If a kingdom is divided against itself, it cannot stand.
Parallel translations
- WEB If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
- KJV And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
- NKJV If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
- NASB And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
- NLT “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. It matters because it proves Satan would not undermine his own rule by casting out his own demons.
Overview
Jesus uses a self-evident principle to dismantle the scribes' charge: internal division brings collapse. If his exorcisms were Satanic, Satan's kingdom would be tearing itself apart. The argument prepares for Jesus' claim that he is in fact plundering Satan's domain by a greater power, the Spirit of God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Zech 11:14Then I cut in two my second staff called Union, breaking the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
- Isa 19:2–3“So I will incite Egyptian against Egyptian; brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
- 2 Sam 20:1Now a worthless man named Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, happened to be there, and he blew the ram’s horn and shouted: “We have no share in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son. Every man to his tent, O Israel!”
- 2 Sam 20:6And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and elude us.”
- 1 Cor 1:10–13I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree together, so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be united in mind and conviction.
- Ezek 37:22I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them. Then they will no longer be two nations and will never again be divided into two kingdoms.
- Judg 12:1–6Then the men of Ephraim assembled and crossed the Jordan to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why have you crossed over to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down with you inside!”
- Isa 9:20–21They carve out what is on the right, but they are still hungry; they eat what is on the left, but they are still not satisfied. Each one devours the flesh of his own offspring.
- Eph 4:3–6and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
- 1 Kgs 12:16–20When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David!” So the Israelites went home,
- John 17:21that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
- Judg 9:23–57God sent a spirit of animosity between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem and caused them to treat Abimelech deceitfully,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 3:24 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.