Mark 3 · Verse 11

Mark 3:11

And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.
Mark 3:11, King James Version

Mark 3:11 in other translations

BSBAnd when the unclean spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him and cried out, “You are the Son of God!”
WEBThe unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, fell down before him and cried, “You are the Son of God!”
ASVAnd the unclean spirits, whensoever they beheld him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.
YLTand the unclean spirits, when they were seeing him, were falling down before him, and were crying, saying--‘Thou art the Son of God;'
DARBYAnd the unclean spirits, when they beheld him, fell down before him, and cried saying, Thou art the Son of God.
BBEAnd the unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, went down before him, crying out, and saying, You are the Son of God.
WebsterAnd unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

What does Mark 3:11 mean?

Barnes' Notes
Verses 11,12. Unclean spirits. Persons who were possessed of evil spirits.

Thou art the Son of God. The Son of God, by way of eminence. In this place it is equivalent to the Messiah, who was, among the Jews, called the Son of God. Hence they were charged not to make him known, because he was not desirous that it should be blazoned abroad that he claimed to be the Messiah. He had not yet done what he wished to establish his claims to the Messiahship; he was poor and unhonoured, and the claim would be treated as that of an impostor, as it was afterwards, and would endanger his life. For the present, therefore, he did not wish that it should be proclaimed abroad that he was the Messiah.

This circumstance proves the existence of evil spirits. If these were merely diseased or deranged persons, then it is strange that they should be endowed with knowledge so much superior to those in health. If they were under the influence of an order of spirits superior to man--whose appropriate habitation was in another world--then it is not strange that they should know him, even in the midst of his poverty, to be the Messiah, the Son of God.

(g) "and unclean" Mk 1:24, Mt 14:33, Lk 4:41, Jas 2:19

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 11 Thou art the Son of God - Two MSS., and the later Syriac, have, Thou art the Christ, the Son of God. One of Stephens's MSS. has, Thou art the Holy One of God. A MS. in the library of Leicester has, συ ει ὁ Θεος, υἱος, Thou art God, the Son. This is an uncommon reading, which is not confirmed by any MS. yet discovered.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Mark 3:6-12

All our sicknesses and calamities spring from the anger of God against our sins. Their removal, or the making them blessings to us, was purchased to us by the blood of Christ. But the plagues and diseases of our souls, of our hearts, are chiefly to be dreaded; and He can heal them also by a word. May more and more press to Christ to be healed of these plagues, and to be delivered from the enemies of their souls.

Read the full comment on Mark 3:6-12 →

Mark 3:11 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

καὶkaiAndG2532
τὰtatheG3588
πνεύματαpneumataspiritsG4151
τὰta<the>G3588
ἀκάθαρτα,akathartaunclean,G169
ὅτανhotanwheneverG3752
αὐτὸνautonHimG846
ἐθεώρουν,etheōrounthey were seeingG2334
προσέπιπτονprosepiptonthey were falling downG4363
αὐτῷautōbefore HimG846
καὶkaiandG2532
ἔκραζονekrazonthey were crying outG2896
λέγοντεςlegontessayingG3004
ὅτιhotithatG3754
σὺsuYou yourselfG4771
εἶeiareG1510
ὁhotheG3588
υἱὸςhuiosSonG5207
τοῦtou<the>G3588
θεοῦ.theouof God.G2316

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Mark 3:11

  • Luke 4:41

    And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.

  • Mark 1:23-24

    And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

  • Luke 8:28

    When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.

  • Matthew 4:3

    And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

  • James 2:19

    Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

  • Matthew 8:29

    And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?

  • Acts 16:17

    The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

  • Matthew 4:6

    And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

  • Matthew 8:31

    So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.

  • Acts 19:13-17

    Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. …

  • Mark 5:5-6

    And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,

  • Matthew 14:33

    Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
unclean.
1:23,24; 5:5,6; Mt 8:31; Lu 4:41; Ac 16:17; 19:13-17; Jas 2:19
the Son.
1:1; Mt 4:3,6; 8:29; 14:33; Lu 8:28

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Mark 3:10

    For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.

  • Mark 3:11

    And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

  • Mark 3:12

    And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.

Read all of Mark 3

Mark 3:11 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y los espíritus inmundos, al verle, se postraban delante de él, y daban voces, diciendo: Tú eres el Hijo de Dios.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et les esprits immondes, quand ils le voyaient, se jetaient devant lui et s’écriaient, disant: Tu es le Fils de Dieu.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und wenn die unreinen Geister ihn sahen, fielen sie vor ihm nieder und riefen und sprachen: Du bist der Sohn Gottes.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et spiritus immundi, cum illum videbant, procidebant ei: et clamabant, dicentes: