Mark 1:23

Modern

Suddenly a man with an unclean spirit cried out in the synagogue:

Traditional

And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,

Literal

And immediately there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit, and he cried out,

Latin

Et erat in synagoga eorum homo in spiritu immundo: et exclamavit,

Greek

English

Suddenly a man with an unclean spirit cried out in the synagogue:

The demon spoke through the man who was possessed by an evil spirit (1:24). In the Gospels, demons are often associated with disease (9:17, 27; Matthew 17:15) and self-destructive behavior (Mark 1:26; 5:2–5; 9:17–18, 20–22).
Demons know who Jesus is (1:34). They constantly identify him as the Holy One of God (for similar phrases see 3:11; 5:7).
In saying us, the evil spirit spoke on behalf of all demons. It recognized that Jesus has full authority and understood that he had come to oppose and destroy evil.

Jesus driving out evil spirits shows who he is and his power over Satan (see study notes on Mark 1:12–13 and 3:27; see also 1:34, 39; 3:11–12, 22; 5:1–20; 6:13; 7:24–30; 9:14–29).

Theme notes and profiles

Mark 9:25
When Jesus saw that a crowd had come running, He rebuked the unclean spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” He said, “I command you to come out and never enter him again.”
Mark 5:2
As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, He was met by a man with an unclean spirit, who was coming from the tombs.
Luke 4:33–37
In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon. He cried out in a loud voice,
Mark 1:34
And He healed many who were ill with various diseases and drove out many demons. But He would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.
Matthew 12:43
When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.
Mark 7:25
Instead, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit soon heard about Jesus, and she came and fell at His feet.