Mark 9 26

Mark 9:26 kjv

And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

Mark 9:26 nkjv

Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."

Mark 9:26 niv

The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead."

Mark 9:26 esv

And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, "He is dead."

Mark 9:26 nlt

Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, "He's dead."

Mark 9 verses

Mark 9 26 Meaning

Mark 9:26 vividly describes the violent, last-gasp struggle of the demon as it was expelled from the boy. As the unclean spirit departed, it unleashed a final, ferocious convulsion, leaving the child appearing completely lifeless. This harrowing display of demonic cruelty, starkly juxtaposed with Jesus’s subsequent gentle yet powerful intervention, underscored both the dire extent of the boy's suffering under spiritual bondage and the absolute, overcoming authority of Christ.

Mark 9 26 Context

Mark 9:26 is part of the extensive narrative of Jesus healing a demon-possessed boy (Mark 9:14-29). This significant event immediately follows the Transfiguration, providing a stark contrast between heavenly glory and the profound human suffering inflicted by malevolent spiritual forces. The scene unfolds as Jesus descends from the mountain to find His disciples publicly failing to cast out this demon, causing both the father’s anguish and the scribes’ mocking. The father describes his son’s torment—violent fits, foaming, grinding teeth, and the demon often attempting to kill him by casting him into fire or water. Jesus challenges the father's lingering doubt about healing with the affirmation that "all things are possible for one who believes" (Mark 9:23). Mark 9:26 specifically captures the climax of this intense confrontation, describing the final, most violent actions of the demon as it is forced to relinquish its grip, resulting in the boy appearing deceased to those witnessing the event.

Mark 9 26 Word analysis

• And after crying out (κραξαν – krakxan): Derived from the Greek verb krazō (κράζω), meaning "to scream, shriek, or cry out loudly." This indicates the demon's forceful, angry, and desperate utterance as it resisted its forced expulsion. It suggests the creature’s fury at being overcome and its inability to resist Jesus's command.
• and convulsing him (σπαραξαν – sparaxan): From the Greek verb sparassō (σπαράσσω), meaning "to tear, rend, convulse violently." This term precisely describes the extreme, violent, and spastic movements inflicted upon the boy. It signifies the demon's ultimate act of malice and destruction as it exited, aiming to inflict maximal damage to its victim's body.
• him terribly (πολλα – polla): This adverbial use of polys (πολύς), meaning "much" or "many," functions here as an intensifier. It emphasizes the profound and severe extent of the convulsion, highlighting that this was no minor tremor but an extraordinarily violent fit, almost beyond physical endurance.
• it came out of him (εξηλθεν εκ αυτου – exēlthen ek autou): Composed of exerchomai (ἐξέρχομαι), "to come/go out," and ek autou, "from him." This phrase confirms the complete and definitive expulsion of the demon. Despite the preceding struggle, the demon's departure was total, irreversible, and directly caused by Christ's command.
• and the boy was like a corpse (ωσπερ νεκρος – hōsper nekros): Hōsper means "just as" or "even as," while nekros (νεκρός) means "dead, a dead body." This powerful simile indicates the boy’s profoundly death-like state immediately following the demonic expulsion. He lay utterly still and unresponsive, mirroring a lifeless body, signifying the devastating physical impact the demon’s departure had on his fragile human frame.
• so that most of them said (ωστε τους πολλους λεγειν – hōste tous pollous legein): Hōste (ὥστε) is a result clause particle, meaning "so that, with the result that." Tous pollous (τοὺς πολλούς) refers to "the many" or "most people." This phrase indicates the general, shared conclusion reached by the majority of onlookers based on the boy's appearance. It highlights their immediate, fearful, and quite understandable interpretation of the extreme situation.
• “He is dead.” (Οτι απεθανεν – Hoti apethanen): This direct quote represents the panicked, final verdict of the witnesses. Their pronouncement underscores the overwhelming physical evidence before them and serves to magnify the impending miracle when Jesus lifts the seemingly lifeless boy.

Mark 9 26 Bonus section

The intense physicality described in Mark 9:26, leaving the boy resembling a corpse, served a vital polemical purpose. In the ancient world, many believed that certain ailments or states, especially those as extreme as the boy's, were irreversible or a sign of an individual being beyond help. By demonstrating complete authority over such a destructive spiritual entity and immediately restoring the boy from what appeared to be death, Jesus actively challenged and dismantled these prevailing fatalistic or limited understandings of power. This powerful public act also indirectly criticized the limited efficacy of other religious or magical practices of the time which often failed in confronting such profound demonic influence. The sheer drama ensures that the audience recognizes Jesus's power as uniquely divine and not merely a more effective form of human healing.

Mark 9 26 Commentary

Mark 9:26 provides a dramatic climax to a profound spiritual battle. The demon's final act of violent convulsing is not a sign of its victory, but rather its last desperate, malicious attempt to inflict damage before being irrevocably forced out by the superior power of Christ. This intense, visible struggle emphasizes that demonic opposition is real and fierce, resisting until compelled. The resulting corpse-like state of the boy serves several crucial functions: it validates the extreme severity of the spiritual oppression and the tremendous energy expended in the deliverance, leaving no doubt that this was not a feigned illness or simple recovery. This appearance of death then serves to dramatically heighten the impact of Jesus's subsequent intervention (Mark 9:27), making the restoration even more striking and clearly miraculous, showcasing His dominion not just over spirits, but seemingly over life and death itself. It confirms to the eyewitnesses that true divine authority, beyond mere human ability or conventional healing, was at work.