What Does Mark 7:25 Mean in the King James?
For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The daughter’s “unclean spirit” is an unclean pneuma, the same Greek word also names breath.
THE MEANING
A mother hears and moves, carrying her daughter’s distress to his feet. The verse speaks now wherever another person’s suffering reaches you through what you hear; the need becomes present in the one who carries the report.
THE ROOT
πνεῦμα
pneuma
GROWS FROM
πνευ
pneu
to blow, to breathe
Here pneuma names breath, while also carrying the sense rendered “spirit.” One Greek word holds together what English can make seem separate: spirit and breath.
ALSO GROWS
pneō: to blow, to breathe
πνέω
The verb makes the breathing motion audible within the noun pneuma.
pnoē: breath, a blowing
πνοή
This related noun keeps the breath sense visible within the same word-family.
ἀκάθαρτον
akatharton
GROWS FROM
καθαρ
kathar
clean, pure
“unclean” in this verse is akatharton. The prefix a- marks what is not clean; beneath it is the kathar root. The word-family also grows into words for being clean and for cleansing, holding the condition and the language of cleansing together.
ALSO GROWS
katharos: clean, pure
καθαρός
This is the positive form of the root that remains inside akathartos.
katharizō: to cleanse, purify
καθαρίζω
The same root names an action of cleansing, extending the word-family beyond the state called unclean.
ἤκουσεν
ēkousen
GROWS FROM
ἀκου
akou
to hear, to listen
“heard” in this verse is ēkousen. The verb describes hearing about him, and that report is followed immediately by the mother’s approach. The same hearing-family can name both receiving a report and listening in a way that responds.
ALSO GROWS
akoē: hearing, report
ἀκοή
This branch can name the report itself, the news that reaches the mother.
hypakouō: to listen, heed, obey
ὑπακούω
This related verb shows how the hearing-root can extend toward a response.
THE PATTERN
Hearing turns a distant report into movement toward the need.
Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch.THE THREAD
And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.In this verse, “unclean” is akathartos, built on the kathar root; in Mark 1:41, “be thou clean” is a form of katharizō from that same root. The word-family holds the named condition together with the language of cleansing.
This reading is from Selah Verse.
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