Lukas 11:24

Response to Jesus’ Work

11:24 “When an unclean spirit ¹  goes out of a person, ²  it passes through waterless places ³  looking for rest but ⁴  not finding any. Then ⁵  it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ ⁶ 

Lukas 12:1

Fear God, Not People

12:1 Meanwhile, ⁷  when many thousands of the crowd had gathered so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus ⁸  began to speak first to his disciples, “Be on your guard against ⁹  the yeast of the Pharisees, ¹⁰  which is hypocrisy. ¹¹ 

[11:24]  ¹ sn This is a reference to an evil spirit. See Luke 4:33.

[11:24]  ² tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.

[11:24]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[11:24]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Grk “I will return to my house from which I came.”

[12:1]  ⁷ tn The phrase ἐν οἷς (en Jois) can be translated “meanwhile.”

[12:1]  ⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:1]  ⁹ tn According to L&N 27.59, “to pay attention to, to keep on the lookout for, to be alert for, to be on your guard against.” This is another Lukan present imperative calling for constant vigilance.

[12:1]  ¹⁰ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[12:1]  ¹¹ sn The pursuit of popularity can lead to hypocrisy, if one is not careful.