Luke 11:14-16

Jesus and Beelzebul

11:14 Now ¹  he was casting out a demon that was mute. ²  When ³  the demon had gone out, the man who had been mute began to speak, ⁴  and the crowds were amazed. 11:15 But some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, ⁵  the ruler ⁶  of demons, he casts out demons.” 11:16 Others, to test ⁷  him, ⁸  began asking for ⁹  a sign ¹⁰  from heaven.

[11:14]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[11:14]  ² tn The phrase “a demon that was mute” should probably be understood to mean that the demon caused muteness or speechlessness in its victim, although it is sometimes taken to refer to the demon’s own inability to speak (cf. TEV, “a demon that could not talk”).

[11:14]  ³ tn Grk “And it happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Here δέ (de) has not been translated either.

[11:14]  ⁴ sn This miracle is different from others in Luke. The miracle is told entirely in one verse and with minimum detail, while the response covers several verses. The emphasis is on explaining what Jesus’ work means.

[11:15]  ⁵ tn Grk “By Beelzebul.”

[11:15]  ⁶ tn Or “prince.”

[11:16]  ⁷ tn Grk “testing”; the participle is taken as indicating the purpose of the demand.

[11:16]  ⁸ tn The pronoun “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[11:16]  ⁹ tn Grk “seeking from him.” The imperfect ἐζήτουν (ezhtoun) is taken ingressively. It is also possible to regard it as iterative (“kept on asking”).

[11:16]  ¹⁰ sn What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.