Texts in Conversation
In Mark, Jesus uses the language of Isaiah 49 by speaking of a strong man whose goods are taken by someone stronger. Isaiah asks if captives can be freed from a warrior, then answers yes. Mark turns this into a proverb about binding the strong man first.
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Isaiah 49:24
Hebrew Bible
23 Kings will be your children’s guardians; their princesses will nurse your children. With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you, and they will lick the dirt on your feet. Then you will recognize that I am the Lord; those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame. 24 Can spoils be taken from a warrior, or captives be rescued from a conqueror? 25 Indeed,” says the Lord,“ captives will be taken from a warrior; spoils will be rescued from a conqueror. I will oppose your adversary and I will rescue your children.
Date: 7th-5th Centuries B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Mark 3:27
New Testament
26 And if Satan rises against himself and is divided, he is not able to stand and his end has come. 27 But no one is able to enter a strong man’s house and steal his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can thoroughly plunder his house. 28 I tell you the truth, people will be forgiven for all sins, even all the blasphemies they utter.
Date: 60-75 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... the 'strong man' imagery may simply reflect a 'proverbial saying' about relative 'strengths' like that in Psalms of Solomon 5:3, a passage which may well have shared a common source with, or arisen from, Isaiah 49:24. Given that Satan's house is not divided against itself and that Jesus is clearly 'plundering' it, Jesus can hardly be empowered by Satan (3:22b) since he is manifestly the 'stronger one'. But is there more going on? ..."
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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