Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 1:24
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.
24. Let us alone ] Many MSS. omit the Greek word thus translated. Even if genuine, it appears to be rather an exclamation of horror = the Latin vah! heu! It is not the man who cries out so much as the Evil Spirit which had usurped dominion over him.
Jesus of Nazareth ] As the angels had in songs of rapture recognised their King (Luk 2:13-14), so the evil spirits instantly recognise Him, but with cries of despair. They evince no hope and no submission, only inveterate hostility. They believe and tremble (Jas 2:19). Man alone recognises not the “King in His beauty” (Isa 33:17). “He was in the world and the world was made by Him,” and yet “the world knew Him not” (Joh 1:10).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Mar 1:24
Let us alone; what have we to do with Thee?
The happiness of heaven can only be appreciated by the holy
Even supposing a man of unholy life were suffered to enter heaven, he would not be happy there; so that it would be no mercy to permit him to enter. For heaven, it is plain from Scripture, is not a place where many different and discordant pursuits can be carried on at once, as is the case in this world. Here every man can do his own pleasure, but there he must do Gods pleasure. It would be presumption to attempt to determine the employments of that eternal life which good men are to pass in Gods presence, or to deny that that state which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor mind conceived, may comprise an infinite variety of pursuits and occupations. Still, so far we are distinctly told that that future life will be spent in Gods presence, in a sense which does not apply to our present life; so that it may best be described as an endless and uninterrupted worship. Heaven, then, is not like this world; I will say what it is much more like-a church. For in a place of worship no language of this world is heard; there are no schemes brought forward for temporal objects, great or small; no information how to strengthen our worldly interests, extend our influence, or establish our credit. These things, indeed, may be right in their way, so that we do not set our hearts upon them; still, I repeat, it is certain that we hear nothing of them in a church. Here we hear solely and entirely of God. We praise Him, worship Him, sing to Him, thank Him, confess to Him, give ourselves up to Him, and ask His blessing. And, therefore, a church is like heaven; viz., because both in the one and the other there is one single sovereign subject-religion-brought before us. Supposing, then, instead of it being said that no irreligious man could serve and attend on God in heaven, we were told that no irreligious man could worship or spiritually see Him in church, should we not at once perceive the meaning of the doctrine? viz., that were a man to come hither, who had suffered his mind to grow up in its own way, as nature or chance determined, without any deliberate habitual effort after truth and purity, he would find no real pleasure here, but would soon get weary of the place; because, in this house of God, he would hear only of that one subject which he cared little or nothing about, and nothing at all of those things which excited his hopes and fears, his sympathies and energies. If then a man without religion (supposing it possible) were admitted into heaven, doubtless he would sustain a great disappointment. Before, indeed, he fancied that he could be happy there; but when he arrived there, he would find no discourse but that which he had shunned on earth, no pursuits but those he had disliked or despised, nothing which bound him to aught else in the universe, and made him feel at home, nothing which he could enter into and rest upon. He would perceive himself to be an isolated being, cut away by supreme power from those objects which were still entwined around his heart, Nay, he would be in the presence of that Supreme Power, whom he never on earth could bring himself steadily to think upon, and whom now he regarded only as the Destroyer of all that was precious and dear to him. Ah! he could not bear the face of the living God; the Holy God would be no object of joy to him. Let us alone! What have we to do with Thee? is the sole thought and desire of unclean souls, even while they acknowledge His Majesty. None but the holy can look upon the Holy One; without holiness no man can endure to see the Lord. (J. H. Newman, D. D.)
The Holy One of God
Some rest in praising the sermon and speaking fair to the preacher. The devil here did as much to Christ, to be rid of him. (Trapp.)
Jesus rebuking the unclean spirit
Is Satan bigger than me, father? asked a child. Yes, replied the father. Than you? Yes. Than Jesus? No. Then, replied the child, I dont fear him. (Anonymous.)
Jesus not wanted
There are those who are possessed by the devil of drunkenness, or of lust, or of foul language, or of dishonesty, and they profess not to believe in Jesus and the gospel; but it is not they do not believe, they are afraid to believe. The man who is killing himself by excess, is told by the doctor that he must change his life, or die. He laughs at the advice, and declares that he does not believe it. But he does believe it, only he is afraid to think of it. So it is with many who are styled unbelievers. I have heard of a man who said to Gods priest who visited him-We dont want God in this house. There are many such houses, places of business and private homes, where, if people spoke all their mind, they would say, Let us alone; what have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? We dont want God in this house. It is an awful thought, my brothers, that sometimes God takes us at our word. It is written, Ephraim is joined to his idols, let him alone. Alas for those who find in the hour of sickness, and of sorrow, and of death, that God has left them alone! I wonder how many times that man in the Gospel had attended the services of the synagogue before the day when Jesus healed him. Probably he was a regular worshipper there, but he brought his unclean spirit with him. That is just what so many people do now. They come to the church, or attend their meeting house, and go through the outward forms of religion, but the unclean spirit goes with them. Satan has shut the door of their heart, and no holy word, no pure thought, no tender feeling of remorse and penitence can enter in. This is why so many of our religious services bear no fruit. (H. J. Wilmot Buxton, M. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 24. What have we to do with thee] Or, What is it to us and to thee? or, What business hast thou with us? That this is the meaning of the original, , Kypke has sufficiently shown. There is a phrase exactly like it in 2Sa 16:10. What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? ma li v’lacem beney Tseruiah, What business have ye with me, or, Why do ye trouble me, ye sons of Tseruiah? The Septuagint translate the Hebrew just as the evangelist does here, ; it is the same idiom in both places, as there can be no doubt that the demoniac spoke in Hebrew, or in the Chaldeo-Syriac dialect of that language, which was then common in Judea. See Clarke on Mt 8:29.
Art thou come to destroy us?] We may suppose this spirit to have felt and spoken thus: “Is this the time of which it hath been predicted, that in it the Messiah should destroy all that power which we have usurped and exercised over the bodies and souls of men? Alas! it is so. I now plainly see who thou art – the Holy One of God, who art come to destroy unholiness, in which we have our residence, and through which we have our reign in the souls of men.” An unholy spirit is the only place where Satan can have his full operation, and show forth the plenitude of his destroying power.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
24. Saying, Let us aloneorrather, perhaps, “ah!” expressive of mingled astonishmentand terror.
what have we to do withtheean expression of frequent occurrence in the Old Testament(1Ki 17:18; 2Ki 3:13;2Ch 35:21, c.). It denotes entireseparation of interests:that is, “Thou and we havenothing in common we want not Thee; what wouldst Thou with us?”For the analogous application of it by our Lord to His mother, see onJoh 2:4.
thou Jesus ofNazareth“Jesus, Nazarene!” an epithet originallygiven to express contempt, but soon adopted as the currentdesignation by those who held our Lord in honor (Luk 18:37;Mar 16:6; Act 2:22).
art thou come to destroyus?In the case of the Gadarene demoniac the question was, “ArtThou come hither to torment us before the time?” (Mt8:29). Themselves tormentors and destroyers of their victims,they discern in Jesus their own destined tormentor and destroyer,anticipating and dreading what they know and feel to be awaitingthem! Conscious, too, that their power was but permitted andtemporary, and perceiving in Him, perhaps, the woman’s Seed that wasto bruise the head and destroy the works of the devil, they regardHis approach to them on this occasion as a signal to let go theirgrasp of this miserable victim.
I know thee who thou art, theHoly One of GodThis and other even more glorious testimoniesto our Lord were given, as we know, with no good will, but in hopethat, by the acceptance of them, He might appear to the people to bein league with evil spiritsa calumny which His enemies were readyenough to throw out against Him. But a Wiser than either was here,who invariably rejected and silenced the testimonies that came to Himfrom beneath, and thus was able to rebut the imputations of Hisenemies against Him (Mt12:24-30). The expression, “Holy One of God,” seemsevidently taken from that Messianic Psalm (Ps16:10), in which He is styled “Thine Holy One.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Saying, let us alone, c.] Meaning with himself, the rest of the unclean spirits, that had possessed the bodies of men in Galilee, and in all Judea knowing that Christ had power to dislodge them, and fearing he would, entreats him he would let them alone, quietly to dwell in their beloved habitations:par par what have we to do with thee? They had nothing to do with Christ, as a Saviour; they had no interest in him, nor in his redemption, but he had something to do with them, to show his power over them, and to deliver men out of their hands:
thou Jesus of Nazareth: calling him so, from the place where he was educated, and had lived the greatest part of his life, though he knew he was born at Bethlehem; but this he said, according to the common notion of the people, and it being the usual appellation of him:
art thou come to destroy us? not to annihilate them, but either to turn them out of the bodies of men, which to them was a sort of a destruction of them, and was really a destroying that power, which they had for some time exercised over men; or to shut them up in the prison of hell, and inflict that full punishment on them, which is in reserve for them:
I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God: he whom God had called his Holy One, Ps 16:10, and who is so, both in his divine nature, as the Son of God, the Holy One of Israel; and as the Son of man, being the holy thing born of the virgin, and is without the least stain of original sin, or blemish of actual transgression; and also as the mediator, whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world, the true Messiah; and all this the devil knew from his wonderful incarnation, by the voice from heaven at his baptism, from the conquest over him in the wilderness, and by the miracles he had already wrought: in the high priest’s mitre was written, , which may be rendered, “the Holy One of the Lord”: the high priest was an eminent type of him.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
What have we to do with thee? ( ?) The same idiom in Mt 8:29. Ethical dative. Nothing in common between the demon and Jesus. Note “we.” The man speaks for the demon and himself, double personality. The recognition of Jesus by the demons may surprise us since the rabbis (the ecclesiastics) failed to do so. They call Jesus “The Holy One of God” ( ). Hence the demon feared that Jesus was come to destroy him and the man in his power. In Mt 8:29 the demon calls Jesus “Son of God.” Later the disciples will call Jesus “The Holy One of God” (Joh 6:69). The demon cried out aloud (, late first aorist form, , common second aorist) so that all heard the strange testimony to Jesus. The man says “I know” (), correct text, some manuscripts “we know” (), including the demon.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Us
Me and those like me. The demons, says Bengel, make common cause.
The Holy One of God
The demon names him as giving to the destruction the impress of hopeless certainty.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “Saying, let us alone;- (legon) “Repeatedly saying, crying aloud.” The demon possessed, diseased, deranged man spoke aloud for the demons in him.
2) “What have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth?” (ti hemin ksi soi, lesou Nazarene) “What are you to us, what are we to you, Jesus, a Nazarene?” The demon-possessed man- then-spoke for the fraternity of fallen, unclean deranged spirits, rebels against and enemies of God and men. This is the first intimation in Mark that Jesus was of Nazareth, established by testimony, even of Demons; See also, Mat 2:23; Joh 1:45-46.
3) “Art thou come to destroy us?” (elthes apolesai hemas) “Are you come, or have you come to destroy us?” to drive us from our habitation in this man, right here in the synagogue? Luk 8:26-32,
4) “I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.” (oida se tis ei ho hagios tou theou) “I know (perceive) you, who you are, the prophetic, Holy One of God,” of the trinity. This “Holy One,” Jesus, is contrasted with the unclean spirit one. Demons recognized who Jesus was, so must fallen man, in order to be saved, delivered from sin and hell, Mar 1:34; Jas 2:19; Joh 8:24; Joh 3:18; Joh 3:36.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(24) What have we to do with thee?The cry is identical with that of the Gadarene demoniacs (Mat. 8:29). Here, as there, the possessed man has a preternatural intuition of our Lords greatness.
The Holy One of God.The name occurs, as applied to Christ, only here, in the parallel passage of Luk. 4:34, and in the better MSS. of Joh. 6:69. It probably had its origin in the Messianic application of Thy Holy One in Psa. 16:10. Its strict meaning is the Holy One whom God owns as such, who has attained, i.e., the highest form of holiness.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
24. Let us alone The original word is perhaps a mere interjection, Ea! Yet probably this interjection is derived from the Greek verb signifying let alone. What have we to do with thee What business have we with each other?
Art thou come to destroy us? So the Gergesene demoniacs say, “Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?” Mat 8:29. From which we infer that the demons live in fearful anticipation of the day when they shall be destroyed by being subjected to torment which they do not now endure. The time is coming when they shall be cast into the bottomless pit. Rev 20:10. And they are now reserved in chains of darkness unto the judgment of the great day. I know thee who thou art So also in Mat 8:29, the two demons recognise him in his divine and adjudging character. So in Act 16:16-18, the girl possessed with the spirit of Python or Apollo proclaims the apostles to be the servants of the Most High. The apostle, like the Saviour, repudiated the testimony of such witnesses, for reasons perhaps apparent from our note on the next verse. See note on Mar 5:2.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
24 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.
Ver. 24. What have we to do with thee? ] Not to do with Christ, and yet vex a servant of Christ? Could the devil so mistake him, whom he confessed? It is an idle misprision, to sever the sense of an injury done to any of the members, from the head.
Thou Jesus of Nazareth ] Though the devils confessed Christ to be the Holy One of God, yet they call him Jesus of Nazareth; to nourish the error of the multitude that thought he was born there, and so not the Messiah. Neither did the devil’s cunning fail him herein, as appears, Joh 7:44 .
Art thou come to destroy us? ] Before the time: such is the infinite goodness of God that he respites even wicked men and spirits the utmost of their torments.
I know thee who thou art ] This he spake, not to honour Christ, but to denigrate him, as commended by so lying a spirit. Laudari ab illaudalo, non est laus, saith Seneca.
The Holy One of God ] Some rest in praising the sermon, and speaking fair to the preacher. The devil here did as much to Christ, to be rid of him. So did Herod, Mar 6:20 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
24. . ] We may observe that this epithet often occurs under strong contrast to His Majesty and glory; as here, and ch. Mar 16:6 , and Act 2:22-24 ; Act 22:8 ; and, we may add, Joh 19:19 .
, generic: “communem inter se causam habent dmonia,” Bengel.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mar 1:24 . , what to us and to Thee. The diseased man speaks for the demon in him, and the demon speaks for the fraternity as all having one interest. For the phrase used in a similar sense vide 1Ki 17:18 . : first certain intimation ( cf. Mar 1:9 ) that Jesus belonged to Nazareth. The corresponding adjective in Matthew is (Mar 2:23 ). . . may be either a question or an assertion, the sense of the whole passage being: Thou art come to destroy us, for I know well who Thou art the Holy One of God (Fritzsche). The epithet, , applied to Jesus is in antithesis to .
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
what have we to do with Thee? See note on 2Sa 16:10.
of Nazareth = [the] Nazarene. App-94, and App-169. I know. Greek. oida. App-182. The man said this, the evil spirit moving him.
the Holy One of God. Thus again the Person of the Lord is declared. Compare Psa 16:10. Luk 1:35.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
24. .] We may observe that this epithet often occurs under strong contrast to His Majesty and glory; as here, and ch. Mar 16:6, and Act 2:22-24; Act 22:8; and, we may add, Joh 19:19.
, generic: communem inter se causam habent dmonia, Bengel.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mar 1:24. , permit) that is, permit us to speak, [but Engl. Vers., Let us alone]: Luk 4:34; Luk 4:41.-, what) A most miserable state; that he should desire not to have anything to do with Jesus [comp. Rev 6:15].-, of Nazareth) It is probable that the great Enemy had very closely observed what Jesus did at Nazareth during His youth.-, to destroy) well said! comp. 1Jn 3:8.-, us)[12] The demons have a common cause among them [one common interest].-, I know) He does not say, we know. He speaks of himself, not of the rest. The demons who were in those possessed, seem to have perceived sooner than the rest who Jesus was [yea, sooner even than most of the men with whom He walked at that time.-Harm., p. 256].
[12] The mark of interrogation after this word ought to be removed.-Not. Crit. Both Lachm. and Tischend. retain it.-ED.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Let: Mar 5:7, Exo 14:12, Mat 8:29, Luk 8:28, Luk 8:37, Jam 2:19
the Holy One: Psa 16:10, Psa 89:18, Psa 89:19, Dan 9:24, Luk 4:34, Act 2:27, Act 3:14, Act 4:27, Rev 3:7
Reciprocal: Dan 4:13 – an holy Mar 3:11 – unclean Mar 5:17 – General Act 16:17 – These Act 19:15 – General 1Jo 2:20 – the Holy 1Jo 3:8 – this purpose
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
4
Of course we must understand that the devil did his talking with the mouth of the victim which is signified by the expression “possessed with the devil.” Note that references to this devil are in both the singular and plural numbers. That is because though there might be a legion of them within a man (chapter 5:5-13), there would be one as spokesman. The devil knew Jesus because he had once been with him in heaven but was cast out because of sin (2Pe 2:4; Jud 1:6; Luk 10:18). It was not surprising, then, that they did not want anything to do with Jesus.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
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.
[Art thou come to destroy us?] Us? Whom? The devils? or those Galileans in the synagogue? See what the masters say: “In that generation, in which the Son of David shall come, saith Rabban Gamaliel, Galilea shall be laid waste, and the Galileans shall wander from city to city, and shall not obtain mercy.” If such a report obtained in the nation, the devil thence got a very fit occasion in this possessed man of affrighting the Galileans from receiving Christ, because they were to expect nothing from his coming but devastation.
Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels
Mar 1:24. What have we to do with thee. Lit., what to us and to thee, what have we in common; comp. Mat 8:29.
To destroy us. The language of the demon, overbearing the consciousness of the man. The plural indicates, either the presence of more than one evil spirit, or that this one speaks as the representative of the class. The destruction referred to includes banishment to torment (comp. Mat 8:29), and also the destruction of the empire of Satan in the world, signified and begun in such expulsions as these.
I know thee. Already conscious of His influence, the evil spirit with supernatural sagacity recognizes Him as the Messiah.
The Holy One of God. An acknowledgment of His Messiahship, but not necessarily of His Divinity. The unclean spirit describes our Lord as the Holy One, because this holiness torments him already, and marks Jesus as One sent by God to destroy Satans empire.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
1:24 Saying, Let [us] alone; what have we to do with thee, thou {m} Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the {n} Holy One of God.
(m) He was born in Bethlehem, but through the error of the people he was called a Nazarene, because he was brought up in Nazareth.
(n) He alludes to the name that was written in the golden plate which the high Priest wore; Exo 28:36
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The man cried out, but it was really the demon speaking through him. This is clear because Jesus replied to the demon (Mar 1:25). The words "what do we have to do with you" represent a Hebrew idiom that introduces conflict (cf. Mar 5:7; Jos 22:24; Jdg 11:12; 2Sa 16:10; 2Sa 19:22). Today we might express the same thought by saying, "Why are you meddling with us?"
The demon recognized Jesus, and it knew about His mission. It was common for the Jews to identify a person by his place of origin (cf. Mar 10:47; Mar 14:67; Mar 16:6). In Jesus’ case this was Nazareth. We could just as accurately translate the words rendered "Have you come to destroy us" as a statement of fact: "You have come to destroy us." In either case the demon expressed dread. Clearly this demon recognized Jesus as its judge. This showed Jesus’ great authority.
By calling Jesus the Holy One of God the demon testified to His empowerment by the Holy Spirit, the enemy of all unclean spirits. This title also probably implies belief in Jesus’ deity. The title "Holy One" was a popular designation of God in the Old Testament. Isaiah called God the Holy One about 30 times (Isa 1:4; Isa 5:19; Isa 5:24; et al.). Whereas people referred to Jesus as "Lord" (Mar 7:8), "teacher" (Mar 9:17), "Son of David" (Mar 10:47-48), and "master" (Mar 10:52), the demons called Him "the holy One of God" (Mar 1:24), "the Son of God" (Mar 3:11) or "the Son of the Most High God" (Mar 5:7).