Mark 9:21
New International Version
Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered.

New Living Translation
“How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy.

English Standard Version
And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.

Berean Standard Bible
Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been with him?” “From childhood,” he said.

Berean Literal Bible
And He asked his father, "How long a time is it that this has been with him?" And he said, "From childhood.

King James Bible
And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.

New King James Version
So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.

New American Standard Bible
And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.

NASB 1995
And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.

NASB 1977
And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.

Legacy Standard Bible
And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.

Amplified Bible
Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he answered, “Since childhood.

Christian Standard Bible
“How long has this been happening to him? ” Jesus asked his father. “From childhood,” he said.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“How long has this been happening to him?” Jesus asked his father.” From childhood,” he said. “

American Standard Version
And he asked his father, How long time is it since this hath come unto him? And he said, From a child.

Contemporary English Version
Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" The man answered, "Ever since he was a child.

English Revised Version
And he asked his father, How long time is it since this hath come unto him? And he said, From a child.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Jesus asked his father, "How long has he been like this?" The father replied, "He has been this way since he was a child.

Good News Translation
"How long has he been like this?" Jesus asked the father. "Ever since he was a child," he replied.

International Standard Version
Then Jesus asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" He said, "Since he was a child.

Majority Standard Bible
Jesus asked the boy?s father, ?How long has this been with him?? ?From childhood,? he said.

NET Bible
Jesus asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood.

New Heart English Bible
He asked his father, "How long has it been since this has come to him?" He said, "From childhood.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he asked his father, How long is it since this came to him? and he said, From a child.

Weymouth New Testament
Then Jesus asked the father, "How long has he been like this?" "From early childhood," he said;

World English Bible
He asked his father, “How long has it been since this has been happening to him?” He said, “From childhood.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And He questioned his father, “How much time is it since this came to him?” And he said, “From childhood,

Berean Literal Bible
And He asked his father, "How long a time is it that this has been with him?" And he said, "From childhood.

Young's Literal Translation
And he questioned his father, 'How long time is it since this came to him?' and he said, 'From childhood,

Smith's Literal Translation
And he asked his father, How long is it that this has been to him? And he said, From childhood.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he asked his father: How long time is it since this hath happened unto him? But he said: From his infancy:

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he questioned his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” But he said: “From infancy.

New American Bible
Then he questioned his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “Since childhood.

New Revised Standard Version
Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
So Jesus asked his father, How long has he been like this? He said to him, From his childhood.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Yeshua asked his father, “How long a time now has he been like this? He said to him, “From his childhood.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And he asked his father: How long is it since this came upon him? He replied: From childhood.

Godbey New Testament
And He asked his father, How long is it since this occurred to him? And he said, from childhood:

Haweis New Testament
And he asked his father, For how long a time hath this been the case with him? And he replied, From his infancy.

Mace New Testament
Jesus then asked the father, how long is it since this befel him? from his infancy, said the father.

Weymouth New Testament
Then Jesus asked the father, "How long has he been like this?" "From early childhood," he said;

Worrell New Testament
And He asked his father, "How long a time is it since this has befallen him?" And he said, "From a child.

Worsley New Testament
And He asked his father, How long is it since this befel him? And he said, From a child.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Boy with an Evil Spirit
20So they brought him, and seeing Jesus, the spirit immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been with him?” “From childhood,” he said. 22“It often throws him into the fire or into the water, trying to kill him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”…

Cross References
Matthew 17:14-18
When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus and knelt before Him. / “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. / I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him.” ...

Luke 9:37-42
The next day, when they came down from the mountain, Jesus was met by a large crowd. / Suddenly a man in the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only child. / A spirit keeps seizing him, and he screams abruptly. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It keeps mauling him and rarely departs from him. ...

Matthew 15:22-28
And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.” / But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” / He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ...

John 4:46-54
So once again He came to Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. / When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die. / Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.” ...

Matthew 9:32-33
As they were leaving, a demon-possessed man who was mute was brought to Jesus. / And when the demon had been driven out, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”

Luke 11:14
One day Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. And when the demon was gone, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowds were amazed,

Matthew 12:22
Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed the man so that he could speak and see.

Acts 16:16-18
One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of divination, who earned a large income for her masters by fortune-telling. / This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!” / She continued this for many days. Eventually Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” And the spirit left her at that very moment.

1 Samuel 1:27
I prayed for this boy, and since the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him,

2 Kings 4:32-35
When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his bed. / So he went in, closed the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD. / Then Elisha got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eye to eye, and hand to hand. As he stretched himself out over him, the boy’s body became warm. ...

Genesis 21:1-2
Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. / So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised.

Genesis 25:21
Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.

Genesis 30:22-23
Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb, / and she conceived and gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said.

Exodus 23:25-26
So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take away sickness from among you. / No woman in your land will miscarry or be barren; I will fulfill the number of your days.

Deuteronomy 7:14-15
You will be blessed above all peoples; among you there will be no barren man or woman or livestock. / And the LORD will remove from you all sickness. He will not lay upon you any of the terrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but He will inflict them on all who hate you.


Treasury of Scripture

And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came to him? And he said, Of a child.

How.

Mark 5:25
And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

Job 5:7
Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

Job 14:1
Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.

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Ago Boy's Child Childhood Early Happening Jesus Questioned Questioning Time
Mark 9
1. Jesus is transfigured.
11. He instructs his disciples concerning the coming of Elijah;
14. casts forth a deaf and mute spirit;
30. foretells his death and resurrection;
33. exhorts his disciples to humility;
38. bidding them not to prohibit such as are not against them,
42. nor to give offense to any of the faithful.














Jesus asked
This phrase highlights the compassionate and personal approach of Jesus. In the Greek, "Jesus" is "Ἰησοῦς" (Iēsous), emphasizing His role as the Savior. The act of asking shows Jesus' desire to engage personally with the father, demonstrating His empathy and understanding. It reflects the nature of God who seeks to know and be involved in the details of our lives, encouraging believers to bring their concerns to Him.

the boy’s father
The focus on "the boy’s father" underscores the familial and relational aspect of the narrative. In the cultural context of the time, a father's role was pivotal in the family unit. This interaction highlights the father's desperation and love for his child, a universal theme that resonates with the parental instinct to seek help for one's children. It also serves as a reminder of the importance of faith and intercession within the family structure.

How long has this been with him?
This question from Jesus is not for His own knowledge, as He is omniscient, but rather to draw out the father's faith and to set the stage for a deeper revelation of His power. The Greek word for "how long" is "πόσος χρόνος" (posos chronos), indicating a significant duration. This question invites reflection on the persistence of suffering and the hope for divine intervention, encouraging believers to trust in God's timing and sovereignty.

From childhood
The father's response, "From childhood," reveals the chronic nature of the boy's affliction. The Greek term "παιδιόθεν" (paidion), meaning "from a child," suggests a long-standing issue that has been a burden for the family. This detail emphasizes the depth of the miracle that is about to occur, as it is not just a temporary ailment but a lifelong struggle. It serves as a testament to the power of Jesus to heal and restore, no matter how long the affliction has persisted.

he said
The phrase "he said" indicates the father's direct communication with Jesus. In the Greek, "εἶπεν" (eipen) is used, which is a simple past tense verb, showing the immediacy and sincerity of the father's response. This interaction is a model of honest dialogue with God, encouraging believers to speak openly and truthfully in their prayers, trusting that God hears and responds to their cries for help.

(21) And he asked his father.--The question, asked as if to bring into strong relief the chronic, and therefore seemingly hopeless, character of the possession, is peculiar to this Gospel, as is the circumstantial account of the falling oft-times "into the fire and into the waters."

Verses 21, 22. - Our Lord asks the father, not the sufferer, which in this case would have been useless - he was but a lad, and he was dumb. Our Lord's question, How long time is it since this hath come unto him? was intended, not of course for his own information, but to inspire the father with hope and confidence. The father briefly answers, From a child; and then turns to a description of the perils to which his child was continually exposed through these paroxysms. And then, half doubting, half in despair, he says, If thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us. It is as though he said, "Thy disciples have failed, perhaps thy power may be greater."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
[Jesus] asked
ἐπηρώτησεν (epērōtēsen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1905: To interrogate, question, demand of. From epi and erotao; to ask for, i.e. Inquire, seek.

[the boy’s]
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

father,
πατέρα (patera)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3962: Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'.

“How long
Πόσος (Posos)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4214: How much, how great, how many. From an absolute pos and hos; interrogative pronoun how much (plural) many).

{has} this
τοῦτο (touto)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

been
γέγονεν (gegonen)
Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1096: A prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be, i.e. to become, used with great latitude.

with him?”
αὐτῷ (autō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

“From
Ἐκ (Ek)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

childhood,”
παιδιόθεν (paidiothen)
Adverb
Strong's 3812: From childhood, from early boyhood. Adverb from paidion; from infancy.

he said.
εἶπεν (eipen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.


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NT Gospels: Mark 9:21 He asked his father How long has (Mar Mk Mr)
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