but whoever may blaspheme against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.”
Parallel translations
- KJV But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:
- BSB But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of eternal sin.”
- ESV but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—
- NKJV but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”—
- NASB but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—
- NLT but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.”
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the one sin that never finds forgiveness. It matters because it warns against the hardened rejection that attributes God's saving work to the devil.
Overview
In context, this sin is the scribes' deliberate, settled refusal to acknowledge the Spirit's work in Jesus, calling good evil. Faithful interpreters generally hold that it describes persistent, hard-hearted rejection of the Spirit's witness to Christ, not an isolated word; those who fear they have committed it show, by their concern, hearts not finally hardened. The gravity of the warning calls all to receive rather than resist the Spirit's testimony to Jesus.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Luke 12:10Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
- Matt 12:31–32Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
- 2 Th 1:9who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,
- Matt 25:46These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
- Jude 1:13wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever.
- Mark 12:40those who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
- Jude 1:7Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them, having, in the same way as these, given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are shown as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
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 3:29 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.