Paragraph 12:43–45
This paragraph warns that removing evil from a person’s life is not enough. The person must also fill himself with good. The way that someone fills himself with good is not explicitly mentioned. The implied way is by following Jesus and having the Holy Spirit fill him.
Jesus used the present tense for all the verbs in 12:43–45. The present tense shows that this is a general example: these events commonly happen for this situation. Use the proper tense in your language to show that this is a general example.
12:43a
When an unclean spirit comes out of a man: An unclean spirit would not normally “go out” of a person unless someone forced it to leave. So it is probably implied that someone forced the unclean spirit to leave the person it possessed. In some languages, it may be necessary to make some of this information explicit.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
When an evil spirit leaves a person (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
When an evil spirit comes out of a person (God’s Word)
-or-
Suppose an evil spirit ⌊is caused/forced to⌋ leave a person ⌊it possessed⌋
unclean spirit: The term unclean spirit refers to the same beings as “evil spirit” and “demon.” You can translate these three terms with the same term. The plural form of the term unclean spirit occurs in 10:1b.
The Jews believed that anyone who had an evil spirit was unclean. So an evil spirit was also called an unclean spirit.
Here are some other ways to translate unclean spirit:
• Use a general term in your language that refers to a spirit that is evil and can control people. For example:
demon
-or-
devil
• Use a specific term in your language that refers to a certain type of spirit. Do not use a term that refers to the spirit of a dead person.
• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:
evil spirit (New International Version)
See demon in the Glossary for more information.
12:43b
it passes through arid places: The phrase arid places refers to areas that are dry or a desert. The evil spirit wanders/roams around in such places, but it does not stay there. It passes through these places.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
it travels through the desert (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
it goes through dry places (God’s Word)
-or-
it wanders through waterless places (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
seeking rest: In this context, the word rest refers to a “place to stay/live” or a “home.” The unclean spirit was looking for a place where it could stop wandering around and start to live. In this context, a place to rest would refer to another person to possess. It does not mean that the unclean spirit was tired.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
hunting for a place to stay/live
-or-
looking for a home
12:43c
and does not find it: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and is most often translated that way. There is a contrast between what the evil spirit sought and what happened: it did not find a place to stay. In some languages, it may be more natural to use “but” instead of and.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
But it doesn’t find any. (God’s Word)
-or-
But when the demon doesn’t find a place (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
and never finding it (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
If it/he does not find a place to stay
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