Luke 11:11-32

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Luke 11:11 tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
2. Luke 11:11 tc Most mss (א A C D L W Θ Ψ ƒ^1,13 33 M lat sy^c,p,h bo) have “bread, does not give him a stone instead, or” before “a fish”; the longer reading, however, looks like a harmonization to Matt 7:9. The shorter reading is thus preferred, attested by P^45,75 B 1241 sy^s sa.
3. Luke 11:11 sn The snake probably refers to a water snake.
4. Luke 11:12 sn The two questions of vv. 11-12 expect the answer, “No father would do this!”
5. Luke 11:13 tn The participle ὑπάρχοντες (huparchontes) has been translated as a concessive participle.
6. Luke 11:13 sn The provision of the Holy Spirit is probably a reference to the wisdom and guidance supplied in response to repeated requests. Some apply it to the general provision of the Spirit, but this would seem to look only at one request in a context that speaks of repeated asking. The teaching as a whole stresses not that God gives everything his children want, but that God gives the good that they need. The parallel account in Matthew (7:11) refers to good things where Luke mentions the Holy Spirit.
7. Luke 11:14 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
8. Luke 11:14 tn Grk “a demon [and it was] mute.” The words “and it was” are omitted from some significant mss and are placed in brackets in the NA²⁸ text, indicating significant doubt about their originality. If the words in question are omitted, the Greek text would read “a mute demon.” Either way, the phrase should probably be understood to mean that the demon caused muteness (the inability to speak) in its victim, although the statement is sometimes taken to refer to the demon’s own inability to speak (cf. TEV, “a demon that could not talk”).
9. Luke 11:14 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.
10. Luke 11:14 tn The aorist verb has been translated here as ingressive, stressing the beginning of the action. The context clearly indicates an ingressive force here.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. Luke 11:15 tn Grk “By Beelzebul.”sn Beelzebul is another name for Satan. So some people recognized Jesus’ work as supernatural, but called it diabolical.
12. Luke 11:15 tn Or “prince.”
13. Luke 11:16 tn Grk “testing”; the participle is taken as indicating the purpose of the demand.
14. Luke 11:16 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.
15. Luke 11:16 tn Grk “seeking from him.” The imperfect ἐζήτουν (ezētoun) is taken ingressively. It is also possible to regard it as iterative (“kept on asking”).
16. Luke 11:16 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.
17. Luke 11:17 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
18. Luke 11:17 sn Jesus here demonstrated the absurdity of the thinking of those who maintained that he was in league with Satan and that he actually derived his power from the devil. He first teaches (vv. 17-20) that if he casts out demons by the ruler of the demons, then in reality Satan is fighting against himself, with the result that his kingdom has come to an end. He then teaches (v. 21-22) about defeating the strong man to prove that he does not need to align himself with the devil because he is more powerful. Jesus defeated Satan at his temptation (4:1-13) and by his exorcisms he clearly demonstrated himself to be stronger than the devil. The passage reveals the desperate condition of the religious leaders, who in their hatred for Jesus end up attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan.
19. Luke 11:17 tn Or “is left in ruins.”
20. Luke 11:17 tn Grk “and house falls on house.” This phrase pictures one house collapsing on another, what is called today a “house of cards.”
21. Luke 11:18 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that the clause that follows is a logical conclusion based on the preceding examples.
22. Luke 11:18 tn This first class condition, the first of three “if” clauses in the following verses, presents the example vividly as if it were so. In fact, all three conditions in these verses are first class. The examples are made totally parallel. The expected answer is that Satan’s kingdom will not stand, so the suggestion makes no sense. Satan would not seek to heal.
23. Luke 11:18 tn Grk “because.” “I ask you this” is supplied for the sake of English.
24. Luke 11:19 sn Most read your sons as a reference to Jewish exorcists (cf. “your followers,” L&N 9.4; for various views see D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1077-78), but more likely this is a reference to the disciples of Jesus themselves, who are also Jewish and have been healing as well (R. J. Shirock, “Whose Exorcists are they? The Referents of οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν at Matthew 12:27/Luke 11:19, ” JSNT 46 [1992]: 41-51). If this is a reference to the disciples, then Jesus’ point is that it is not only him, but those associated with him whose power the hearers must assess. The following reference to judging also favors this reading.
25. Luke 11:19 tn The pronoun “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
26. Luke 11:20 sn The finger of God is a figurative reference to God’s power (L&N 76.3). This phrase was used of God’s activity during the Exodus (Exod 8:19).
27. Luke 11:20 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus’ teaching. The nature of the kingdom of God in the NT and in Jesus’ teaching has long been debated by interpreters and scholars, with discussion primarily centering around the nature of the kingdom (earthly, heavenly, or both) and the kingdom’s arrival (present, future, or both). An additional major issue concerns the relationship between the kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus himself. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.
28. Luke 11:20 tn The phrase ἔφθασεν ἐφ᾿ ὑμᾶς (ephthasen eph’ humas) is important. Does it mean merely “approach” (which would be reflected in a translation like “has come near to you”) or actually “come upon” (as in the translation given above, “has already overtaken you,” which has the added connotation of suddenness)? The issue here is like the one in 10:9 (see note there on the phrase “come on”). Is the arrival of the kingdom merely anticipated or already in process? Two factors favor arrival over anticipation here. First, the prepositional phrase “upon you” suggests arrival (Dan 4:24, 28 Theodotion). Second, the following illustration in vv. 21-23 looks at the healing as portraying Satan being overrun. So the presence of God’s authority has arrived. See also L&N 13.123 for the translation of φθάνω (phthanō) as “to happen to already, to come upon, to come upon already.”
29. Luke 11:21 tn The referent of the expression “a strong man” is Satan.
30. Luke 11:21 tn The word αὐλή (aulē) describes any building large and elaborate enough to have an interior courtyard, thus “dwelling, palace, mansion” (L&N 7.6).
31. Luke 11:21 tn Grk “his goods are in peace.”
32. Luke 11:22 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
33. Luke 11:22 tn The referent of the expression “a stronger man” is Jesus.
34. Luke 11:22 tn Grk “stronger man than he attacks.”
35. Luke 11:22 tn Grk “his”; the referent (the first man mentioned) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
36. Luke 11:22 tn Grk “on which he relied.”
37. Luke 11:22 tn Or “and distributes.”
38. Luke 11:22 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.
39. Luke 11:23 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.
40. Luke 11:23 sn For the image of scattering, see Pss. Sol. 17:18.
41. Luke 11:24 sn This is a reference to an evil spirit. See Luke 4:33.
42. Luke 11:24 tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos), referring to both males and females.
43. Luke 11:24 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).
44. Luke 11:24 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
45. Luke 11:24 tc ‡ Most mss, including a few early and significant ones (P⁴⁵ א* A C D W Ψ ƒ^1,13 M lat), lack τότε (tote, “then”). Other mss, including some early and important ones (P⁷⁵ א² B L Θ Ξ 070 33 579 892 1241 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. NA²⁸ has τότε in brackets indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
46. Luke 11:24 tn Grk “I will return to my house from which I came.”
47. Luke 11:25 tn Grk “comes.”
48. Luke 11:25 tn The words “the house” are not in Greek but are implied.
49. Luke 11:25 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.
50. Luke 11:26 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.
51. Luke 11:26 tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos), referring to both males and females.
52. Luke 11:26 sn The point of the story is that to fail to respond is to risk a worse fate than when one started.
53. Luke 11:27 tn Grk “And it happened that as.” 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.
54. Luke 11:27 tn Grk “lifted up her voice and said.” This idiom is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “spoke out.”
55. Luke 11:27 tn For this term see L&N 8.69.
56. Luke 11:27 sn Both the reference to the womb and the breasts form a figure of speech called metonymy. In this case the parts are mentioned instead of the whole; the meaning is “Blessed is your mother!” The warnings seem to have sparked a little nervousness that brought forth this response. In the culture a mother was valued for the accomplishments of her son. So this amounts to a compliment to Jesus.
57. Luke 11:28 tn Grk “said.”
58. Luke 11:28 sn This is another reference to hearing and doing the word of God, which here describes Jesus’ teaching; see Luke 8:21.
59. Luke 11:29 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
60. Luke 11:29 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
61. Luke 11:29 sn The mention of a sign alludes back to Luke 11:16. Given what Jesus had done, nothing would be good enough. This leads to the rebuke that follows.
62. Luke 11:29 sn As the following comparisons to Solomon and Jonah show, in the present context the sign of Jonah is not an allusion to Jonah being three days in the belly of the fish, but to Jesus’ teaching about wisdom and repentance.
63. Luke 11:30 tn Grk “to the Ninevites.” What the Ninevites experienced was Jonah’s message (Jonah 3:4, 10; 4:1).
64. Luke 11:30 tn The repetition of the words “a sign” are not in the Greek text, but are implied and are supplied here for clarity.
65. Luke 11:30 tc Only the Western ms D and a few Itala mss add here a long reference to Jonah being in the belly of the fish for three days and nights and the Son of Man being three days in the earth, apparently harmonizing the text to the parallel in Matt 12:40.
66. Luke 11:31 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.
67. Luke 11:31 sn For the imagery of judgment, see Luke 10:13-15 and 11:19. The warnings are coming consistently now.
68. Luke 11:31 tn Grk “men”; the word here (ἀνήρ, anēr) 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.
69. Luke 11:31 tn Grk “behold.”
70. Luke 11:31 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.
71. Luke 11:32 tn See the note on the word “people” in v. 31.
72. Luke 11:32 tn Grk “at the preaching of Jonah.”sn The phrase repented when Jonah preached to them confirms that in this context the sign of Jonah (v. 30) is his message.
73. Luke 11:32 tn Grk “behold.”