Luke 9:39
What does Luke 9:39 mean?
A plain-English look at Luke 9:39 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Luke 9:39 means
The man describes the boy’s terrifying symptoms: a spirit seizes him, he cries out, foams, and is violently afflicted, barely leaving him and bruising him severely. The graphic description displays the brutal reality of demonic possession and the father’s helplessness. The language emphasizes uncontrollable, dangerous behavior and the boy’s suffering. It sets a high bar for the needed deliverance and shows why people urgently sought Jesus: ordinary remedies failed; only someone with spiritual authority could confront such destructive forces and restore the boy’s life and dignity.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000and behold, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth, and it hardly departeth from him, bruising him sorely.
KJV
King James Version · 1611And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901and behold, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth, and it hardly departeth from him, bruising him sorely.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And see, a spirit takes him, and suddenly he gives a cry, twisted in pain and streaming at the lips, and when it goes away from him at last, he is marked as from blows.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862and lo, a spirit doth take him, and suddenly he doth cry out, and it teareth him, with foaming, and it hardly departeth from him, bruising him,
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And lo, a spirit seizeth him, and he suddenly crieth out, and he throweth him down and teareth him, so that he foameth; and bruising him, he hardly departeth from him.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890and behold, a spirit takes him, and suddenly he cries out, and it tears him with foaming, and with difficulty departs from him after crushing him.
Context
This verse details the severity of the boy’s condition introduced in v.38. The vivid description heightens the crisis and shows why the disciples’ inability (v.40) is alarming. Luke places this narrative after the glory of the transfiguration to emphasize that spiritual truth must address dire human suffering. The story will demonstrate Jesus’ power over evil and highlight the disciples’ need for faith and understanding of prayer (vv.40–42).
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Luke 8:29
For he was commanding the unclean spirit to come out from the man. For oftentimes it had seized him: and he was kept under guard, and bound with chains and fetters; and breaking the bands asunder, he was driven of the demon into the deserts.
- Mark 9:20
And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him grievously; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
- Luke 4:35
And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no hurt.
- Mark 9:26
And having cried out, and torn him much, he came out: and the boy became as one dead; insomuch that the more part said, He is dead.
- Mark 5:4
because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been rent asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: and no man had strength to tame him.
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