Mark 9:21 (GNV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Mark 9:22 And oft times he casteth him into the fire, and into the water to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, helpe vs, and haue compassion vpon vs.

Mark 9:23 And Iesus said vnto him, If thou canst beleeue it, al things are possible to him that beleeueth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "asked", "father", "long", "time", "since", "hath", "thus", and "said". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "asked" and "father", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "So they brought him vnto him and..." into verse 22's "And oft times he casteth him into...", so "asked" and "father" 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 "asked" and "father" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.