Matthew 12:43

The Return of the Unclean Spirit

12:43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it passes through waterless places looking for rest but does not find it.

Matthew 26:52

26:52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back in its place! For all who take hold of the sword will die by the sword.

Matthew 28:6

28:6 He is not here, for he has been raised, just as he said. Come and see the place where he was lying.

tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.

tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females. This same use occurs in v. 45.

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).

tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

tn The translation “put your sword back in its place” for this phrase is given in L&N 85.52.

11 tn The verb here is passive (ἠγέρθη, hgerqh). This “divine passive” (see ExSyn 437-38) points to the fact that Jesus was raised by God.

12 tc Expansions on the text, especially when the Lord is the subject, are a common scribal activity. In this instance, since the subject is embedded in the verb, three major variants have emerged to make the subject explicit: ὁ κύριος (Jo kurio", “the Lord”; A C D L W 0148 Ë1,13 Ï lat), τὸ σῶμα τοῦ κυρίου (to swma tou kuriou, “the body of the Lord”; 1424 pc), and ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς (Jo Ihsou", “Jesus”; Φ). The reading with no explicit subject, however, is superior on both internal and external grounds, being supported by א B Θ 33 892* pc co.