11:24 “When an unclean spirit 16 goes out of a person, 17 it passes through waterless places 18 looking for rest but 19 not finding any. Then 20 it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ 21 11:25 When it returns, 22 it finds the house 23 swept clean and put in order. 24 11:26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so 25 the last state of that person 26 is worse than the first.” 27
1 tn Grk “And Jesus.” Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to pick up the sequence of the narrative prior to the parenthetical note by the author.
2 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
3 sn The name Legion means “thousands,” a word taken from a Latin term for a large group of soldiers. The term not only suggests a multiple possession, but also adds a military feel to the account. This is a true battle.
4 tn The referent of the expression “a strong man” is Satan.
5 tn The word αὐλή (aulh) describes any building large and elaborate enough to have an interior courtyard, thus “dwelling, palace, mansion” (L&N 7.6).
6 tn Grk “his goods are in peace.”
7 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
8 tn The referent of the expression “a stronger man” is Jesus.
9 tn Grk “stronger man than he attacks.”
10 tn Grk “his”; the referent (the first man mentioned) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 tn Grk “on which he relied.”
12 tn Or “and distributes.”
13 sn Some see the imagery here as similar to Eph 4:7-10, although no opponents are explicitly named in that passage. Jesus has the victory over Satan. Jesus’ acts of healing mean that the war is being won and the kingdom is coming.
14 sn Whoever is not with me is against me. The call here is to join the victor. Failure to do so means that one is being destructive. Responding to Jesus is the issue.
15 sn For the image of scattering, see Pss. Sol. 17:18.
16 sn This is a reference to an evil spirit. See Luke 4:33.
17 tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.
18 sn The background for the reference to waterless places is not entirely clear, though some Jewish texts suggest spirits must have a place to dwell, but not with water (Luke 8:29-31; Tob 8:3). Some suggest that the image of the desert or deserted cities as the places demons dwell is where this idea started (Isa 13:21; 34:14).
19 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
20 tc ‡ Most
21 tn Grk “I will return to my house from which I came.”
22 tn Grk “comes.”
23 tn The words “the house” are not in Greek but are implied.
24 sn The image of the house swept clean and put in order refers to the life of the person from whom the demon departed. The key to the example appears to be that no one else has been invited in to dwell. If an exorcism occurs and there is no response to God, then the way is free for the demon to return. Some see the reference to exorcism as more symbolic; thus the story’s only point is about responding to Jesus. This is possible and certainly is an application of the passage.
25 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.
26 tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.
27 sn The point of the story is that to fail to respond is to risk a worse fate than when one started.