unclean spirit / evil spirit

The Hebrew and Greek that is typically translated/transliterated in English as “unclean spirit” or “evil spirit” is translated in Paasaal it is translated as gyɩŋbɔmɔ, which is also the term used for “demon.” Wyɩŋbɔmɔ are “beings that are in the wild and can only be seen when they choose to reveal themselves to certain people. They can ‘capture’ humans and keep them in hiding while they train the person in herbalism and divination. After the training period, which can range from a week to many years, the ‘captured’ individual is released to go back into society as a healer and a diviner. The gyɩŋbɔmɔ can also be evil, striking humans with mental diseases and causing individuals to get lost in the wild. The Pasaale worldview about demons is like that of others of the language groups in the area.” (Source: Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)

Note that often the words for “demon” “unclean spirit” are being used interchangeably.

See also tormented by unclean spirits.

complete verse (Luke 11:24)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 11:24:

  • Noongar: “‘When an evil spirit leaves a person, he travels in the desert, looking for a resting place. If he does not find a place, he says, ‘I will go back to my house’.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “‘For example, there is an evil-spirit possessing [lit., riding] a person. That evil-spirit goes out, and he goes-wandering in the wilderness looking for a dwelling-place. Because he does not find one, he says: ‘It is better that I just return to the dwelling-place that I left earlier [lit., yesterday].'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘If there is a demon,’ said Isa, ‘who has come out of a person, he walks in the lonely country searching for a resting place. If he doesn’t find one, he says in his mind, ‘I will go back to where I lived before.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “When a demon leaves a person that he has been afflicting, he passes through a dry land because he is looking for some place to live. If he doesn’t find any place, he says, ‘I’d better go back to the place where I lived.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Jesus continued parabling, ‘If an evil-spirit who has possessed a person leaves, he goes and wanders around a rocky-area that has no water looking for a resting-place. And if he doesn’t come-upon any, he says to himself, ‘I-think I’ll (lit. Even-if I) return to the house that I came-from.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Supposing an evil spirit comes out of a person whom he is possessing, what that evil spirit will do is like just wander-around in the wilderness place, looking for whom he can next possess/make-crazy. Well if he doesn’t find any, ‘Oh well,’ he says, ‘I’ll just go back to that one I was possessing.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 11:24

Exegesis:

hotan to akatharton pneuma exelthē apo tou anthrōpou ‘when an unclean spirit comes out of a man,’ i.e. when it is driven out. The articles to and tou are both generic. akatharton pneuma is synonymous with daimonion (cf. on 4.33).

dierchetai di’ anudrōn topōn ‘it goes through waterless places’ i.e. it roams through the wilderness, the natural abode of demons.

zētoun anapausin ‘seeking rest,’ or, ‘a place to rest.’

anapausis in a concrete meaning ‘a resting place.’

hupostrepsō eis ton oikon mou hothen exēlthon ‘I will return to my house from which I went out.’ oikos ‘house’ here metaphorically for a person possessed by a demon (cf. Grundmann). The possessive pronoun mou suggests that the demon still considered the man whom he had possessed his own.

Translation:

For the (preferably ‘an’) unclean spirit and gone out see on 4.33, 35f.

Passes through, or, ‘goes through’ see on 8.1.

Waterless places. The rendering often has to coincide with that of ‘desert.’

My house from which I came. If this metaphorical use of ‘house’ would be incomprehensible, one may help the readers by saying in the preceding clause .’.. gone out of a man who was its house (or, in whom it dwelled), as it were.’ The double reference to the first person has been avoided in some versions. But it should be remembered that it serves a purpose here, i.e. to bring out that the demon, though he has left the house, still thinks of it as of his property.

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 11:24

Section 11:24–26

Jesus warned that an unclean spirit may possess someone again

In the last section, Jesus explained that he cast out unclean spirits by the power of God. In this section, he gave a warning about people who had been delivered from an unclean spirit. He said that if they did not entrust their lives to someone else, they were in danger of being possessed by even more unclean spirits.

Another possible heading for this section is:

The return of the evil spirit (Good News Translation)

There is a parallel passage for this section in Matthew 12:43–45.

Paragraph 11:24–26

11:24a

This verse is the beginning of a new section, so you may want to say explicitly that Jesus was still speaking. For example, you could begin this verse with the words:

⌊Jesus also said⌋ ⌊to the people⌋…
-or-

⌊Jesus then told another parable. He said⌋…

When an unclean spirit comes out of a man: In this context the clause an unclean spirit comes out of a man implies that someone forces it to leave the person that it has possessed. In some languages it may be clearer to make some of this information explicit. For example:

When an unclean spirit leaves a person ⌊it has been possessing⌋
-or-
When an unclean spirit ⌊is caused to⌋ leave a person

unclean spirit: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as unclean spirit is another term for “demon,” so you may use the same expression in your language for both Greek terms.

This term also occurs in 9:42c. See also demon in the Glossary.

a man: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a man means “a person.” This could refer to a man or a woman, a boy or a girl.

11:24b

it passes through arid places: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as it passes through arid places means “the unclean spirit wanders/roams around in dry/desert places.” The demon passed through these places but did not stay anywhere.

arid places: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as arid places means “places without water.” Arid places were dry places such as deserts or wilderness areas where people did not live.

11:24c

seeking rest and does not find it: The unclean spirit was looking for a place to rest from its wandering, that is, a place to stay. But it did not find a suitable place. Apparently it wanted to stay in a person whom it could control, as implied in 11:24d.

rest: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rest here means “a place to rest.” It refers to a place to live or a home where the unclean spirit could stop wandering around and start to reside.

11:24d

I will return to the house I left: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as house is used here as a figure of speech. It refers to the person whom the demon had been possessing. The word house implies that what the unclean spirit was looking for was a person in whom to live. In some languages it may be necessary to make it clear that this house is a person. For example:

⌊the man who was my⌋ house/home
-or-

⌊the person⌋ in whom I lived/resided

I left: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as I left is literally “from where I came out.” Another way to translate this phrase is:

the house/person that I exited

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