Luke 11:19

Verse 19. Beelzebub] See Clarke on Mt 10:25.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

19. by whom do your sons cast them outf] The “pupils of the wise” might be called the ‘sons of the Pharisees’ just as the youths in the

Prophetic schools were called ‘sons of the Prophets.’ The reality of the Jewish exorcisms is not here necessarily admitted (Act_19:13). It was enough that the admitted pretensions to such powers among the Pharisees justified this incontrovertible argumentum ad hominem.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But if I with the, finger of God,.... The power of God, referring to Exo 8:19 and so the Cabalistic Jews (r) explain it,

"the finger is one of the five in the hand, and is that finger which works by the power of Elohim;''

it is the same with the Spirit of God; See Gill on Mat 12:28 which is often called the hand of the Lord, Eze 1:3.

(r) R. Mosch in Sepher Hashem, apud Cabal. Denudata. T. I. par. l. p. 146.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.

Ver. 19. See Mat 12:38; Mat 16:1; Mar 3:24.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Your judges. They will condemn you of injustice, envy, and hatred against me, and blasphemy against God; because when they performed any exorcisms, though they appear but little more than human in their actions, yet you ascribe them to the virtue of God; but when I perform any miracle, though there always appear most evident signs of the power and virtue of God, you ascribe all to the hand and machinations of the devil. (Tirinus)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

By whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But he goes further in his skillful line of argument. "I am not the only one," said Jesus, "who claims to cast out devils. There are those in the midst of you, your sons, who make a similar assertion. Have they too entered into a league with this evil angel?" A question has been raised respecting these professed exorcists of evil spirits whom Jesus here styles "your sons." Who were they? Some, notably the older patristic expositors, have supposed that our Lord here alluded to his own apostles, to whom a measure of this power over unclean spirits was certainly given. Others, that they are identical with the "pupils of the wise," disciples of the great rabbinical schools, such as were presided over by the famous doctors of the Talmud. This is quite possible; but we have no proof that professional exorcists were pupils in any of the known rabbinical schools. It is more likely that by this general term Jesus alluded to the exorcists. These were, at this period of Jewish history, numerous. They are alluded to in Act_19:13; by Josephus ("Ant.," 8:2, 5); mention of them is also specially made in the Talmud, which even describes something of their mode of procedure. Our Lord seems to affirm in some cases, to a certain extent, the efficacy of the power of these exorcists. "These, Jews like yourselves," argued Jesus, "some of them, you know, belonging to your own Pharisee sect, these have in certain cases apparently driven out the evil spirit of insanity: you do not accuse them, do you, of working with an evil angel?" Godet, in the next seven verses, has suggested a new line of interpretation, which, while generally preserving the traditional exposition of the various details, supplies the connecting thought between ver. 23 ("He that is not with me is against me," etc.) and the verses which precede and follow. This, apparently, has never been done satisfactorily by any commentator. Indeed, some, e.g. De Wette and Bleek, are frank enough to confess that they abandon the attempt. In these seven verses Jesus draws two pictures, in which he contrasts one of those expulsions of evil spirits which he works with that of a cure worked by an exorcist.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

19. οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν ἐν τίνι ἐκβάλλουσιν; The “pupils of the wise” might be called the ‘sons of the Pharisees’ just as the youths in the Prophetic schools were called ‘sons of the Prophets.’ The reality of the Jewish exorcisms is not here necessarily admitted (Act 19:13). It was enough that the admitted pretensions to such powers among the Pharisees justified this incontrovertible argumentum ad hominem. See the very remarkable account of an exorcism by Eleazar in the presence of Vespasian in Josephus (Antt. VIII. 2, § 5). The immense superiority in wisdom and truthfulness of the Evangelist at once appears when we read this story.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

19. An argumentum ad hominem.

οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν. First with emphasis. See Act 19:13 and Jos Ant. viii. 2, 5 for instances of Jewish exorcisms; and comp. Ant. vi. 8, 2; B. J. vii. 6, 3; Tobit 8:1-3; Justin M. Try. 85.; Apol ii. 6; 1Sa 16:14, 1Sa 16:23.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.