Mark 9:28

28 And [after] he had entered into the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why were we not able to expel it?"

Mark 9:28 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 9:28

And when he was come into the house
Perhaps into the man's house whose child he had healed, or into some other in these parts, for the sake both of retirement and refreshment:

his disciples asked him privately, why could not we cast him out?
The nine disciples, who were particularly concerned in this matter, fearing they had lost the power of casting out devils, conferred upon them, inquired of Jesus, when he was alone, why they could not cast the demon out of the child, when they had ejected unclean spirits out of many others; (See Gill on Matthew 17:19).

Mark 9:28 In-Context

26 And it came out, screaming and convulsing [him] greatly, and he became as if [he were] dead, so that most [of them] said, "He has died!"

27 But Jesus took hold of his hand [and] raised him up, and he stood up.

28 And [after] he had entered into the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why were we not able to expel it?"

29 And he said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing except by prayer."

30 And from there they went out [and] passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know,

Footnotes

• [a]. *Here "[after]" is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle ("had entered")