Mark 9:24
 
Mark 9:24
(KJV) And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
(1611 KJV) And straightway the father of the child cried out and said with teares, Lord, I beleeue, helpe thou mine vnbeliefe.
(1587 Geneva Bible) And straightway the father of the childe crying with teares, saide, Lorde, I beleeue: helpe my vnbeliefe.
(1526 Tyndale) And streygth waye the father of the chylde cryed with teares sayinge: Lorde I beleve helpe myne vnbelefe.
 
Counterfeit Versions
(CSB) Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”
(NIV) Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
(NASV) Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief."
(THE MESSAGE) No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, "Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!"
(NLT) The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
(ESV) Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!"
(AMP ) At once the father of the boy gave [an eager, piercing, inarticulate] cry with tears, and he said, Lord, I believe! [Constantly] help my weakness of faith!
(CEV) Right away the boy's father shouted, "I do have faith! Please help me to have even more."
(NCV) Immediately the father cried out, "I do believe! Help me to believe more!"
(1901 ASV) Straightway the father of the child cried out, and said, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
(HCSB) Immediately the father of the boy cried out, "I do believe! Help my unbelief."
(NIRV) Right away the boy's father cried out, "I do believe! Help me overcome my unbelief!"
(RSV) Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!"
(NAB-Roman Catholic) Then the boy's father cried out, "I do believe, help my unbelief!"
(NWT-Jehovah’s Witnesses) Immediately crying out, the father of the young child was saying: “I have faith! Help me out where I need faith!”
 
Textus Receptus - Traditional Text
kai euqewV kraxaV o pathr tou paidiou meta dakruwn elegen pisteuw kurie bohqei mou th apistia
 
Hort-Westcott - Critical Text
euquV kraxaV o pathr tou paidiou elegen pisteuw bohqei mou th apistia
 
Corrupted Manuscripts
This verse is corrupted in the following manuscripts:
Omits “with tears”
Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit
A 02 - Alexandrinus - Fifth century
B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century
C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century
P 45 - Third century
L 019 - Seventh century
28 (miniscule) - Eleventh century
037 - (Majuscule) Ninth Century
 
Omits “Lord”
Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit
A 02 - Alexandrinus - Fifth century
B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century
C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century
D 05 - Bezae Cantabrigiensis - Fifth century
L 019 - Seventh century
038 - (Majuscule) Ninth century
 
Manuscripts which agree with the Textus Receptus for this verse
Contains “with tears”
Byzantine Text (450-1450 A.D.)
A 02 - Alexandrinus - Fifth century (corrected)
C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century (corrected)
D 05 - Bezae Cantabrigiensis - Fifth century
Theta 038 - Ninth century
1 (Minuscule) - Seventh century
13 (Minuscule) - Eighth century
 
Contains “Lord”
Byzantine Text (450-1450 A.D.)
C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century (corrected)
K 017 - Ninth century
Gamma 036 - Ninth or Tenth century
 
Published Critical Greek Texts with Corruptions
Omit “with tears”
Lachmann, Karl - 1842
Tischendorf, Constantine - 1869
Tregelles, Samuel - 1857
Alford, Henry - 1849 revised in 1871
Westcott and Hort - 1881
Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941
Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition
Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition
United Bible Societies - 1983 - Fourth Edition
 
Omits “Lord”
Greisbach, Johann - 1805
Lachmann, Karl - 1842
Tischendorf, Constantine - 1869
Tregelles, Samuel - 1857
Alford, Henry - 1849 revised in 1871
Wordsworth, Christopher - 1856 revised in 1870
Westcott and Hort - 1881
Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941
Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition
Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition
United Bible Societies - 1983 - Fourth Edition
 
Affected Teaching
In this verse, the father of the possessed boy had come to Jesus for help to cast out a devil which held his son in its power. Jesus had said to him that if you believe, all things are possible. In other words, if you truly believe in Christ, then all things are possible, even the casting out of this devil. The father responded with such emotion that he was in tears because he believed that Jesus could cast out the devil, yet his belief was wavering, probably because he kept his eye on the situation his son was in and did not look beyond it to Christ who could remove the devil from his son. The father believed in Jesus because he called Him “Lord” and Lord is a title of deity. I think this man is a picture of many of us believers who know that Christ can do something, yet there is breach in our faith when it comes to full belief. The modern versions remove two main elements from this verse. First, they remove that fact that the man recognizes Jesus as deity by calling Him Lord. Secondly, they leave out the fact that the father was in such consternation over his son, that his emotions erupted in tears for the situation his son was in. The Gnostics did not believe that Jesus was God in the flesh, so every time they thought they could get away with it, they deleted the title of “Lord” and the modern versions make it sound like this father was asking his friends to help him increase his faith. Once again the King James gives us the full story and does not attack the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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