Mark 1:25

1:25 Jesus did not need to shout or utter magic words. He simply spoke with the authority of the Son of God (1:1), and the evil spirit obeyed. • Be quiet! Jesus commanded the evil spirit not to make him known. This is an instance of the “messianic secret,” an expression for passages in Mark in which Jesus commands demons or people not to reveal his identity (1:25, 34; 3:11-12; 8:30; 9:9).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Mar 1:25. Ἐπετίμησεν, He rebuked) So ch. Mar 3:12. Hence it is evident that the hidden excellency of Jesus is far greater than Socinians suppose. It belongs to THE LORD as His prerogative to ‘rebuke,’ Jud 1:9.—φιμώθητι, be silenced) This prohibition did not prevent the cry of the unclean spirit when going out of the man, but merely the utterance of articulate words, such as are mentioned at Mar 1:24.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar_1:25 f. Αὐτῷ] to the demon, who had spoken out of the man.[56]

The demon, before he goes forth, once more gives vent to his whole fury on the man by tearing (σπαράξαν) him. Comp. Mar_9:26; Luk_9:42.

[56] To refer φιμώθητι, with Strauss, II. p. 21, following older expositors, merely to the demons declaration of the Messiahship of Jesus, is, in view of the general character of the word, arbitrary. It is the command of the victor in general: Be silent and go out! Strauss appeals to i. 34, iii. 12. But these prohibitions refer to the time after the going out.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar 1:25 . φιμώθητι : vide at Mat 22:12 .

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

25. ἐπετίμησεν. In class. Grk the verb has three meanings, the second and third growing out of the first; (1) “lay a value on, rate”; (2) “lay an estimated penalty on, sentence”; (3) “chide, rebuke, rate.” In Greek there is a real connexion between the first and third meanings; but in English we have a mere accident of language, for “rate” = “value” is a word of different origin from “rate” = “scold.” Excepting 2Ti 4:2 and Jud 1:9, the verb occurs only in the Synoptists in N.T., always in the sense of “rebuke,” or “give a strict order,” and often of rebuking violence; so also in LXX., where it is rare, except in the Psalms.

Φιμώθητι καὶ ἔξελθε. The two commands show why the demon was rebuked; he had no authority to proclaim who Jesus was, and he had no right to have possession of the man. Euthymius (κολακεύων) follows Tertullian (male adulantem) in attributing the demon’s utterance to flattery, which is not probable. It is rather a confession of the power of perfect goodness. Excepting 1Co 9:9 (?) and 1Ti 5:18, where Deu 25:4 is quoted, φιμόω is always used of silencing, not of muzzling. Cf. Josephus (B.J. I. xxii. 3), ἀλλʼ ὁ μὲν πεφίμωτο τοῖς ἱμέροις. It is probably colloquial rather than literary, and it is said to have been used in exorcisms. Papyri may throw light on it. In Mar 4:39 we have perf. imperat. πεφίμωσο, which is stronger than aor. imperat. Whatever may be the truth about demoniacal possession, all the evidence that we have shows that Christ, in dealing with those who were believed to be possessed, went through the form of commanding evil spirits to go out (Mar 5:8, Mar 7:29, Mar 9:25; cf. Mar 1:34; Mar 1:39, Mar 3:15; Mat 12:28; Mat 12:43; etc.). And His miracles were not wrought by uttering spells, but by speaking a word of command. He bade the demons to depart, the lepers to be cleansed (Mar 1:41), the lame to walk (Mar 2:11), the deaf to hear (Mar 7:34), the blind to see (Mar 10:52), the dead to arise (Mar 5:41), the storm to be still (Mar 4:39). With this simple ἔξελθε ἐξ αὐτοῦ contrast the elaborate form of exorcism quoted by Deissmann, Light from the Ancient East, pp. 251 f. Of the seven miracles wrought on the Sabbath, Mk gives three (Mar 1:25; Mar 1:31, Mar 3:5), Lk. two (Mar 13:13, Mar 14:4), and Jn two (Mar 5:9, Mar 9:14).

The command to demons not to make His Messiahship known among Jews (here and Mar 3:12), a prohibition which was not made in the case of Gentiles (Mar 5:19), is in harmony with the well-attested fact, that even the Twelve were slow in recognizing Him as the Messiah, and that the nation refused to accept Him as such. So far from proclaiming Himself as the Messiah, He was anxious that this fact should not be disclosed until men’s minds were prepared to receive it on other grounds than the fact that He worked miracles. Miracles did not prove that He was the Messiah; Prophets had healed lepers and raised the dead. And it is not irreverent to conjecture that He knew that a premature recognition of Him as the Messiah might produce a renewal of the temptations in the wilderness, temptations to gain the glory of victory without the necessary suffering (Mat 4:8-10; Mat 16:21-23).

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him--A glorious word of command. BENGEL remarks that it was only the testimony borne to Himself which our Lord meant to silence. That he should afterwards cry out for fear or rage (Mar 1:26) He would right willingly permit.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 25. And Jesus rebuked him] A spirit of this cast will only yield to the sovereign power of the Son of God. All watchings, fasting, and mortifications, considered in themselves, will do little or no good. Uncleanness, of every description, will only yield to the rebuke of God.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(25) Hold thy peace.—Literally, be still, be gagged. The same verb is used in the calming of the winds and waves in Mar_4:39.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

25. rebuked him] Though he had borne testimony to Christ, yet his testimony is not accepted, for it was probably intended only to do harm, “to anticipate and mar His great purpose and plan.” Compare the conduct of St Paul in reference to the girl possessed with the spirit of Apollo (Act_16:16-18).

Hold thy peace] lit. Be muzzled. The same word is used by our Lord in rebuking the storm on the Lake, “Peace, be still” (Mar_4:39). Wyclif translates it “wexe doumbe.” The word means (1) “to close the mouth with a muzzle, comp. 1Co_9:9, “Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn,” cited here and in 1Ti_5:18 from Deu_25:4; (2) to reduce to silence, as in Mat_22:34, “But when the Pharisees had heard that He had put the Sadducees to silence,” and 1Pe_2:15, “so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.” It is also used in reference to the man who had not on the wedding garment, “he was speechless” (Mat_22:12).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Jesus rebuked him,.... Checking his insolence, despising his flattery, and refusing to receive a testimony from him; and which he wanted not, lest it should be thought he had a familiarity and confederacy with him:

saying, hold thy peace; stop thy mouth, I need no such witness as thine, nor thy praises; I am not to be soothed by thy flattery, nor is my mouth to be stopped, or power restrained, by such methods: wherefore he adds,

and come out of him: I will not let thee alone, thy encomiums of me shall not prevail upon me to leave thee in the quiet possession of the man; I will give a testimony of who I am, by the dispossessing of thee out of this man. In imitation of this authoritative power of Christ, the Jewish exorcists, in their pretensions to cast out devils, use a like form: so they tell us (q), that R. Simeon ben Jochai, cast a devil out of Caesar's daughter, saying, "Ben Talmion" (which was the name of the devil) "come out, Ben Talmion come out"; and he came out of her; See Gill on Mat 12:27.

(q) T. Bab. Meilab, fol. 17. 2.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.

Ver. 25. Hold thy peace] φιμωθητι capistrator, be thou haltered up, or muzzled. Christ would not hear good words from an evil mouth. High words become not a fool, saith Solomon. The leper’s lips should be covered, according to the law.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Christ would not suffer the devils to be produced as witnesses of his divinity; the author of truth could not bear the father of lies to bear testimony of him. Hence Jesus threatened him, in order to teach us never to believe or put our trust in demons, whatever they may foretell. (St. John Chrysostom)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

It is both here and in many other places observable, that when the devils made a confession of Christ, yet neither Christ nor his apostles would ever take any notice of it. Truth is never advantaged from the confession of known liars, as the devil was from the beginning. Christ needed not the devil’s testimony, either to his holiness, or his being the Son of God, nor would he have people allow the least faith to the devil’s words. Nor was he to be imposed upon by the devil’s good words; he was to make no truce with him, but to destroy him and his works, he therefore charges him to hold his peace, and to come out.

And when the unclean spirit had torn him. The Greek word here, οπαραξαν, is ill translated torn, as appears by Luk 4:35, where it is said it did him no hurt: the word signifies no more than a violent convulsion, or shaking; and it is observed that those possessed by devils had only their members made use of by the devils, but without any wounding or laceration of them.

He cried out with a loud voice, and came out of him. Oh how loth is the devil to part with his possession! But possibly also Christ would have him cry out with a loud voice, that his miraculous operation might be the more taken notice of.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

25. Hold thy peace — Jesus was careful to guard himself and his own cause from every token of sympathy with the infernal beings, and so drew a most palpable line of hostility between them and himself. This he did probably to prevent all colouring for the Jews to say that there was collusion between him and them; or that he cast out devils through diabolical confederacy and power. Yet our Lord did not veil himself from their perception, nor prevent their expressing their first recognition of him; knowing their language concerning him would be of such a character as to indicate that they feared and dreaded him as their worst enemy.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hold thy peace, and come out of him. It was necessary that our Lord should at once assert his absolute power over the evil spirits; and not only this, but also that he should show that he had nothing to do with them. Later on in his ministry it was objected to him that he cast out devils by the prince of the devils. Then, further, the time was not yet arrived when Christ was to be publicly proclaimed as the Son of God. This great truth was to be gradually unfolded, and the people were to be persuaded by many miracles. But at present they were not prepared for this, and therefore our Lord charged his apostles that they should not make him known.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

25. Καὶ ἐπετίμησεν αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, φιμώθητι—And Jesus charged him sharply, Be still.4

Omit λέγων, saying, T. (WH.) א A*. It is inserted apparently to get over the roughness of ἐπετίμησεν alone.

φιμώθητι—literally, be muzzled.1 Its metaphorical use to denote putting to silence in other ways belongs to later Greek.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hold thy peace (φιμώθητι)

Lit., be muzzled or gagged See on Mat 22:12.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.