Lukas 11:26

11:26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so ¹  the last state of that person ²  is worse than the first.” ³ 

Lukas 11:31

11:31 The queen of the South ⁴  will rise up at the judgment ⁵  with the people ⁶  of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon – and now, ⁷  something greater ⁸  than Solomon is here!

Lukas 21:18

21:18 Yet ⁹  not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁰ 

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.

² tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.

³ sn The point of the story is that to fail to respond is to risk a worse fate than when one started.

⁴ sn On the queen of the South see 1 Kgs 10:1-3 and 2 Chr 9:1-12, as well as Josephus, Ant. 8.6.5-6 (8.165-175). The South most likely refers to modern southwest Arabia, possibly the eastern part of modern Yemen, although there is an ancient tradition reflected in Josephus which identifies this geo-political entity as Ethiopia.

⁵ sn For the imagery of judgment, see Luke 10:13-15 and 11:19. The warnings are coming consistently now.

⁶ tn Grk “men”; the word here (ἀνήρ, anhr) usually indicates males or husbands, but occasionally is used in a generic sense of people in general, as is the case here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 1, 2). The same term, translated the same way, occurs in v. 32.

⁷ tn Grk “behold.”

⁸ sn The message of Jesus was something greater than what Solomon offered. On Jesus and wisdom, see Luke 7:35; 10:21-22; 1 Cor 1:24, 30.

⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

¹⁰ sn Given v. 16, the expression not a hair of your head will perish must be taken figuratively and refer to living ultimately in the presence of God.