Matthew 17:19

THE MESSAGE

When the disciples had Jesus off to themselves, they asked, "Why couldn't we throw it out?"

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?'

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?

Simplified Cowboy Version
The cowboys asked Jesus, "How come we couldn't rope and drag that ol' demon out?"

Contextual Overview

¹⁴At the bottom of the mountain, they were met by a crowd of waiting people. As they approached, a man came out of the crowd and fell to his knees begging, "Master, have mercy on my son. He goes out of his mind and suffers terribly, falling into seizures. Frequently he is pitched into the fire, other times into the river. I brought him to your disciples, but they could do nothing for him." ¹⁷Jesus said, "What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring the boy here." He ordered the afflicting demon out—and it was out, gone. From that moment on the boy was well. ¹⁹ When the disciples had Jesus off to themselves, they asked, "Why couldn't we throw it out?" ²⁰ "Because you're not yet taking God seriously," said Jesus. "The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!' and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle." As they were regrouping in Galilee, Jesus told them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed to some people who want nothing to do with God. They will murder him—and three days later he will be raised alive." The disciples felt terrible. When they arrived at Capernaum, the tax men came to Peter and asked, "Does your teacher pay taxes?" Peter said, "Of course." But as soon as they were in the house, Jesus confronted him. "Simon, what do you think? When a king levies taxes, who pays—his children or his subjects?" He answered, "His subjects." Jesus said, "Then the children get off free, right? But so we don't upset them needlessly, go down to the lake, cast a hook, and pull in the first fish that bites. Open its mouth and you'll find a coin. Take it and give it to the tax men. It will be enough for both of us." ²¹Sunlight Poured from His Face Six days later, three of them saw that glory. Jesus took Peter and the brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. Sunlight poured from his face. His clothes were filled with light. Then they realized that Moses and Elijah were also there in deep conversation with him. Peter broke in, "Master, this is a great moment! What would you think if I built three memorials here on the mountain—one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah?" While he was going on like this, babbling, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and sounding from deep in the cloud a voice: "This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of my delight. Listen to him." When the disciples heard it, they fell flat on their faces, scared to death. But Jesus came over and touched them. "Don't be afraid." When they opened their eyes and looked around all they saw was Jesus, only Jesus. Coming down the mountain, Jesus swore them to secrecy. "Don't breathe a word of what you've seen. After the Son of Man is raised from the dead, you are free to talk." The disciples, meanwhile, were asking questions. "Why do the religion scholars say that Elijah has to come first?" Jesus answered, "Elijah does come and get everything ready. I'm telling you, Elijah has already come but they didn't know him when they saw him. They treated him like dirt, the same way they are about to treat the Son of Man." That's when the disciples realized that all along he had been talking about John the Baptizer. At the bottom of the mountain, they were met by a crowd of waiting people. As they approached, a man came out of the crowd and fell to his knees begging, "Master, have mercy on my son. He goes out of his mind and suffers terribly, falling into seizures. Frequently he is pitched into the fire, other times into the river. I brought him to your disciples, but they could do nothing for him." Jesus said, "What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring the boy here." He ordered the afflicting demon out—and it was out, gone. From that moment on the boy was well. When the disciples had Jesus off to themselves, they asked, "Why couldn't we throw it out?" "Because you're not yet taking God seriously," said Jesus. "The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!' and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle."

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 17:3
Overwhelmed, Abram fell flat on his face. Then God said to him, "This is my covenant with you: You'll be the father of many nations. Your name will no longer be Abram, but Abraham, meaning that ‘I'm making you the father of many nations.' I'll make you a father of fathers—I'll make nations from you, kings will issue from you. I'm establishing my covenant between me and you, a covenant that includes your descendants, a covenant that goes on and on and on, a covenant that commits me to be your God and the God of your descendants. And I'm giving you and your descendants this land where you're now just camping, this whole country of Canaan, to own forever. And I'll be their God."

Genesis 17:9
God continued to Abraham, "And you: You will honor my covenant, you and your descendants, generation after generation. This is the covenant that you are to honor, the covenant that pulls in all your descendants: Circumcise every male. Circumcise by cutting off the foreskin of the penis; it will be the sign of the covenant between us. Every male baby will be circumcised when he is eight days old, generation after generation—this includes house-born slaves and slaves bought from outsiders who are not blood kin. Make sure you circumcise both your own children and anyone brought in from the outside. That way my covenant will be cut into your body, a permanent mark of my permanent covenant. An uncircumcised male, one who has not had the foreskin of his penis cut off, will be cut off from his people—he has broken my covenant."

Genesis 17:17
Abraham fell flat on his face. And then he laughed, thinking, "Can a hundred-year-old man father a son? And can Sarah, at ninety years, have a baby?"

Genesis 17:20
"And Ishmael? Yes, I heard your prayer for him. I'll also bless him; I'll make sure he has plenty of children—a huge family. He'll father twelve princes; I'll make him a great nation. But I'll establish my covenant with Isaac whom Sarah will give you about this time next year."

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.