Mark 9 · Verse 24

Mark 9:24

And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

Mark 9:24, King James Version

Mark 9:24 in other translations

BSB	Immediately the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”
WEB	Immediately the father of the child cried out with tears, “I believe. Help my unbelief!”
ASV	Straightway the father of the child cried out, and said, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
YLT	and immediately the father of the child, having cried out, with tears said, ‘I believe, sir; be helping mine unbelief.'
DARBY	And immediately the father of the young child crying out said with tears, I believe, help mine unbelief.
BBE	Straight away the father of the child gave a cry, saying, I have faith; make my feeble faith stronger.
Webster	And immediately the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief.

What does Mark 9:24 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

24. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe: help thou mine unbelief--that is, "It is useless concealing from Thee, O Thou mysterious, mighty Healer, the unbelief that still struggles in this heart of mine; but that heart bears me witness that I do believe in Thee; and if distrust still remains, I disown it, I wrestle with it, I seek help from Thee against it." Two things are very remarkable here: First, The felt and owned presence of unbelief, which only the strength of the man's faith could have so revealed to his own consciousness. Second, His appeal to Christ for help against his felt unbelief--a feature in the case quite unparalleled, and showing, more than all protestations could have done, the insight he had attained into the existence of a power in Christ more glorious them any he had besought for his poor child. The work was done; and as the commotion and confusion in the crowd was now increasing, Jesus at once, as Lord of spirits, gives the word of command to the dumb and deaf spirit to be gone, never again to return to his victim.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 24. Said with tears. The man felt the implied rebuke in the Saviour's language. And feeling grieved that he should be thought to be destitute of faith, and feeling deeply for the welfare of his afflicted son, he wept. Nothing can be more touching or natural than this. An anxious father distressed at the condition of his son; having applied to the disciples in vain, now coming to the Saviour, and not having full confidence that he had the proper qualification to be aided, he wept. Any man would have wept in his condition, nor would the Saviour turn the weeping suppliant away.

I believe. I have faith. I do put confidence in thee; though I know that my faith is not as strong as it should be.

Lord. This word, here, signifies merely master, or sir, as it does often in the New Testament. We have no evidence that he had any knowledge of the Divine nature of our Saviour and he applied the word, probably, as he would have done to any other teacher or worker of miracles.

Help thou mine unbelief. Supply thou the defects of my faith. Give me strength and grace to put entire confidence in thee. Every one who comes to the Saviour for help has need of offering this prayer. In our unbelief and our doubts we need his aid, nor can we ever put sufficient reliance on him without his gracious help.

(g) "tears" Ps 126:5 (h) "help thou" Heb 12:2

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 24 Lord, I believe - The word Lord is omitted by ABCDL, both the Syriac, both the Arabic later Persic, Ethiopic, Gothic, and three copies of the Itala. Griesbach leaves it out. The omission, I think, is proper, because it is evident the man did not know our Lord, and therefore could not be expected to accost him with a title expressive of that authority which he doubted whether he possessed, unless we grant that he used the word κυριε after the Roman custom, for Sir. Help thou mine unbelief - That is, assist me against it. Give me a power to believe.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Mark 9:14-29

The father of the suffering youth reflected on the want of power in the disciples; but Christ will have him reckon the disappointment to the want of faith. Very much is promised to our believing. If thou canst believe, it is possible that thy hard heart may be softened, thy spiritual diseases may be cured; and, weak as thou art, thou mayest be able to hold out to the end. Those that complain of unbelief, must look…

Read the full comment on Mark 9:14-29 →

Mark 9:24 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.

εὐθὺςeuthusImmediatelyG2112

κράξαςkraxashaving cried outG2896

ὁhotheG3588

πατὴρpatērfatherG3962

τοῦtouof theG3588

παιδίουpaidiouchildG3813

μετὰmetawithG3326

δακρύωνdakruōntearsG1144

ἔλεγεν·elegenwas saying;G3004

πιστεύωpisteuōI believeG4100

κύριε·kurieLord;G2962

βοήθειboētheido helpG997

μουmoumeG3165

τῇtēawith theG3588

ἀπιστίᾳ.¶apistiaunbelief!G570

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

Cross references for Mark 9:24

Luke 17:5
And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
Hebrews 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Ephesians 2:8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
2 Thessalonians 1:11
Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:
2 Thessalonians 1:3
We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;
Psalms 126:5
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
Philippians 1:29
For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
2 Corinthians 2:4
For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.
Acts 10:31
And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.
Psalms 39:12
Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.
Jeremiah 14:17
Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow.
Hebrews 5:7
Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

with.
2Sa 16:12; *marg:
2Ki 20:5; Ps 39:12; 126:5; Jer 14:17; Lu 7:38,44; Ac 10:19,31
2Co 2:4; 2Ti 1:4; Heb 5:7; 12:17
help.
Lu 17:5; Eph 2:8; Php 1:29; 2Th 1:3,11; Heb 12:2

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

Context

Mark 9:23
Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Mark 9:24
And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
Mark 9:25
When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

Read all of Mark 9

Mark 9:24 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y luego el padre del muchacho dijo clamando: Creo, ayuda mi incredulidad.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et aussitôt le père de l’enfant, s’écriant, dit avec larmes: Je crois, viens en aide à mon incrédulité.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und alsbald rief der Vater des Kindleins und sagte mit Tränen: Ich glaube; hilf meinem Unglauben!
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Et cum videret Jesus concurrentem turbam, comminatus est spiritui immundo, dicens illi: Surde et mute spiritus, ego præcipio tibi, exi ab eo: et amplius ne introëas in eum.