KJV: And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
YLT: And he said to them, 'This kind is able to come forth with nothing except with prayer and fasting.'
Darby: And he said to them, This kind can go out by nothing but by prayer and fasting.
ASV: And he said unto them, This kind can come out by nothing, save by prayer.
| εἶπεν | He said |
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Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular Root: λέγω Sense: to speak, say. |
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| αὐτοῖς | to them |
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Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural Root: αὐτός Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself. |
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| Τοῦτο | This |
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Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Nominative Neuter Singular Root: οὗτος Sense: this. |
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| τὸ | - |
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Parse: Article, Nominative Neuter Singular Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc. |
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| γένος | kind |
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Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular Root: γένος Sense: race. |
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| οὐδενὶ | nothing |
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Parse: Adjective, Dative Neuter Singular Root: οὐδείς Sense: no one, nothing. |
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| δύναται | is able |
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Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Singular Root: δύναμαι Sense: to be able, have power whether by virtue of one’s own ability and resources, or of a state of mind, or through favourable circumstances, or by permission of law or custom. |
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| ἐξελθεῖν | to go out |
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Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active Root: ἐξέρχομαι Sense: to go or come forth of. |
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| προσευχῇ | prayer |
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Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular Root: προσευχή Sense: prayer addressed to God. |
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Greek Commentary for Mark 9:29
The addition of “and of fasting” does not appear in the two best Greek manuscripts (Aleph and B). It is clearly a late addition to help explain the failure. But it is needless and also untrue. Prayer is what the nine had failed to use. They were powerless because they were prayerless. Their self-complacency spelled defeat. Matthew 17:20 has “because of your little faith” That is true also. They had too much faith in themselves, too little in Christ. “They had trusted to the semi-magical power with which they thought themselves invested” (Swete). “Spirits of such malignity were quick to discern the lack of moral power and would yield to no other” (ibid.). [source]