Mark 1:23 (DBY)

Passage

And there was in their synagogue a man [possessed] by an unclean spirit, and he cried out

Nearby Context

Mark 1:21 And they go into Capernaum. And straightway on the sabbath he entered into the synagogue and taught.

Mark 1:22 And they were astonished at his doctrine, for he taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes.

Mark 1:23 And there was in their synagogue a man [possessed] by an unclean spirit, and he cried out

Mark 1:24 saying, Eh! what have we to do with thee, Jesus, Nazarene? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the holy one of God.

Mark 1:25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace and come out of him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "synagogue", "possessed", "unclean", and "cried". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "synagogue", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "And they were astonished at his doctrine..." into verse 24's "saying Eh what have we to do...", so "Spirit" and "synagogue" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "Spirit" and "synagogue" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.