<p>2:6 <em>But some of the scribes sitting there questioned in their hearts</em>- Mt. 9:3 &quot;said within themselves&quot;.</p><p>Consider the huge emphasis of the New Testament upon 'thinking / talking within oneself', especially within the Gospels. The same Greek phrase is used repeatedly:<br />- &quot;Think not to say within yourselves&quot; (Mt. 3:9)<br />- &quot;The scribes said within themselves&quot; (Mt. 9:3)<br />- &quot;She said within herself&quot; (Mt. 9:21)<br />- The believer who fails to grow spiritually has no root &quot;within himself&quot; (Mt. 13:21)<br />- &quot;They reasoned within themselves... Why do you reason within yourselves...&quot; (Mt. 16:7,8)<br />- &quot;The husbandmen... said within themselves&quot; (Mt. 21:38)<br />- The disciples &quot;disputed within themselves&quot; (Mk. 9:33)<br />- Have salt &quot;within yourselves&quot; (Mk. 9:50)<br />- The Pharisee &quot;spake within himself&quot; (Lk. 7:39)<br />- The guests &quot;began to say within themselves&quot; (Lk. 7:49)<br />- The rich fool &quot;thought within himself, saying...&quot; (Lk. 12:17)<br />- &quot;The steward said within himself&quot; (Lk. 16:3)<br />- The unjust judge &quot;said within himself&quot; (Lk. 18:4)<br />- Peter &quot;doubted in himself&quot; (Acts 10:17)<br />- Jews who heard the Gospel &quot;reasoned within themselves&quot; (Acts 28:29 Gk.)<br />- Israel &quot;through the lusts of their own hearts... dishonoured their bodies within themselves&quot; (Rom. 1:24)<br />- &quot;Within yourselves... you have a better and enduring substance&quot; (Heb. 10:34)<br />- &quot;Partial within yourselves, judges of evil thoughts&quot; (James 2:4).</p><p>There are many other Bible verses which likewise speak of the internal state of a person and the significance of our self-talk- these are just examples of one Greek phrase. It is logical therefore to expect that the great adversary or 'satan' to be internal thinking, how we think and speak within ourselves. And properly understood, this is indeed what 'satan' in the Bible sometimes refers to.</p>