Teks -- Mark 9:24 (NET)

9:24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Robertson: Mar 9:24 - Cried out

Cried out ( kraxas ).

Loud outcry and at once (euthus ). The later manuscripts have "with tears"(meta dakruōn ), not in the older documents.

Robertson: Mar 9:24 - I believe; help my unbelief

I believe; help my unbelief ( Pisteuṑ boēthei tēi apistiāi ).

An exact description of his mental and spiritual state. He still had faith, but craved more. Note present imperative here (continuous help) boēthei , while aorist imperative (instant help) boēthēson , Mar 9:22. The word comes from boē , a cry and theō , to run, to run at a cry for help, a vivid picture of this father’ s plight.

Vincent: Mar 9:24 - Cried out and said

Cried out and said ( κράξας - ἔλεγεν )

The former denoting the inarticulate cry, the ejaculation, followed by the words , " Lord, I believe," etc.

Wesley: Mar 9:24 - Help thou mine unbelief

Although my faith be so small, that it might rather be termed unbelief, yet help me.

JFB: Mar 9:24 - 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.

Clarke: Mar 9:24 - Lord, I believe

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

Clarke: Mar 9:24 - Help thou mine unbelief

Help thou mine unbelief - That is, assist me against it. Give me a power to believe.

Calvin: Mar 9:24 - Lord, I believe

24.Lord, I believe He declares that he believes, and yet acknowledges himself to have unbelief These two statements may appear to contradict each other, but there is none of us that does not experience both of them in himself. As our faith is never perfect, it follows that we are partly unbelievers; but God forgives us, and exercises such forbearance towards us, as to reckon us believers on account of a small portion of faith. It is our duty, in the meantime, carefully to shake off the remains of infidelity which adhere to us, to strive against them, and to pray to God to correct them, and, as often as we are engaged in this conflict, to fly to him for aid. If we duly inquire what portion has been bestowed on each, it will evidently appear that there are very few who are eminent in faith, few who have a moderate portion, and very many who have but a small measure.

Defender: Mar 9:24 - help thou mine unbelief

This is a remarkable statement of faith, to which the Lord responded. This indicates that Christ recognizes that faith itself must be given by God (Eph 2:8, Eph 2:9) and welcomes not only our prayer of faith but also our earnest prayer for more faith."

TSK: Mar 9:24 - with // help

with : 2Sa 16:12 *marg. 2Ki 20:5; Psa 39:12, Psa 126:5; Jer 14:17; Luk 7:38, Luk 7:44; Act 10:19, Act 10:31; 2Co 2:4; 2Ti 1:4; Heb 5:7, Heb 12:17

help : Luk 17:5; Eph 2:8; Phi 1:29; 2Th 1:3, 2Th 1:11; Heb 12:2

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: Mar 9:17-29 - See Poole on "Mat 17:14"

Ver. 17-29. This famous history is also recorded by two other evangelists, Matthew and Luke; we have opened it in our notes on Mat 17:14-21 ;

( See Poole on "Mat 17:14" , and following verses to Mat 17:21 ) and considered what Mark and Luke have to complete it. For our instruction we may learn several things from the consideration of it:

1. The great goodness of God in preserving us from the power of evil spirits, as also the daily working of his providence for our preservation. What but this kept this man from being destroyed by the fires and the waters into which he had been often thrown by the evil spirit?

2. That the shorter the devil’ s time is, the more he rageth, Mar 9:20 . This is true, both as to the devil himself, and his instruments: Rev 12:12 , The devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. Thus, in the moment of conversion Christians often meet with the strongest conflicts of temptation.

3. The fault is not in Christ, but in ourselves, if we receive not that mercy from him which he hath, and which we stand in need of, and beg from him— If (saith Christ) thou canst believe.

4. God rewardeth weak faith where it is attended with a sincere desire of increase. This poor man showed a very imperfect faith in saying, If thou canst do any thing; but it being in some degree sincere, the Lord rewardeth it, though weak, he desiring an increase of it, and that God would from his goodness supply what was defective in his faith.

5. The great cures both of our bodies and souls in some cases, require more extraordinary and importunate addresses and applications unto God, more especially where evils are more inveterate. For other things relating to this history;

See Poole on "Mat 17:14" , and following verses to Mat 17:21 .

Gill: Mar 9:24 - And straightway the father of the child cried out // and said with tears // Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief

And straightway the father of the child cried out,.... As soon as ever he found it was put upon his faith, and that the issue of things would be according to that, he expressed himself with much vehemency, being in great distress; partly with indignation at his unbelief, and partly through fear of missing a cure, by reason of it:

and said with tears; repenting of his unbelief, and grieved at the present weakness of his faith; which he very ingenuously confesses, saying,

Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief; not forward, but out of the way: he found in himself some small degree of faith in the power of Christ, but it was mixed with much unbelief, through the greatness of the child's disorder; and therefore desires it might be removed from him, and he might be helped against it: he saw it was not in his own power to believe; nor had he strength of himself to oppose his unbelief; but that both faith must be given him, and power against unbelief. The Syriac version renders it, "help", לחסירות הימנותי, "the defect of my faith": till up that which is lacking in it, it is very deficient, Lord, increase it; and the Arabic and Ethiopic translate thus, "help the weakness of my faith". He found his faith very weak, he desires it might be strengthened, that he might be strong in faith, and give glory to God; and in this way belief is helped, or men helped against it: every believer, more or less, at one time or another, finds himself in this man's case; and also that it is necessary to make use of the same petition; for faith is but imperfect in this life, and often very weak and defective in its exercise.