Wisdom shielded by friends from the accusation that He is a demoniac by the apology that He is a lunatic!" Then the scribes come down (καταβάντες, G2597) from Jerusalem with the official finding, "He has Beelzebul," and "by the ἄρχων (G758) of the demons he casts out the demons." Pulpit says they were "sent down by the Sanhedrim, on purpose to watch him"; Benson exposes the mechanism, "How easily may a man of learning elude the strongest proof of a work of God!"; Maclaren notices what the slander concedes, since even the enemies admit "this man casteth out demons." ⚙ Ellicott alone draws the two verdicts together, suspecting that the family's "random word" gave the scribes their opening, and comparing John 10:20, "He hath a devil, and is mad." Affection and malice arrive at almost the same sentence.

iii. The reductio: kingdom, house, Satan — 3:23-26

He προσκαλεσάμενος (G4341) them, calls his accusers to his own side, and answers in παραβολαῖς. Ellicott allows the word its "wider sense, as including any form of argument from analogy"; Gill sorts the material, calling v. 27 "properly a parable" while the rest "seem to be proverbs." Cambridge names the method, "an irresistible argumentum ad hominem," and Gill puts the common sense of it as a question: "can it ever be thought that such, whose interest it is to unite, would ever oppose and dispossess one another?" Maclaren says the same with a proverb, that "Hawks do not pick out hawks' eyes." The Greek builds by repetition: μερίζω (G3307, rare, thirteen verses) three times, δύναμαι (G1410) negated four times, ἵστημι (G2476) three times, and a real grammatical escalation the English flattens. Kingdom: Present δύναται, Passive σταθῆναι. House: Future δυνήσεται, same Passive. Satan: εἰ with Aorist Indicative, Active στῆναι, and τέλος ἔχει, he has an end. Gill's application is civic before it is cosmic, that "internal broils and divisions will, soon bring it to desolation," and domestic too, "any family, small or great." Geneva's marginal note quietly narrows the third case: Satan rising "against himself" means, in Geneva's reading, "Satan's servants or followers." Pulpit insists on what the argument presupposes, that "our Lord distinctly affirms the personality of Satan, and a real kingdom of evil." ⚙ The maxim about a divided house is spoken inside a house, to men from a divided nation, while the speaker's own kin stand outside.

iv. The binding that must already have happened — 3:27

ἀλλ’ (G235) turns the whole reply. No one can enter the house of τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ (G2478, "the strong one," articular) and διαρπάσαι (G1283) his σκεύη (G4632) unless he first δήσῃ (G1210) the strong one; and then (τότε) he will plunder. Cambridge decodes the figures, "The 'strong man' is Satan; his House or Palace is this Lower world; the Stronger than the Strong is Christ, who first bound the Evil One, when He triumphed over his temptations," and cross-references Luke 11:21 to 22. Pulpit paraphrases the logic in the first person, that Christ "must first bind Satan himself, otherwise he would never suffer me to take his captives from him. Therefore he is my enemy, and not in league with me." Henry states the inference from the other end, that "the doctrine of Christ had a direct tendency to break the devil's power," so "Satan could not support such a design." ⚙ The argument runs backwards from an event everyone in the room has seen. Demons are coming out. If Satan is not suicidal, then the exorcisms are evidence that the binding is already accomplished, and the plundering has begun before anyone announced a war. The identification of the strong one with Satan is the united reading of Cambridge, Pulpit, Gill and Henry; the date of the binding is not in the text, and Cambridge's placement of it at the temptation is an inference.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

⚙ Read whole, this unit is about who gets to interpret Jesus, and it gives three answers and keeps none of them. The crowd interprets him with their bodies and gets closer than anyone: they press in until no one can eat. His household interprets him with pity, Ἐξέστη, he is not himself, and the Greek word for that verdict is one step from the scribes' word for possession, which is exactly Ellicott's observation. The scholars from Jerusalem interpret him with a theory, and the theory has to concede the miracle in order to slander its source. Then Jesus interprets himself, and he does it not by asserting authority but by argument, having first called his accusers close (προσκαλεσάμενος). What he says is structural: division is terminal. A kingdom set upon itself cannot be stood up (Passive σταθῆναι), a house set upon itself will never be stood up (Future), and the adversary who rose against himself could not stand and already has an end (τέλος ἔχει). ⚙ The sharp thing is that the diagnosis lands on the accusers too. Jerusalem's scribes have come down to divide a nation against the one man in it who is not divided, and by their own logic they are working on a house that cannot stand. And the positive claim in v. 27 is smuggled in as a negative: nobody can rob the strong one until he is tied up. So the exorcisms are not a debating point, they are evidence of a completed act of force. Christ does not argue that he is stronger; he lets the emptied houses argue it. ⚙ Under Sola Scriptura this text, read alone, will not tell us when the binding happened, and the commentators differ. Cambridge says the temptation; the passage says only first. That gap is real and we leave it open. What the passage will not permit is a Jesus who is merely admirable, or merely deranged, or merely in league. The crowd that cannot eat and the demons that cannot stay are both testifying to the same thing: someone strong has entered the house.

The line that follows is ⚙ synthesis, not Scripture: "They could not eat bread in that house, because the Stronger had come to empty another one."

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The Beelzebul controversy in Matthew and Luke verbal / quotation: confirmed

The same accusation and the same reply stand in Matthew 12:24 to 27 and Luke 11:15 to 19, and the Verifier's candidates tie them to this unit by the rare name Βεελζεβούλ (G954), which occurs in only seven verses of the Greek New Testament and in every case inside this one controversy, together with ἄρχων (G758, thirty-six verses) and ἐκβάλλω (G1544). JFB heads the section as parallel outright, "( = Mt 12:22-37; Lu 11:14-26)," and Barnes, Poole, Gill and Ellicott all simply refer the reader to Matthew 12. Cambridge supplies the detail Mark omits, that Matthew "tells us of the miracle, which was the occasion of this blasphemy, the cure of a man not only possessed with a demon, but also blind and dumb ( Matthew 12:22 )."

Matthew 12:24 · Matthew 12:26 · Luke 11:15 · Luke 11:18

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexemes G954 Βεελζεβούλ (rare, in 7 vv), G758 ἄρχων (in 36 vv), G1544 ἐκβάλλω (in 75 vv), G1140 δαιμόνιον (in 55 vv); all refs are Greek New Testament, and the rare proper name plus JFB's explicit parallel heading support a verbal link between synoptic reports of one saying

The strong man bound, in Matthew and Luke structural / thematic: confirmed

Matthew 12:29 and Luke 11:21 to 22 carry the same picture of the house, the binding and the spoil. The Verifier's basis for Matthew 12:29 is only the common words δύναμαι (G1410) and πῶς (G4459), which is not enough to call a verbal link on lexical grounds, so the tier here is deliberately lowered even though the saying is manifestly the same one. Cambridge points the reader to Luke 11:21 to 22, where the comparative "the Stronger than the Strong" is explicit, a step Mark leaves implicit in his articular τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ (G2478).

Matthew 12:29 · Luke 11:21

basis: Verifier basis for Matthew 12:29 is common lexemes only (G1410 δύναμαι in 201 vv; G4459 πῶς in 114 vv), which cannot carry a verbal tier; the link is the shared saying and structure (enter, bind, plunder), recorded by Cambridge's cross-reference to Luke 11:21-22 and by JFB's parallel heading

Plunder taken from the mighty typological

The oldest Scriptural shape behind v. 27 is Isaiah 49:24 to 25, where the question is whether prey can be taken from the mighty and the captive delivered, and the answer is that the Lord himself will do the taking. Mark's articular τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ (G2478, "the strong one") and his διαρπάζω (G1283, "to seize asunder") set the same scene in Greek: a holder of captives, a stronger raider, goods carried out. ⚙ This pairing is our reading, not a citation. None of the voices in this unit's brief names Isaiah; Cambridge and Pulpit identify the strong one as Satan and the plunder as rescued sinners, and the Isaianic shape of that rescue is the inference we add.

Isaiah 49:24 · Isaiah 49:25

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew): no shared Strong's number is possible, so no verbal tier and no Verifier lexeme basis exists for this pair; the link is figural, the mighty one whose prey is taken read as the strong one bound. Widely held in Christian reading, but not cited by any voice in this brief and not a formal quotation in Mark

Beelzebul and the lord of Ekron flagged: verify source

The name the scribes use goes back, on the usual reconstruction, to Baal-zebub of Ekron in 2 Kings 1:2 to 3, and Strong's gloss for Βεελζεβούλ (G954) is bluntly "dung-god." But the derivation is genuinely disputed and this unit's own sources do not settle it: Cambridge lays out zebûl = habitation, giving "the Lord of the dwelling," against zebel = dung, giving "the lord of dung or the dung-hill," while Pulpit adopts the first without argument. ⚙ We flag the Ekron connection rather than assert it, because no voice in this brief makes it and the Greek form ends in l, not b.

2 Kings 1:2 · 2 Kings 1:3

basis: Contested provenance: Cambridge records two competing etymologies (zebûl, habitation, and zebel, dung) and the Greek name Βεελζεβούλ does not match Baal-zebub's final consonant; no shared Strong's number is possible across Greek and Hebrew, and no voice in this brief cites 2 Kings. The identification is traditional but unverified from this unit's sources

The same rare verb, dividing bread structural / thematic: confirmed

μερίζω (G3307) is rare, thirteen verses in the Greek New Testament, and it governs this unit's whole reductio in vv. 24, 25 and 26. The Verifier ties Mark 6:41 to this unit by that lexeme together with ἄρτος (G740), the bread of v. 20, and in 6:41 the verb is Christ dividing loaves among a multitude. ⚙ The shared vocabulary is a fact; the irony is our reading. In Mark's own Greek, division is the death of a kingdom and the method of a miracle, depending entirely on whether the dividing is done to a body or done for one. The bread nobody could eat in 3:20 is the bread he apportions in 6:41.

Mark 6:41

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexemes G3307 μερίζω (rare, in 13 vv) and G740 ἄρτος (in 89 vv), both within Mark; a real verbal contact but no quotation and no shared saying, so the tier stays structural and the contrast of senses is our synthesis

Is Christ divided? structural / thematic: confirmed

Paul's question at 1 Corinthians 1:13 uses the same rare verb, μερίζω (G3307), of the church split into parties, and the Verifier lists 1 Corinthians 1:13, 7:17, 7:34, 2 Corinthians 10:13 and Romans 12:3 among the candidates on that lexeme, where its sense is mostly God's apportioning. ⚙ We claim no citation here. What the lexical field shows is that one verb covers both God's allotment and a community's fracture, and Mark 3:24 to 26 supplies the terminal case: a body set upon itself cannot be stood up. Henry reaches for a related application when he says that "unconverted men pretend believers are doing Satan's work," which is the Corinthian disease in its Markan form.

1 Corinthians 1:13 · 2 Corinthians 10:13 · Romans 12:3

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G3307 μερίζω (rare, in 13 vv) across all listed refs, New Testament to New Testament; but the senses differ (self-ruin here, apportioning and party-spirit there) and no quotation is involved, so structural rather than verbal

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The Stronger One who binds before he plunders ancient/widely-held

⚙ Verse 27 is the unit's Christology, and it is stated negatively so that only one conclusion fits. The house belongs to τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ (G2478), the Strong One, articular and real; the goods are held; nobody gets them until he is δήσῃ (G1210), bound. Demons are in fact coming out, as even the scribes concede. Therefore a binding has occurred. Cambridge states the reading in full, "the Stronger than the Strong is Christ, who first bound the Evil One," and Pulpit puts the logic in Jesus's own mouth, that he "must first bind Satan himself, otherwise he would never suffer me to take his captives from him." Henry reasons from the same fact, that the casting out of devils "confirmed that doctrine; therefore Satan could not support such a design." ⚙ The one thing the text does not date is the binding. Cambridge assigns it to the temptation; Mark says only first. We keep the gap open, and note that Christ's own argument requires the victory to be behind him while the plundering is still going on.

Mark 1:12 · Mark 1:13 · Luke 11:21 · Isaiah 49:25

The plunder is people ancient/widely-held

⚙ The goods in the strong one's house are σκεύη (G4632), vessels and equipment, and the whole force of the parable depends on their being carried out. Pulpit reads them as persons without hesitation, describing Christ as the one who spoils the kingdom of Satan "whilst I lead sinners who had been under his power to repentance and salvation," and concludes with Jesus's own inference in the parallel, "that therefore the kingdom of God is come upon you." Cambridge calls the strong man's house "this Lower world." ⚙ Then the exorcisms in Mark are not displays of power but removals of property: each freed man is an item taken out of a house whose owner is tied up. That is why the accusation in v. 22 is not merely wrong but backwards. The scribes watch the goods being carried out and conclude that the householder is doing it himself.

Mark 5:15 · Luke 11:20 · Colossians 2:15

The one house that was not divided novel

⚙ A fallible reading, offered to be tested. Every human party in this unit is divided: a nation whose scribes travel from the capital to discredit its healer, a family that goes out to seize its own son, a crowd so undiscerning that it cannot let him eat. The only undivided thing in the narrative is the man they cannot classify. Verse 21's Ἐξέστη (G1839) says he stood outside himself; the truth on Mark's own showing is that he alone stands. He will not be stood up (σταθῆναι, Passive) by anyone, and he does not rise against himself (ἀνέστη, v. 26) as the adversary must; the verb ἀνίστημι that Mark uses here of Satan's suicidal insurrection is the verb that will be used of Christ's rising. ⚙ That last pairing is our observation, not a source's, and it rests on a shared root rather than a quotation. Ellicott's link to John 10:20, "He hath a devil, and is mad," and Cambridge's link to 2 Corinthians 5:13, "For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God," show that the reproach of madness followed him and then followed his apostles. The Servant whose own household thought him deranged is the house that stood.

John 10:20 · 2 Corinthians 5:13 · Mark 3:35

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (c. 1905)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

Text: BSB for the English, Berean interlinear with Strong's for the Greek. Two textual and lexical uncertainties are recorded rather than resolved. First, the opening of v. 20: Pulpit reports that "the last clause of ver. 19, And they went into an house, should form the opening sentence of a new paragraph" and discusses a reading involving ἐξῆλθον, so the subject and the paragraph division at 3:20 are debated. Second, the name in v. 22: the interlinear prints Βεελζεβοὺλ, Strong's glosses G954 as "dung-god," and Cambridge sets out two rival etymologies (habitation and dung) without choosing; we have flagged the customary link to Baal-zebub of Ekron rather than asserting it.

Sources: of the eleven authors in this brief, ten are quoted. JFB is not, because every JFB entry across all eight verses is the same section heading referring the reader to Matthew 12 and Luke 11, with no exposition to excerpt; that referral is itself cited in the first thread as evidence of the synoptic parallel. Barnes, Poole and Ellicott likewise defer much of their comment on vv. 22 to 27 to Matthew 12, so this unit's commentary tradition is thinner on the parables themselves than on vv. 20 to 21, and Gill, Cambridge, Pulpit and Maclaren carry most of the exposition. Henry's notes are written over blocks (3:13 to 21 and 3:22 to 30), so his excerpts speak to more than the verse they are filed under. Maclaren's two entries are capped in this brief and we quoted only from the portions supplied.

Uncertain by our own judgement: who exactly οἱ παρ’ αὐτοῦ were in v. 21 (Poole explicitly leaves it open; Cambridge and Maclaren name the family, Gill the kinsmen); whether Ἐξέστη means madness or excess of zeal (Poole and Barnes take the stronger sense, Gill the milder); and when the binding of v. 27 took place, which Cambridge places at the temptation and the text does not date. The grammatical shifts we flag (Present δύναται in v. 24 against Future δυνήσεται in v. 25; Passive σταθῆναι in vv. 24 and 25 against Active στῆναι in v. 26; ἐάν with subjunctive against εἰ with indicative in v. 26) are straight from the supplied parse; what they mean is our reading, and a reader may judge them stylistic variation rather than argument.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)