MARK 3:22 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) [ref]The religious teachers had come up from Yerushalem and were complaining, “He’s possessed by the prince of demons. He can command them because he rules them!”

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT And the scribes having come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He has Beelzebul” and “By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons.”

UST Now some teachers of the Jewish law arrived from Jerusalem. They were telling people, “Beelzebul controls this man. In fact, it is the leader of the demons who enables him to force demons out of people!”

BLB And the scribes, those having come down from Jerusalem, were saying, "He has Beelzebul," and "By the prince of the demons He casts out the demons."

AICNT And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons.”

OEB The teachers of the Law, who had come down from Jerusalem, said, ‘He has Beelzebul in him! He drives the demons out by the help of their chief.’

WEBBE The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons he casts out the demons.”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The experts in the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “By the ruler of demons he casts out demons.”

LSV and the scribes who [are] from Jerusalem having come down, said, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out the demons.”

FBV But the religious leaders from Jerusalem said, “He's possessed by Beelzebub! It's by the ruler of demons that he's driving out demons!”

TCNT But the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “By the ruler of demons he casts out demons.”

T4T Around that time some men who taught the Jewish laws came down from Jerusalem city. They heard that Jesus was expelling demons. So they were telling people, “Beelzebub, who rules the evil spirits, controls him. He is the one who enables this man to expel evil spirits from people!”

LEB And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul!” and “By the ruler of the demons he expels the demons!”

BBE And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem, said, He has Beelzebub, and, By the ruler of evil spirits he sends evil spirits out of men.

Moff But the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebul," and "It is by the prince of daemons that he casts out daemons."

Wymth The Scribes, too, who had come down from Jerusalem said, "He has Baal-zebul in him; and it is by the power of the Prince of the demons that he expels the demons."

ASV And the scribes that came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and, By the prince of the demons casteth he out the demons.

DRA And the scribes who were come down from Jerusalem, said: He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of devils he casteth out devils.

YLT and the scribes who [are] from Jerusalem having come down, said — 'He hath Beelzeboul,' and — 'By the ruler of the demons he doth cast out the demons.'

Drby And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, He has Beelzebub, and, By the prince of the demons he casts out demons.

RV And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and, By the prince of the devils casteth he out the devils.
(And the scribes which came down from Yerusalem said, He hath/has Beelzebub, and, By the prince of the devils casteth he out the devils. )

SLT And the scribes, they having come down from Jerusalem, said, That he has Beelzeboul, and that by the ruler of demons he casts out demons.

Wbstr And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem, said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the demons he casteth out demons.

KJB-1769 ¶ And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
(¶ And the scribes which came down from Yerusalem said, He hath/has Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. )

KJB-1611 ¶ And the Scribes which came downe from Hierusalem, said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the deuils, casteth he out deuils.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps And the scribes whiche came downe from Hierusalem, sayde: He hath Beelzebub, and by the chiefe deuyll, casteth he out deuyls.
(And the scribes which came down from Yerusalem, said: He hath/has Beelzebub, and by the chief devil, casteth he out devils.)

Gnva And the Scribes which came downe from Hierusalem, saide, He hath Beelzebub, and through the prince of the deuils he casteth out deuils.
(And the Scribes which came down from Yerusalem, said, He hath/has Beelzebub, and through the prince of the devils he casteth out devils. )

Cvdl But the scrybes that were come downe from Ierusalem, sayde: He hath Belzebub, and thorow the chefe deuell casteth he out deuyls.
(But the scribes that were come down from Yerusalem, said: He hath/has Belzebub, and through the chief devil casteth he out devils.)

TNT And the Scribes which came from Ierusalem sayde: he hath Belzebub and by the power of the chefe devyll casteth out devyls.
(And the Scribes which came from Yerusalem said: he hath/has Belzebub and by the power of the chief devil casteth out devils. )

Wycl And the scribis that camen doun fro Jerusalem, seiden, That he hath Belsabub, and that in the prince of deuelis he castith out fendis.
(And the scribes that came down from Yerusalem, said, That he hath/has Belsabub, and that in the prince of devils he castith out fendis.)

Luth Die Schriftgelehrten aber, die von Jerusalem herabkommen waren, sprachen: Er hat den Beelzebub und durch den Obersten der Teufel treibt er die Teufel aus.
(The scribes but, the from Yerusalem come_down were, said: He has the Beelzebub and through the colonel the/of_the devil drives he the devil out.)

ClVg Et scribæ, qui ab Jerosolymis descenderant, dicebant: Quoniam Beelzebub habet, et quia in principe dæmoniorum ejicit dæmonia.[fn]
(And scribes/clerks, who/which away Yerosolymis descenderant, they_said: Since Beelzebub has, and because in/into/on prince of_demons eyicit demons. )

3.22 Et Scribæ. BEDA. Si qui tarditate mentis non intelligunt verbum Dei, remanet tamen spes salutis; si forte intelligant, nulla. Qui autem intelligere nolunt et invertunt quod intelligunt, nulla spes est. Unde, Scribæ, id est sapientes, etc. Ab Hierosolymis. Quod significat eum a civibus suis esse persequendum usque ad mortem. Legimus supra quia secuta est eum turba a Galilæa et Jerosolymis, et trans Jordanem et circa Tyrum et Sidonem, quæ sunt civitates gentilium: et Scribæ ab Jerosolymis blasphemabant: quia turba populi Judæorum illum cum palmis et laudibus perduxit; gentiles desiderabant; Scribæ et seniores populi de nece ejus tractabant. Beelzebub habet. Vir muscarum sive habens muscas: quo nomine principem dæmoniorum cognominabant propter sordes immolatitii cruoris.

3.22 And Scribæ. BEDA. When/But_if who/which tarditate of_the_mind not/no they_understand the_word/saying of_God, remains nevertheless hope health; when/but_if perhaps understand, none. Who however to_understand they_do_not_want and invertunt that they_understand, none hope it_is. Unde, Scribæ, that it_is wise_people, etc. From Hierosolymis. That means him from citizens to_his_own to_be persequendum until to death. Legimus above because followed it_is him crowd from Galilæa and Yerosolymis, and across Yordan and around/about Tyre and Sidon, which are cities Gentile: and Scribæ away Yerosolymis blasphemabant: because crowd of_the_people Yudahorum him when/with palmis and praises perduxit; Gentiles desiderabant; Scribæ and elders of_the_people from/about nece his tractabant. Beelzebub has. Man muscarum if/or having muscas: where by_name prince of_demons cognominabant because dirt/filth sacrificedtii cruoris.

UGNT καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς, οἱ ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων καταβάντες ἔλεγον, ὅτι Βεελζεβοὺλ ἔχει; καὶ, ὅτι ἐν τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων, ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια.
(kai hoi grammateis, hoi apo Hierosolumōn katabantes elegon, hoti Beʼelzeboul eⱪei; kai, hoti en tōi arⱪonti tōn daimoniōn, ekballei ta daimonia.)

SBL-GNT καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς οἱ ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων καταβάντες ἔλεγον ὅτι Βεελζεβοὺλ ἔχει καὶ ὅτι ἐν τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια.
(kai hoi grammateis hoi apo Hierosolumōn katabantes elegon hoti Beʼelzeboul eⱪei kai hoti en tōi arⱪonti tōn daimoniōn ekballei ta daimonia.)

RP-GNT Καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς οἱ ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων καταβάντες ἔλεγον ὅτι Βεελζεβοὺλ ἔχει, καὶ ὅτι Ἐν τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια.
(Kai hoi grammateis hoi apo Hierosolumōn katabantes elegon hoti Beʼelzeboul eⱪei, kai hoti En tōi arⱪonti tōn daimoniōn ekballei ta daimonia.)

TC-GNT Καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς οἱ ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων καταβάντες ἔλεγον ὅτι [fn]Βεελζεβοὺλ ἔχει, καὶ ὅτι Ἐν τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια.
(Kai hoi grammateis hoi apo Hierosolumōn katabantes elegon hoti Beʼelzeboul eⱪei, kai hoti En tōi arⱪonti tōn daimoniōn ekballei ta daimonia. )

3:22 βεελζεβουλ ¦ βεεζεβουλ WH

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:20–30: Jesus proved that he did not use Satan’s power

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Jesus is stronger than Satan

Jesus sends evil spirits away by defeating Satan

Do not insult the Holy Spirit

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 12:22–32 and Luke 11:14–23; 12:10.

Paragraph 3:22–30

In the previous paragraph, Jesus’ family decided that it was time to bring him home and restrain him. This paragraph continues Mark’s theme of people opposing Jesus. Here, Jesus’ enemies did not want to admit that Jesus was doing miracles by God’s power. So they accused him of using Satan’s power instead. Jesus had a good answer to give to them.

3:22a

And the scribes

¶ Some of the teachers of the law
¶ Some of the experts in the law

And: This verse is the beginning of a new part of the story. The BSB introduces this new part of the story with the word And. Many English versions have no connecting word here.

You should begin this part of the story in a way that is natural in your language.

the scribes: The Greek word that the BSB translates as the scribes is sometimes translated as “teachers of the law,” as in the NIV. The original work of these men was to copy the laws of Moses by hand. In New Testament times, their main task was to study, interpret, and teach the law of Moses and related Jewish laws and traditions.

Here are some other ways to translate this term:

teachers of the Law of Moses (CEV)

teachers of religious law (NLT)

experts on the law

This term also occurs in 1:22c. See how you translated the term there. See also teacher of the law in the Glossary.

3:22b

who had come down from Jerusalem were saying,

came down from Jerusalem and said,
had descended from the city of Jerusalem. They said,
had come from the city of Jerusalem. They were telling the people that

who had come down from Jerusalem: The teachers of the law came from Jerusalem. This probably indicates that they were the leading authorities of the Jewish religion.

had come down: The city of Jerusalem was built on a hill. So anyone leaving the city had to walk down the hill to a place that was lower in elevation.

In some languages, it is important to say whether people go up or down when they travel. In other languages, this will be unusual or may be confusing. If it is confusing in your language, you should simply say:

who had come from Jerusalem (GNT)

Jerusalem: Jerusalem was the most important city for the Jewish people. It was the main city in their history and religion.

were saying: The verb that the BSB translates as were saying introduces a direct quote. For an example of a translation using an indirect quote, see the General Comment on 3:22c–d following 3:22d.

3:22c

“He is possessed by Beelzebul,”

“The prince/chief of the evil spirits named Beelzebul is controlling Jesus!
“Jesus is using the power of Satan!
Satan was controlling Jesus.

He is possessed by: The Greek word that the BSB translates as He is possessed by is literally “he has,” as in the NRSV. This is the Jewish way of saying that a person is “controlled” by an evil spirit. In this context the teachers of the law said that Jesus was controlled by Beelzebub, a powerful evil spirit. (See the note on Beelzebub below.) They also said that Jesus was using Beelzebub’s power to drive other evil spirits out of people.

Some languages may use different expressions to describe different types of demon possession. Use an appropriate expression in your language to describe someone who uses the power of an evil spirit to do things.

Here are some other ways to translate He is possessed by in this context:

He is controlled by…

This man uses the power of…

See evil spirit in the Glossary.

Beelzebul: The meaning of this word is uncertain. Jesus’ enemies were using this word as a name for Satan, the leader of the evil spirits. It is recommended that you transliterate it as Beelzebul, because that is close to the Greek text.

Here are some other ways to translate Beelzebul:

Transliterate the name Beelzebul into your language.
Use the name for Satan in your language.
Use a descriptive phrase. For example:
the chief of the evil spirits
the evil spirits’ king
the leader of the evil spirits
Use the name Beelzebul or Satan plus a descriptive phrase. For example, the NLT says:
He’s possessed by Satan, the prince of demons.

3:22d

and, “By the prince of the demons He drives out demons.”

It is the prince/chief of demons who gives him the power to cast out demons.”
He casts/throws out demons using the power/help of the chief/ruler of demons.”
They also said that it was by the power/help of Satan, the demons’ chief, that Jesus was casting/throwing demons out of people.

By the prince of the demons He drives out demons: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as By the prince of demons indicates that Jesus cast out demons using the power of the prince of demons.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

It is the chief of the demons who gives him the power to drive them out. (GNT)

He uses power from the ruler of demons to force demons out of people. (NCV)

He is even forcing out demons with the help of Beelzebul. (CEV)

the prince of the demons: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as the prince of demons is literally “the ruler/chief of demons” (as in the NRSV). This phrase explains what the teachers of the law meant by the word Beelzebul.

In your translation, make sure that it is clear that “Beelzebul” and “the prince of demons” refer to the same being.

demons: The Greek word that the BSB translates as demons refers to spirits that are evil and can control people’s actions. The word demons refers to the same type of spirit as the Greek terms that are often translated as “evil spirits” and “unclean spirits.” See how you translated this term in 3:11a.

He: The pronoun He refers to Jesus.

drives out: The Greek word that the BSB translates as drives out indicates that Jesus was causing many evil spirits to stop controlling people. See the notes on 1:34b and 3:15.

General Comment on 3:22c–d

The BSB translates 3:22c–d as a direct quote. In some languages, it will be more natural to translate this as an indirect quote. For example:

They said that Satan was in/controlling Jesus. It was Satan, the chief of demons who was giving Jesus the power to cast/throw out the demons.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / distinguish

οἱ γραμματεῖς, οἱ ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων καταβάντες ἔλεγον

the scribes ¬which (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί οἱ γραμματεῖς οἱ ἀπό Ἱεροσολύμων καταβάντες ἔλεγον ὅτι Βεελζεβούλ ἔχει καί ὅτι ἐν τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων Ἐκβάλλει τά δαιμόνια)

Here Mark uses the phrase having come down from Jerusalem to distinguish these scribes from any other scribes. Be sure that this distinction is clear in your translation. Alternate translation: [the scribes, the ones having come down from Jerusalem, were saying]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / go

καταβάντες

˓having˒_come_down

In a context such as this, your language might say “gone” instead of come. Alternate translation: [having gone down]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / quotations

ἔλεγον, ὅτι Βεελζεβοὺλ ἔχει; καὶ, ὅτι ἐν τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων, ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια

˓were˒_saying ¬that (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί οἱ γραμματεῖς οἱ ἀπό Ἱεροσολύμων καταβάντες ἔλεγον ὅτι Βεελζεβούλ ἔχει καί ὅτι ἐν τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων Ἐκβάλλει τά δαιμόνια)

It may be more natural in your language to have indirect quotations here. Alternate translation: [were saying that he had Beelzebul and that by the ruler of the demons he was casting out the demons.]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

Βεελζεβοὺλ ἔχει

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί οἱ γραμματεῖς οἱ ἀπό Ἱεροσολύμων καταβάντες ἔλεγον ὅτι Βεελζεβούλ ἔχει καί ὅτι ἐν τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων Ἐκβάλλει τά δαιμόνια)

Here the scribes mean that Jesus is possessed or controlled by Beelzebul. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [He is possessed by Beelzebul] or [Beelzebul possesses him]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἐν τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων

by the ruler ˱of˲_the demons

Here the scribes mean that Jesus has power from the ruler of the demons to cast out demons. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [By the power of the ruler of the demons] or [As he is empowered by the ruler of the demons]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων

the ruler ˱of˲_the demons

The phrase the ruler of the demons refers to the devil, that is, Beelzebul. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could make this idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons,]