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Read the Bible

New American Standard Bible (1995)

Matthew 17:19

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not drive it 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?
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?
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 came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, 15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 "I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him." 17 And Jesus answered and said, "You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me." 18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not drive it out?"20 And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. 21 ["But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."]

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 establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly."
Genesis 17:3
Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
Genesis 17:6
"I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you.
Genesis 17:9
God said further to Abraham, "Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.
Genesis 17:10
"This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.
Genesis 17:13
"A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
Genesis 17:14
"But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."
Genesis 17:16
"I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her."
Genesis 17:17
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"
Genesis 17:20
"As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

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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