Matius 12:43

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.

Matius 18:32

18:32 Then his lord called the first slave ⁶  and said to him, ‘Evil slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me!

[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.

[18:32]  ⁶ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the first slave mentioned in v. 24) has been specified in the translation for clarity.