Mark 9:29

29 He answered, "There is no way to get rid of this kind of demon except by prayer."

Mark 9:29 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 9:29

And he said unto them
Matthew, besides the following reason, assigns another, as given by our Lord, why they could not cast out the foul spirit, which was their unbelief; of which they were guilty in some sort, as well as the Jews, and the father of the child; but Mark omits it, and only relates this as the reason;

this kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting;
which they had not observed; (See Gill on Matthew 17:21).

Mark 9:29 In-Context

27 But Jesus, taking his hand, raised him. The boy stood up.
28 After arriving back home, his disciples cornered Jesus and asked, "Why couldn't we throw the demon out?"
29 He answered, "There is no way to get rid of this kind of demon except by prayer."
30 Leaving there, they went through Galilee. He didn't want anyone to know their whereabouts,
31 for he wanted to teach his disciples. He told them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed to some people who want nothing to do with God. They will murder him. Three days after his murder, he will rise, alive."
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.