Mark 3:21

Mark 3:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.
• New International Version (NIV)When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, "He is out of his mind."
• New King James Version (NKJV)But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.”

Context of Mark 3:21

19and Judas Iscariot, who later gave Jesus to his enemies. 20Then Jesus went into a house. A crowd of people came together there again. There were so many people that Jesus and his disciples were not even able to eat. People told his family what was happening. So they went to take him away with them. They thought that Jesus was crazy. 22Some teachers of God's Law came from Jerusalem. They said, ‘Jesus has a bad spirit called Beelzebul in him. That is Satan, the one who rules all the bad spirits. This man can send bad spirits out of people because Satan gives him authority.’ 23So Jesus spoke to the teachers of God's Law. He said, ‘Come here and listen to me.’ He used stories to explain to them, ‘Satan would not fight against himself!

Mark 3:21 word by word

καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐξῆλθον κρατῆσαι αὐτόν· ἔλεγον γὰρ ὅτι ἐξέστη.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• whenἀκούωakouō · to hearG191
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• friendsπαράpara · from/with/besideG3844
• they went outἐξέρχομαιexerchomai · to go outG1831
• to lay holdκρατέωkrateō · to grasp/seizeG2902
• forγάρgar · forG1063
• they saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• He is beside himselfἐξίστημιexistēmi · to amazeG1839
• ·ὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754

Cross-references for Mark 3:21

• Mark 3:31Then, Jesus' mother and his brothers arrived and they stood outside the house. They sent someone into the house with a message. They wanted Jesus to come out to speak to them.
• John 7:3So Jesus' brothers said to him, ‘You should leave this place and you should go to Judea. Then your disciples will see the great things that you do.
• 2 Kings 9:11Jehu went out to the other army officers. They asked him, ‘Is everything well? Why did that crazy man come to you?’ Jehu replied, ‘It was not important. You know what that man is like and the kind of things he says.’
• Jeremiah 29:26The Lord chose you to be priest instead of Jehoiada. You are the officer who has authority over the Lord's temple. If there is any crazy man who says that he is a prophet, you must take hold of him. It is your duty to tie him up. Put heavy pieces of wood on his legs and iron chains around his neck.
• Hosea 9:7The time for Israel's punishment has arrived! The Lord must now pay them back for their sins. The Israelites will soon know about it! You do many sins and you hate the Lord. Because of that, you say that his prophets are fools. You think that his messengers are crazy.
• John 10:20Many of them said, ‘He has a demon in him and he is crazy. You should not listen to him!’
• Acts 26:24While Paul was still speaking to Agrippa, Festus shouted at him, ‘Paul, your mind is confused! You have learned many things. But all these things are making you crazy.’
• 2 Corinthians 5:13To some people, we may seem to be crazy. That is because we want to serve God. But if we seem to be wise, that is to help you.

Commentaries on Mark 3:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21His friends - Or, relations. On this verse several MSS. differ considerably. I have followed the reading of the Syriac, because I think it the best: ̔ ' signify merely his relatives, his brethren, etc., see Mark 3:31; and the phrase is used by the best writers to signify relatives, companions, and domestics. See Kypke in loc. They said, He is beside himself - It was the enemies of Christ that raised this report; and his relatives, probably thinking that…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21When his friends - Greek, “they who were of him.” Not the apostles, but his relatives, his friends, who were in the place of his nativity. Heard of it - Heard of his conduct: his preaching; his appointing the apostles; his drawing such a multitude to his preaching. This shows that by “his friends” were not meant the apostles, but his neighbors and others who “heard” of his conduct. They went out to lay hold on him - To take him away from the multitude…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-21Verses 13-21 Christ calls whom he will; for his grace is his own. He had called the apostles to separate themselves from the crowd, and they came unto him. He now gave them power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils. May the Lord send forth more and more of those who have been with him, and have learned of him to preach his gospel, to be instruments in his blessed work. Those whose hearts are enlarged in the work of God, can easily bear with what is…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21He is out of his mind: Mark does not explain whether the attempt by the family of Jesus to seize him was motivated by sincere but misguided concern, or by hostility. The brothers and sisters of Jesus were not among his followers until after his resurrection (3:31–35; John 7:3–5). First Corinthians 15:7 mentions James, the brother of Jesus, who became a leader of the Jerusalem church (Acts 15:13–21).Read the comment

Topics related to Mark 3:21

• Insanity
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Persecution

In the dictionaries

• Blaspheme
• Ordain
• Surname
• Thunder
• Virtue
• Whole
• Beside
• Holy Spirit
• Jesus Christ
• Mark, John

Commentaries on Mark 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings