But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:
Parallel translations
- WEB but whoever may blaspheme against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.”
- BSB But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of 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 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 12:10And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.
- Matt 12:31–32Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
- 2 Th 1:9Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
- Matt 25:46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
- Jude 1:13Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
- Mark 12:40Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.
- Jude 1:7Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance 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.