Mark 9:19 (GNV)

Passage

Then he answered him, and said, O faithlesse generation, how long now shall I be with you! how long now shall I suffer you! Bring him vnto me.

Nearby Context

Mark 9:17 And one of the companie answered, and said, Master, I haue brought my sonne vnto thee, which hath a dumme spirit:

Mark 9:18 And wheresoeuer he taketh him, he teareth him, and he fometh, and gnasheth his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples, that they should cast him out, and they could not.

Mark 9:19 Then he answered him, and said, O faithlesse generation, how long now shall I be with you! how long now shall I suffer you! Bring him vnto me.

Mark 9:20 So they brought him vnto him: and assoone as the spirit sawe him, hee tare him, and hee fell downe on the ground walowing and foming.

Mark 9:21 Then he asked his father, How long time is it since he hath bin thus? And he said, Of a childe.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "answered", "said", "faithlesse", "generation", "long", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "answered", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "And wheresoeuer he taketh him he teareth..." into verse 20's "So they brought him vnto him and...", so "faith" and "answered" 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 "faith" and "answered" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.