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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Matthew 17:19

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked him, "Why couldn't we drive the demon out?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Doubting;   Faith;   Jesus, the Christ;   Miracles;   Unbelief;   Thompson Chain Reference - Distrust;   Faith-Unbelief;   Scepticism;   Unbelief;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Faith;   Gifts of the spirit;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Demon;   Miracle;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Heaven;   Hutchinsonians;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Deafness;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   Pilate, Pontius;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Faith;   Text of the New Testament;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Children;   Cures;   Disease;   Exorcism;   Fig-Tree ;   Force;   Lunatic;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Transfiguration;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Apart;   Healing, Gifts of;   Intercession;   Jesus Christ (Part 2 of 2);  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
King James Version (1611)
Then came the Disciples to Iesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
King James Version
Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
English Standard Version
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"
New American Standard Bible
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"
New Century Version
The followers came to Jesus when he was alone and asked, "Why couldn't we force the demon out?"
Amplified Bible
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, "Why could we not drive it out?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then came the disciples to Iesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not drive it out?"
Legacy Standard Bible
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"
Berean Standard Bible
Afterward the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
Contemporary English Version
Later the disciples went to Jesus in private and asked him, "Why couldn't we force out the demon?"
Complete Jewish Bible
Then the talmidim went to him privately and said, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
Darby Translation
Then the disciples, coming to Jesus apart, said [to him], Why were not *we* able to cast him out?
Easy-to-Read Version
Then the followers came to Jesus alone. They said, "We tried to force the demon out of the boy, but we could not. Why were we not able to make the demon go out?"
George Lamsa Translation
Then the disciples came up to Jesus when he was alone, and said to him, Why could we not heal him?
Lexham English Bible
Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, Why were we not able to expel it?"
Literal Translation
Then coming up to Jesus privately, the disciples said, Why were we not able to cast him out?
American Standard Version
Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast it out?
Bible in Basic English
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately, and said, Why were we not able to send it out?
Hebrew Names Version
Then the talmidim came to Yeshua privately, and said, "Why weren't we able to cast it out?"
International Standard Version
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
Etheridge Translation
Then came the disciples to Jeshu by himself, and said to him, Why were we not able to heal him?
Murdock Translation
Then came the disciples to Jesus, apart, and said to him: Why could not we heal him?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then came the disciples to Iesus secretely, and sayde: why coulde not we cast hym out?
English Revised Version
Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast it out?
World English Bible
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately, and said, "Why were we not able to cast it out?"
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Then the disciples coming to Jesus apart said, Why could not we cast him out?
Weymouth's New Testament
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked Him, "Why could not we expel the demon?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thanne the disciplis camen to Jhesu priueli, and seiden to hym, Whi myyten not we caste hym out?
Update Bible Version
Then the disciples came to Jesus apart, and said, Why couldn't we cast it out?
Webster's Bible Translation
Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
New English Translation
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why couldn't we cast it out?"
New King James Version
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"
New Living Translation
Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, "Why couldn't we cast out that demon?"
New Life Bible
The followers came to Jesus when He was alone. They said, "Why were we not able to put the demon out?"
New Revised Standard
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then, the disciples, coming near, to Jesus, privately, said - Wherefore could, we, not cast it out?
Douay-Rheims Bible
(17-18) Then came the disciples to Jesus secretly, and said: Why could not we cast him out?
Revised Standard Version
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Then came the disciples to Iesus secretly and sayde: Why could not we cast him out?
Young's Literal Translation
Then the disciples having come to Jesus by himself, said, `Wherefore were we not able to cast him out?'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then came the disciples vnto Iesus secretly, & sayde: Why coude not we cast him out?
Mace New Testament (1729)
then came the disciples to Jesus in private, and said, why could not we cast him out?
THE MESSAGE
When the disciples had Jesus off to themselves, they asked, "Why couldn't we throw it out?"
Simplified Cowboy Version
The cowboys asked Jesus, "How come we couldn't rope and drag that ol' demon out?"

Contextual Overview

14 When they returned to the crowd, a man came to Jesus, knelt before him, 15 and said, "Sir, have mercy on my son! He is an epileptic and has such terrible attacks that he often falls in the fire or into water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him." 17 Jesus answered, "How unbelieving and wrong you people are! How long must I stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy here to me!" 18 Jesus gave a command to the demon, and it went out of the boy, and at that very moment he was healed. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked him, "Why couldn't we drive the demon out?" 20 "It was because you do not have enough faith," answered Jesus. "I assure you that if you have faith as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this hill, ‘Go from here to there!' and it will go. You could do anything!" 21

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Mark 4:10, Mark 9:28

Reciprocal: Judges 1:19 - but could Job 22:30 - pureness Psalms 106:34 - did not Matthew 17:16 - and they Matthew 24:3 - the disciples Mark 9:18 - and they Acts 3:16 - through 1 Corinthians 12:9 - faith 2 Corinthians 6:13 - be

Cross-References

Genesis 17:2
I will make my covenant with you and give you many descendants."
Genesis 17:3
Abram bowed down with his face touching the ground, and God said,
Genesis 17:6
I will give you many descendants, and some of them will be kings. You will have so many descendants that they will become nations.
Genesis 17:9
God said to Abraham, "You also must agree to keep the covenant with me, both you and your descendants in future generations.
Genesis 17:10
You and your descendants must all agree to circumcise every male among you.
Genesis 17:13
Each one must be circumcised, and this will be a physical sign to show that my covenant with you is everlasting.
Genesis 17:14
Any male who has not been circumcised will no longer be considered one of my people, because he has not kept the covenant with me."
Genesis 17:16
I will bless her, and I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will become the mother of nations, and there will be kings among her descendants."
Genesis 17:17
Abraham bowed down with his face touching the ground, but he began to laugh when he thought, "Can a man have a child when he is a hundred years old? Can Sarah have a child at ninety?"
Genesis 17:20
I have heard your request about Ishmael, so I will bless him and give him many children and many descendants. He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will make a great nation of his descendants.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then came the disciples to Jesus apart,.... Or "secretly", as the Vulgate Latin, and Munster's Hebrew Gospel read; that is, privately, and when alone; and as Mark says, "when he was come into the house"; and was by himself, then came the nine disciples to him, to converse with him about this matter,

and said unto him, why could not we cast him out? That is, the devil, and so cure the lunatic; the Syriac and Persic versions render it, "why could not we heal him?" The lunatic; which only could be done by casting out the demon: they were concerned, fearing they had lost the power which Christ had bestowed on them, and wanted to know what they had done, which had deprived them of it; and what should be the cause of their late unsuccessful attempt, when they had so frequently triumphed over the unclean spirits, that were subject to them. Though they might have learned from the answer Christ gave to the father of the lunatic, and the general character of the Jewish nations in that answer, the true reason of their own inability; but this they took no notice of, imagining it belonged entirely to others, and not to them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Then came the disciples ... - This inquiry was made in some house to which they retired near the place where the miracle was performed (Mark). Jesus told them, in reply, that it was because of their unbelief that they had not been able to cast him out. They were appalled by the difficulty of the case and the obstinacy of the disease. Their faith would not have made it more easy for God to work this miracle, but such was his will - such the way in which he worked miracles, that he required faith in those who were the instruments.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 17:19. Why could not we cast him out? — They were confounded at their want of success-but not at their want of faith, which was the cause of their miscarriage! When the ministers of the Gospel find their endeavours, with respect to some places or persons, ineffectual, they should come, by private prayer, to Christ, humble themselves before him, and beg to be informed whether some evil in themselves have not been the cause of the unfruitfulness of their labours.


 
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