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.
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 12:43:
Uma: “‘ Evil people who live at this time can be compared to a person who is possessed [lit., entered-into] by an evil-spirit. The evil-spirit goes out from that person, and wandered around in the wilderness/empty-place hunting for a dwelling-place. Because he did not find one, he said: ‘I’d better just return going to the dwelling-place that I left behind earlier.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “‘If a demon comes out of a person,’ said Isa, ‘he walks about in the lonely place looking for a resting place, but he doesn’t find one.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “If a demon goes out of the person that he has been afflicting, he goes out into dry country because he is looking for a place to live. If he doesn’t find any,” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Jesus continued, parabling, ‘When an evil-spirit who has possessed a person leaves, it goes-about in a stony-area that has no water searching for a place-for-itself-to-rest. And if it doesn’t find any,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “For supposing an evil spirit comes out of the person he has been possessing, what this evil spirit will do is just wander about in the wilderness, looking for someone else to possess. Well if he doesn’t find anyone,” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Concerning the evil spirit when he has separated from the person he walked with, he will travel in the place which is extremely dry, hunting for a place to rest. But if he does not find a place to rest he will say:” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
The sentence begins with When, but it is really a hypothetical sentence. The present tense in this short narrative indicates that this kind of happening is what commonly takes place. Translators will have to determine how to express this in their own languages. It can be rendered “If an unclean spirit leaves…” or “On those occasions when…,” or even “Suppose an evil spirit leaves a person, what happens? It travels through….”
The unclean spirit: since no unclean spirit has been mentioned yet in the context, it will be better to use the indefinite article “an” (Good News Translation, New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible) than to retain the of the Greek text. Unclean spirit (Good News Translation “evil spirit”) is the same expression used in 10.1, except for the plural form in the earlier passage.
The text does not say whether this evil spirit was thrown out of a person or left voluntarily. Most translators do follow the text, has gone out, with something like “leaves” or “goes out.” However, since one supposes that such departures are usually the result of some exorcism, other translators have said “is driven out” or “is forced to leave.”
A man is literally “the man”; one wonders why Revised Standard Version would have retained the definite article before spirit while dropping it here. Man is the equivalent of “person” (Good News Translation).
Translators should make sure that it is clear in their translation that he refers to the spirit, not to the person.
Passes through has been translated as “travels through” or “goes about in.”
Waterless places were thought to be favorite dwelling places of demons (see Isa 13.21-22; 34.14). New English Bible has “deserts,” and Good News Translation “dry country.”
The abstract noun rest is given the meaning “resting-place” by New English Bible; New American Bible has “a place of rest.” It is best understood in the broad sense of “shelter” or “place to stay” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch); in Ruth 3.1 the Septuagint uses this Greek noun to refer to a home. The translation should not lead to the implication that the spirit is tired out and looking for a place to rest; rather he is looking for a permanent place of residence. Following this interpretation, translators can have “looking for a place to stay” or “trying to find a place to live.”
But he finds none can also be “but it can’t find one (or, any)” (so Good News Translation) or “but there is no place for it (to stay).”
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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)
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