Luke 9:39

9:39 An evil spirit keeps seizing him: Demons sometimes inflict physical illnesses such as lameness (13:11) and muteness (11:14).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Luk 9:39 . κράζει , he (the boy) crieth. σπαράσσει , he (the demon) teareth him.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

As it fareth in the falling sickness.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 39. A spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out] πνευμα λαμβανει αυτον. This very phrase is used by heathen writers, when they speak of supernatural influence. The following, from Herodotus, will make the matter, I hope, quite plain. Speaking of Scyles, king of the Scythians, who was more fond of Grecian manners and customs than of those of his countrymen, and who desired to be privately initiated into the Bacchic mysteries, he adds: "Now because the Scythians reproach the Greeks with these Bacchanals, and say that to imagine a god driving men into paroxysms of madness is not agreeable to sound reason, a certain Borysthenian, while the king was performing the ceremonies of initiation, went out, and discovered the matter to the Scythian army in these words: 'Ye Scythians ridicule us because we celebrate the Bacchanals, και ημεας ο θεος λαμβανει, and the GOD POSSESSES US: but now the same demon, ουτος ο δαιμων, has TAKEN POSSESSION, λελαβηκε, of your king, for he celebrates the Bacchanals, and υπο του θεου μαινεται, is filled with fury by this god." Herodot. l. iv. p. 250, edit. Gale.

This passage is exceedingly remarkable. The very expressions which Luke uses here are made use of by Herodotus. A demon, δαιμων, is the agent in the Greek historian, and a demon is the agent in the case mentioned in the text, Lu 9:42. In both cases it is said the demon possesses the persons, and the very same word, λαμβανει is used to express this in both historians. Both historians show that the possessions were real, by the effects produced in the persons: the heathen king rages with fury through the influence of the demon called the god Bacchus; the person in the text screams out, (κραζει), is greatly convulsed, and foams at the mouth. Here was a real possession, and such as often took place among those who were worshippers of demons.

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

39. a spirit taketh him] This was the supernatural aspect of his deafness, epilepsy, and madness. St Matthew gives the natural aspect when he says, “he is a lunatic, and sore vexed, &c.,” Luk_17:15.

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.

And as he was yet a coming,.... Whilst he was in the way bringing to Jesus, before he came to him:

the devil threw him down, and tare him; knowing who Jesus was, and that he was able to dispossess him: and having reason to believe he would, was resolved to do all the mischief he could, and give him all the pain add distress he was able, whilst he was in him; and therefore threw him to the ground, and convulsed him in a terrible manner at the same time:

and Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit; for his malice and cruelty, and ordered him to depart:

and healed the child; by dispossessing the spirit:

and delivered him again to his father; free from the possession, and in perfect health, and which must be very pleasing and acceptable to him.

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

38 And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child.

39 And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him.

Ver. 39. And bruising him] As in the falling sickness, it happens.

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.

39. πνεῦμα λαμβάνει αὐτόν. This was the supernatural aspect of his deafness, epilepsy, and madness. St Matthew gives the natural aspect when he says, “he is a lunatic, and sore vexed, &c.” Luk 17:15.

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.

39.] κράζει—i.e. the child—there is a rapid change of subject, see ch. 17:2; 19:4 . and Winer, § 67. 1. c, edn. 6.

συντρίβον is perhaps literal—bruising him.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

39. The three accounts differ in describing the symptoms. Mt. has σεληνιάζεται καὶ κακῶς ἔχει. Mk. has ἀφρίζει καὶ τρίζει τοὺς ὀδόνψτας καὶ ξηραίνεται. In Lk.’s description Hobart (pp. 17-20) claims ἐξέφνης, μετὰ ἀφροῦ, and μόγις ἀποχωρεῖ as medical expressions, together with the preceding ἐπιβλέφαι.1 The μόγις occurs here only in N.T. Comp. 3 Mac. 7:6. But μόλις, which is found Act 14:18, Act 14:27:7, Act 14:8, Act 14:16; Rom 5:7; 1Pe 4:18, may be the right reading here also (B R etc.). Both μόγος and μόλος mean “toil.” The ἀποχωρεῖν means cessation of convulsions.

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

Taketh [λαμβανει] . See on Mr 9:18.

Suddenly [εξαιφνης] . Used only once outside of the writings of Luke : Mr 13:36. Naturally, frequent in medical writers, of sudden attacks of disease. Luke has more medical details in his account than the other evangelists. He mentions the sudden coming on of the fits, and their lasting a long time. Mr. Hobart remarks that Aretaeus, a physician of Luke's time, in treating of epilepsy, admits the possibility of its being produced by demoniacal agency. Epilepsy was called by physicians "the sacred disease."

Bruising [συντριβον] . See on bruised, ch. 4 18. The word literally means crushing together. Rev. expresses the sun, together, by sorely. Compare the details in Mark, gnashing the teeth and pining away (ix. 18). The details in Mr 9:21, 22, we might rather expect to find in Luke; especially Christ 's question, how long he had been subject to these attacks. See note on Mr 9:20.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.