11:22a

someone stronger: The phrase someone stronger means “a person even stronger than this strong man.” This phrase figuratively refers to Jesus. By casting out the demons, Jesus had shown that he was stronger than the demons and stronger than Satan, their chief.

attacks and overpowers him: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as overpowers also means “conquers” or “defeats.” The stronger man begins to fight the strong man and wins the fight. Another way to translate this is:

comes and defeats him (Contemporary English Version)

11:22b

This part of the parable is an illustration of what Jesus does when he drives out demons from a person. Taking away the weapons of the strong man is a picture of Jesus taking away Satan’s power over people.

he takes away the armor in which the man trusted: After defeating the strong man, the stronger man takes away his weapons and armor. The man in the house relied on these things to protect his house and the things he owned.

he…the man: It is important to keep the references to the two men clear. Certain languages use two kinds of third person pronouns. Other languages could use other terms like “his opponent” to refer to the strong man. For example:

that stronger man will be able to take away the weapons that his opponent relied on

the armor: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as armor refers here to all the equipment that a soldier used, both weapons and protective gear. It is not the same word as “fully armed” in 11:21a, but in this context it refers to the same things. Several versions, such as the Good News Translation, translate both terms as “weapons.”

in which the man trusted: The strong man trusted the armor in the sense that he expected that it would help him to defeat anyone who attacked him. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

on which the man had relied (Revised English Bible)
-or-
the owner was depending on (Good News Translation)

11:22c

and then he divides up his plunder: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as divides up his plunder refers to distributing the possessions of a defeated enemy. It was the custom for a conqueror to take away the things his enemy owned and give them to his own family and friends. In this illustration, the stronger man distributes the things he took out of the house. Another way to translate this is:

Then he will divide with others what he has taken. (Contemporary English Version)

Here is the meaning of this part of the illustration: Jesus is the stronger man. He brings blessings to those people from whom he drives out unclean spirits and also to many others.

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