Matthew 12:43-45

The Return of the Unclean Spirit

12:43 “When ¹  an unclean spirit ²  goes out of a person, ³  it passes through waterless places ⁴  looking for rest but ⁵  does not find it. 12:44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ ⁶  When it returns, ⁷  it finds the house ⁸  empty, swept clean, and put in order. ⁹  12:45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so ¹⁰  the last state of that person is worse than the first. It will be that way for this evil generation as well!”

Luke 11:21-26

11:21 When a strong man, ¹¹  fully armed, guards his own palace, ¹²  his possessions are safe. ¹³  11:22 But ¹⁴  when a stronger man ¹⁵  attacks ¹⁶  and conquers him, he takes away the first man’s ¹⁷  armor on which the man relied ¹⁸  and divides up ¹⁹  his plunder. ²⁰  11:23 Whoever is not with me is against me, ²¹  and whoever does not gather with me scatters. ²² 

Response to Jesus’ Work

11:24 “When an unclean spirit ²³  goes out of a person, ²⁴  it passes through waterless places ²⁵  looking for rest but ²⁶  not finding any. Then ²⁷  it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ ²⁸  11:25 When it returns, ²⁹  it finds the house ³⁰  swept clean and put in order. ³¹  11:26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so ³²  the last state of that person ³³  is worse than the first.” ³⁴ 

Luke 22:2-3

22:2 The ³⁵  chief priests and the experts in the law ³⁶  were trying to find some way ³⁷  to execute ³⁸  Jesus, ³⁹  for they were afraid of the people. ⁴⁰ 

22:3 Then ⁴¹  Satan ⁴²  entered Judas, the one called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve. ⁴³ 

Luke 22:31

22:31 “Simon, ⁴⁴  Simon, pay attention! ⁴⁵  Satan has demanded to have you all, ⁴⁶  to sift you like wheat, ⁴⁷ 

John 13:2

13:2 The evening meal ⁴⁸  was in progress, and the devil had already put into the heart ⁴⁹  of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that he should betray ⁵⁰  Jesus. ⁵¹ 

John 13:27

13:27 And after Judas ⁵²  took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. ⁵³  Jesus said to him, ⁵⁴  “What you are about to do, do quickly.”

Acts 5:3

5:3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled ⁵⁵  your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back for yourself part of the proceeds from the sale of ⁵⁶  the land?

Acts 5:2

5:2 He ⁵⁷  kept back for himself part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge; he brought ⁵⁸  only part of it and placed it at the apostles’ feet.

Colossians 4:4

4:4 Pray that I may make it known as I should. ⁵⁹ 

Colossians 4:1

4:1 Masters, treat your slaves with justice and fairness, because you know that you also have a master in heaven.

Colossians 3:8

3:8 But now, put off all such things ⁶⁰  as anger, rage, malice, slander, abusive language from your mouth.

Colossians 4:4

4:4 Pray that I may make it known as I should. ⁶¹ 

[12:43]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[12:43]  ² sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.

[12:43]  ³ tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females. This same use occurs in v. 45.

[12:43]  ⁴ 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).

[12:43]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[12:44]  ⁶ tn Grk “I will return to my house from which I came.”

[12:44]  ⁷ tn Grk “comes.”

[12:44]  ⁸ tn The words “the house” are not in Greek but are implied.

[12:44]  ⁹ sn The image of the house empty, 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.

[12:45]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.

[11:21]  ¹¹ tn The referent of the expression “a strong man” is Satan.

[11:21]  ¹² 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).

[11:21]  ¹³ tn Grk “his goods are in peace.”

[11:22]  ¹⁴ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[11:22]  ¹⁵ tn The referent of the expression “a stronger man” is Jesus.

[11:22]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “stronger man than he attacks.”

[11:22]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “his”; the referent (the first man mentioned) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:22]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “on which he relied.”

[11:22]  ¹⁹ tn Or “and distributes.”

[11:22]  ²⁰ 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.

[11:23]  ²¹ 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.

[11:23]  ²² sn For the image of scattering, see Pss. Sol. 17:18.

[11:24]  ²³ sn This is a reference to an evil spirit. See Luke 4:33.

[11:24]  ²⁴ tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.

[11:24]  ²⁵ 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).

[11:24]  ²⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[11:24]  ²⁷ tc ‡ Most mss, including a few early and important ones (Ì⁴⁵ א* A C D W Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï lat), lack τότε (tote, “then”). Other mss, including some early and important ones (Ì⁷⁵ א² B L Θ Ξ 070 33 579 892 1241 pc co), have the adverb. Although the external evidence better supports the longer reading, the internal evidence is on the side of the shorter, for conjunctions and adverbs were frequently added by copyists to remove asyndeton and to add clarification. The shorter reading is thus preferred. The translation, however, adds “Then” because of English stylistic requirements. NA²⁷ has τότε in brackets indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[11:24]  ²⁸ tn Grk “I will return to my house from which I came.”

[11:25]  ²⁹ tn Grk “comes.”

[11:25]  ³⁰ tn The words “the house” are not in Greek but are implied.

[11:25]  ³¹ 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.

[11:26]  ³² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.

[11:26]  ³³ tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.

[11:26]  ³⁴ sn The point of the story is that to fail to respond is to risk a worse fate than when one started.

[22:2]  ³⁵ tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[22:2]  ³⁶ tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[22:2]  ³⁷ tn Grk “were seeking how.”

[22:2]  ³⁸ tn The Greek verb here means “to get rid of by execution” (BDAG 64 s.v. ἀναιρέω 2; cf. also L&N 20.71, which states, “to get rid of someone by execution, often with legal or quasi-legal procedures”).

[22:2]  ³⁹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:2]  ⁴⁰ sn The suggestion here is that Jesus was too popular to openly arrest him. The verb were trying is imperfect. It suggests, in this context, that they were always considering the opportunities.

[22:3]  ⁴¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[22:3]  ⁴² sn The cross is portrayed as part of the cosmic battle between Satan and God; see Luke 4:1-13; 11:14-23.

[22:3]  ⁴³ tn Grk “Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.”

[22:31]  ⁴⁴ tc The majority of mss (א A D W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï as well as several versional witnesses) begin this verse with an introductory comment, “and the Lord said,” indicating a change in the subject of discussion. But this is apparently a reading motivated by the need for clarity. Some of the best witnesses, along with a few others (Ì⁷⁵ B L T 1241 2542^c sy^s co), do not contain these words. The abrupt shift is the more difficult reading and thus more likely to be original.

[22:31]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “behold” (for “pay attention” see L&N 91.13).

[22:31]  ⁴⁶ sn This pronoun is plural in the Greek text, so it refers to all the disciples of which Peter is the representative.

[22:31]  ⁴⁷ sn Satan has demanded permission to put them to the test. The idiom “sift (someone) like wheat” is similar to the English idiom “to pick (someone) apart.” The pronoun you is implied.

[13:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “Supper.” To avoid possible confusion because of different regional English usage regarding the distinction between “dinner” and “supper” as an evening meal, the translation simply refers to “the evening meal.”

[13:2]  ⁴⁹ sn At this point the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that he should betray Jesus. C. K. Barrett (St. John, 365) thought this was a reference to the idea entering the devil’s own heart, but this does not seem likely. It is more probable that Judas’ heart is meant, since the use of the Greek article (rather than a possessive pronoun) is a typical idiom when a part of one’s own body is indicated. Judas’ name is withheld until the end of the sentence for dramatic effect (emphasis). This action must be read in light of 13:27, and appears to refer to a preliminary idea or plan.

[13:2]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “that he should hand over.”

[13:2]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “betray him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:27]  ⁵² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:27]  ⁵³ tn Grk “into that one”; the pronoun “he” is more natural English style here.

[13:27]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “Then Jesus said to him.”

[5:3]  ⁵⁵ sn This is a good example of the Greek verb fill (πληρόω, plhrow) meaning “to exercise control over someone’s thought and action” (cf. Eph 5:18).

[5:3]  ⁵⁶ tn The words “from the sale of” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify the meaning, since the phrase “proceeds from the land” could possibly be understood as crops rather than money from the sale.

[5:2]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “And he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[5:2]  ⁵⁸ tn The participle ἐνέγκας (enenka") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[4:4]  ⁵⁹ tn The phrase begins with the ἵνα (Jina) clause and is subordinate to the imperative προσκαρτερεῖτε (proskartereite) in v. 2. The reference to the idea that Paul must make it known indicates that this clause is probably best viewed as purpose and not content, like the ἵνα of v. 3. It is the second purpose stated in the context; the first is expressed through the infinitive λαλῆσαι (lalhsai) in v. 3. The term “pray” at the beginning of the sentence is intended to pick up the imperative of v. 3.

[3:8]  ⁶⁰ tn The Greek article with τὰ πάντα (ta panta) is anaphoric, referring to the previous list of vices, and has been translated here as “all such things.”

[4:4]  ⁶¹ tn The phrase begins with the ἵνα (Jina) clause and is subordinate to the imperative προσκαρτερεῖτε (proskartereite) in v. 2. The reference to the idea that Paul must make it known indicates that this clause is probably best viewed as purpose and not content, like the ἵνα of v. 3. It is the second purpose stated in the context; the first is expressed through the infinitive λαλῆσαι (lalhsai) in v. 3. The term “pray” at the beginning of the sentence is intended to pick up the imperative of v. 3.