Lectionary Calendar
Monday, April 20th, 2026
the Third Week after Easter
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Myles Coverdale Bible

Matthew 17:19

Then came the disciples vnto Iesus secretly, & sayde: Why coude not we cast him 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?
Good News Translation
Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked him, "Why couldn't we drive the demon out?"
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?'
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 And whan they were come to the people, there came vnto him a certayne man, and kneled vnto him, and sayde: 15 LORDE, haue mercy vpon my sonne, for he is lunatike, & sore vexed. He falleth oft tymes in to ye fyre, and oft in to ye water: 16 and I brought him vnto thy disciples, and they coude not heale him. 17 Iesus answered, and sayde: O thou faithles and frowarde generacion, how longe shal I be with you? How longe shal I suffre you? Bringe him hither to me. 18 And Iesus rebuked him, and ye deuyll wete out of him, and ye childe was healed, euen that same houre. 19 Then came the disciples vnto Iesus secretly, & sayde: Why coude not we cast him out? 20 Iesus sayde vnto them: Because of youre vnbeleue. For I saye verely vnto you? Yf ye haue faith as a grane of mustarde sede, ye maye saye vnto this mountayne: Remoue hence to yonder place, and he shal remoue, nether shal enythinge be vnpossible vnto you. 21 How beit this kinde goeth not out, but by prayer and fastynge.

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
And I wyll make my couenaunt betwene me & the, and wyl multiplye the exceadyngly.
Genesis 17:3
Then fell Abram vpon his face.And God talked furthur, with him, and sayde:
Genesis 17:6
& I wil multiplye the exceadingly, and wil make people of ye, yee and kynges also shal come out of the.
Genesis 17:9
And God sayde morouer vnto Abraham: Kepe my couenaunt then, thou and they sede after the.
Genesis 17:10
This is my couenaunt which ye shal kepe betwene me and you, and thy sede after ye thorow out their posterites. Euery manchilde that is amonge you, shalbe circumcyded:
Genesis 17:13
Thus shall my couenaunt be in youre flesh for an euerlastinge couenaunt.
Genesis 17:14
And yf there shalbe any manchilde vncircumcided in the foreskinne of his flesh, his soule shalbe roted out from his people, because he hath broken my couenaunt.
Genesis 17:16
for I will blesse her, and geue the a sonne of her. I wil blesse her, and people shall come of her, yee and kynges of many people.
Genesis 17:17
Then fell Abraha vpo his face, and laughed, and sayde in his hert: Shal a childe be borne vnto me that am an hundreth yeare olde? And shall Sara yt is nyentie yeare olde, beare?
Genesis 17:20
And as concernynge Ismael also, I haue herde thy request: Beholde, I haue blessed him, and will increase him, and multiplye him exceadingly. Twolue prynces shal he beget, and I wyll make a greate nacion of him.

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.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile