Luke 11:15-25 · Bible study
Luke 11:15-25 Commentary: Beelzebul Controversy & the Finger of God
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Jesus refutes the charge of collusion with Satan and declares his exorcisms prove the arrival of God's kingdom. A study of spiritual warfare.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Jesus refutes the charge of collusion with Satan, declaring that his exorcisms prove the arrival of God’s kingdom.
- Key words: Beelzebul (prince of demons), finger of God (divine power), strong man (Satan), stronger one (Christ), scatter/gather.
- Main debate: Whether the “finger of God” refers to the Holy Spirit or a general divine power; how to interpret the warning of the returning unclean spirit.
- Theological theme: The in-breaking of God’s kingdom through Christ defeats Satan; there is no neutral ground.
- Best use: Teaching about spiritual warfare, the authority of Christ, and the need to receive Christ fully.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
15but some of them said, “It is by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons, that He drives out demons.”
16And others tested Him by demanding a sign from heaven.
17Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and a house divided against a house will fall.
18If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? After all, you say that I drive out demons by Beelzebul.
19And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.
20But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
21When a strong man, fully armed, guards his house, his possessions are secure.
22But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted, and then he divides up his plunder.
23He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
24When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’
25On its return, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.
WEB World English Bible 2000
15But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.”
16Others, testing him, sought from him a sign from heaven.
17But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. A house divided against itself falls.
18If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.
19But if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
20But if I by God’s finger cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come to you.
21“When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own dwelling, his goods are safe.
22But when someone stronger attacks him and overcomes him, he takes from him his whole armor in which he trusted, and divides his plunder.
23“He who is not with me is against me. He who doesn’t gather with me scatters.
24The unclean spirit, when he has gone out of the man, passes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will turn back to my house from which I came out.’
25When he returns, he finds it swept and put in order.
KJV King James Version 1769
15But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.
16And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
17But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.
18If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
19And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.
20But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
21When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:
22But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
23He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
24When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.
25And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
15But some of them said, By Beelzebub the prince of the demons casteth he out demons.
16And others, trying him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
17But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.
18And if Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub.
19And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.
20But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you.
21When the strong man fully armed guardeth his own court, his goods are in peace:
22but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him his whole armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
23He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
24The unclean spirit when he is gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, seeking rest, and finding none, he saith, I will turn back unto my house whence I came out.
25And when he is come, he findeth it swept and garnished.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
15and certain of them said, `By Beelzeboul, ruler of the demons, he doth cast forth the demons;'
16and others, tempting, a sign out of heaven from him were asking.
17And he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, `Every kingdom having been divided against itself is desolated; and house against house doth fall;
18and if also the Adversary against himself was divided, how shall his kingdom be made to stand? for ye say, by Beelzeboul is my casting forth the demons.
19`But if I by Beelzeboul cast forth the demons--your sons, by whom do they cast forth? because of this your judges they shall be;
20but if by the finger of God I cast forth the demons, then come unawares upon you did the reign of God.
21`When the strong man armed may keep his hall, in peace are his goods;
22but when the stronger than he, having come upon him , may overcome him, his whole-armour he doth take away in which he had trusted, and his spoils he distributeth;
23he who is not with me is against me, and he who is not gathering with me doth scatter.
24`When the unclean spirit may go forth from the man it walketh through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding, it saith, I will turn back to my house whence I came forth;
25and having come, it findeth it swept and adorned;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
15But some from among them said, By Beelzebub the prince of the demons casts he out demons.
16And others tempting [him] sought from him a sign out of heaven.
17But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation: and a house set against a house falls;
18and if also Satan is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom subsist? because ye say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub.
19But if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, your sons — by whom do they cast [them] out? For this reason they shall be your judges.
20But if by the finger of God I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God is come upon you.
21When the strong [man] armed keeps his own house, his goods are in peace;
22but when the stronger than he coming upon [him] overcomes him, he takes away his panoply in which he trusted, and he will divide the spoil [he has taken] from him.
23He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathers not with me scatters.
24When the unclean spirit has gone out of the man, he goes through dry places seeking rest; and not finding [any] he says, I will return to my house whence I came out.
25And having come, he finds it swept and adorned.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
15But some of them said: He casteth out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of devils.
16And others tempting, asked of him a sign from heaven.
17But he seeing their thoughts, said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself shall be brought to desolation; and house upon house shall fall.
18And if Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? Because you say that through Beelzebub I cast out devils.
19Now if I cast out devils by Beelzebub, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore, they shall be your judges.
20But if I by the finger of God cast out devils, doubtless the kingdom of God is come upon you.
21When a strong man armed keepeth his court, those things are in peace which he possesseth.
22But if a stronger than he come upon him and overcome him, he will take away all his armour wherein he trusted and will distribute his spoils.
23He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
24When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through places without water, seeking rest: and not finding, he saith: I will return into my house whence I came out.
25And when he is come, he findeth it swept and garnished.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Luke 11:15
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Jesus’ opponents here make a fatal logical error. The charge that Jesus casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, is self-defeating: as Jesus points out, a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand (vv.17-18). Barnes, Calvin, and Gill all argue that Satan would not work against his own interests. The more natural conclusion, Jesus argues, is that his exorcisms are by “the finger of God”, a phrase echoing Exodus 8:19, where Egypt’s magicians recognized divine power (Cambridge Bible). Vincent adds that the phrase implies effortless divine action. By this logic,Jesus’ exorcisms signal that “the kingdom of God has come upon you” (v.20). The passage thus centers on the conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders: they slander his divine work, while he exposes their blindness.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Jesus' exorcisms are performed by God's power, not Satan's; they prove the arrival of God's kingdom and the defeat of the strong man (Satan).
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The Beelzebul accusation | All traditions agree the accusation was slanderous and illogical; Jesus' rebuttal stands as a clear argument that Satan would not undermine his own kingdom. | Some Christian traditions see this as the context for the 'blasphemy against the Holy Spirit' (Mark 3:29-30), while others reserve that teaching for a separate incident. |
| "Finger of God" | It is universally understood as a metaphor for divine power, evoking Exodus 8:19. | Some see a direct reference to the Holy Spirit (parallel to Matthew 12:28), while others view it as a general symbol of God's might without specifying the third person. |
| "He who is not with me is against me" | Jesus demands exclusive allegiance; there is no neutral ground in the conflict between God and Satan. | Some interpret this as a universal principle, while others (following Cambridge Bible) see it as limited to the specific situation: those who are not actively participating in Jesus' mission of deliverance are, in effect, opposing it. |
| The returning unclean spirit (vv.24-25) | The parable warns against superficial reform without inner transformation; the empty house invites worse possession. | Some apply it primarily to Israel's rejection of Christ, where the nation's cleansing from idolatry left it open to worse spiritual bondage. Others apply it to individual believers who experience deliverance but fail to fill the void with the Holy Spirit. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Beelzebul was an ancient Philistine deity worshipped at Ekron (2 Kings 1:2). The name literally means “lord of the flies,” but Jewish tradition transformed it into a title for Satan, the prince of demons (Wesley). By accusing Jesus of using Beelzebul’s power, the Pharisees and scribes (Matthew 12:24) essentially charged him with sorcery and collusion with evil. This was a serious accusation in a culture deeply aware of demonic activity. Many first‑century Jews practiced exorcism; Jesus refers to “your sons” (v.19), likely Jewish exorcists who claimed to cast out demons. Calvin notes that the demand for “a sign from heaven” (v.16) was a disingenuous test, meant to put Jesus on trial rather than to seek truth.
The immediate context (v.14) is a miracle: Jesus casts out a mute demon. The crowds marvel, but some leaders cannot accept the divine origin of the miracle. In their hardened opposition (Calvin), they invent a blasphemous explanation. The demand for a heavenly sign (v.16) echoes Satan’s temptation of Jesus (Luke 4:1, 13) where similar testing occurred. Jesus knows their thoughts (v.17), a demonstration of his omniscience. The desert setting for the unclean spirit’s wandering (v.24) reflects contemporary beliefs that demons haunted arid places (Cambridge Bible; cf. Tobit 8:3). The strong man metaphor (vv.21‑22) draws on everyday images: a well-armed guard keeps his house secure until a stronger attacker overpowers him. Jesus declares himself that stronger one, come to plunder Satan’s possessions. This conflict is cosmic: in exorcising demons, Jesus inaugurates the defeat of Satan’s kingdom.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants in the Greek tradition of this passage. The parallel accounts in Matthew 12:22-30 and Mark 3:22-27 have minor differences in wording (e.g., Matthew adds “empty” in v.44), but for Luke’s text, the most important variant is the spelling of Beelzebul (Beelzebub in some manuscripts and early translations). This does not affect the meaning. The Greek of v.25 includes the term σχολάζοντα (scholazonta, “being unoccupied”), which some English translations render as “swept and put in order” while implying the house stands empty.
Reception History
From the earliest centuries, Christians have read this passage as a declaration of Christ’s victory over Satan. The “stronger man” imagery shaped Christian thinking about the cross as the defeating blow to demonic powers. During the Reformation, the verse “he who is not with me is against me” became a rallying cry for committed discipleship. In later revival movements, the parable of the empty house warned against mere moral reformation without a living faith. The “finger of God” remains a powerful metaphor across traditions for God’s direct, powerful work in deliverance and salvation.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Slander Refuted (vv.15-19): Jesus shows the absurdity of attributing his exorcisms to Satan’s power, a divided Satan cannot stand.
- The Answer Declared (vv.20-22): Jesus’ exorcisms are by “the finger of God,” proving that God’s kingdom has arrived; Christ is the stronger man who overpowers Satan.
- The Call Decided (vv.23-25): Neutrality is impossible; those who do not gather with Christ scatter. The warning of the returning unclean spirit underscores the danger of a heart left empty after deliverance.
Five-point outline
- The accusation (v.15): Jesus is called a servant of Beelzebul.
- The demand (v.16): Others seek a sign from heaven, testing him.
- The logic (vv.17-19): Jesus demolishes the charge with parables and a reference to Jewish exorcists.
- The truth (vv.20-22): Exorcisms by the finger of God equal the arrival of God’s kingdom; Christ defeats the strong man.
- The application (vv.23-25): Total allegiance required; empty reform leads to worse bondage.
Illustration hooks
- Divided team: A sports team where players work against each other cannot win. Jesus applies this logic to Satan’s supposed self-sabotage.
- Allegations of dishonesty: When a student is falsely accused of cheating, the accusation hurts but can be refuted by evidence. Jesus refutes with reason and the evidence of good fruits.
- Cleaning out a room: You remove junk from a room but leave it empty, soon it gets cluttered again. The parable warns that deliverance without a new occupant leads to worse trouble.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How can I know whether a spiritual experience is from God or from something else?
- What does it mean to be “with” Jesus or “against” him in my daily life?
- If I have overcome a major sin or addiction, how do I keep from falling back?
Leading a Discussion
This passage reveals the heart of the conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders. As you study, consider how their hardened hearts blinded them to the work of God.
Discussion questions
- What two accusations do the crowds make against Jesus in verses 15-16? How do these reveal their hearts?
- How does Jesus first respond (v.17)? Why does he point out their “thoughts”?
- Why is it logically impossible for Satan to cast out his own demons? What does this tell us about the accusation?
- What does “finger of God” (v.20) mean? How does the Exodus reference (Exodus 8:19) deepen its significance?
- Who is the “strong man” and who is the “stronger one”? How does this describe Jesus’ mission?
- In what ways might we be “testing” Jesus instead of trusting him today?
- How does the parable of the returning spirit (vv.24-25) challenge our understanding of spiritual renewal? What is needed beyond a “swept and ordered” life?
- Where in your own life do you need to let the stronger one, Jesus, have full control?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Matthew 9:34 | But the Pharisees said, “By the prince of the demons, he casts out demons.” |
| Matthew 10:25 | It is enough for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household! |
| Matthew 12:24 | But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “This man does not cast out demons except by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.” |
| Matthew 12:30 | “He who is not with me is against me, and he who doesn’t gather with me, scatters. |
| Mark 3:22 | The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons he casts out the demons.” |
| Mark 3:30 | —because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.” |
| John 7:20 | The multitude answered, “You have a demon! Who seeks to kill you?” |
| John 8:48 | Then the Jews answered him, “Don’t we say well that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon?” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
When the unclean spirit - See on Mat 12:43 (note).
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
See this passage explained in the notes at Mat 12:22-30 .
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin observes that the request for a sign from heaven was a calculated excuse, not honest seeking. These hardened skeptics had already witnessed many miracles, but demanded a divine spectacle as if those were insufficient. Their polite address of "Master" was mere custom, concealing a refusal to acknowledge Christ's calling without a heavenly testimony.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary traces the Pharisees' accusation to Jerusalem scribes sent to discredit Jesus, and explores the obscure origins of the name Beelzebub, possibly meaning "lord of flies" or a Jewish insult for a pagan deity. It also notes that the demand for a heavenly sign was a test analogous to the wilderness temptation, one Jesus refused to grant to insolent unbelief.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill argues that the Pharisees' accusation against Jesus is self-defeating: if Satan's kingdom were truly divided against itself, it could not stand. He highlights that Jesus silences them by pointing to their own exorcists, who work by God's power, not Satan's, thereby exposing the falsehood of their charge.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees the woman's blessing as a first step toward honoring Mary above her Son. Jesus does not dismiss her words but redirects them: true blessedness lies not in biological connection but in hearing and keeping God's word.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry sees Christ's power over demons as a direct proof of His divine mission. The expulsion of Satan signals the success of Christ's larger purpose: to destroy the devil's works entirely. This conquest is both a demonstration and an early victory in that ultimate undertaking.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent focuses on the original Greek words and their precise meanings. He notes that the word for thoughts appears only here in the New Testament and implies intent or purpose. He also explains that the phrase about a divided house could be translated as "house falls upon house," and he prefers the Revised Version rendering of "his whole armor" over the older translation.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley explains the name Beelzebub literally means "lord of flies," a title the pagans gave to Jupiter. He highlights that the "finger of God" shows divine power exercised without effort, and "the kingdom of God is come upon you" suggests a sudden, unexpected arrival. The devil is the strong one armed with pride and security.