11:25a
On its return: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as On its return is literally “and having come.” In some languages, it may be necessary to say explicitly where the unclean spirit comes. For example:
When the unclean spirit comes back ⌊to the person it lived in before⌋
-or-
When the unclean spirit returns ⌊to the person it had left⌋
11:25b
it finds the house swept clean and put in order: Luke 11:25b figuratively compares the condition of the man to a clean and tidy house. In some languages, it will be necessary to change this metaphor to a simile. For example:
it finds ⌊that the person is like⌋ a house swept clean and put in order
The relevant point of similarity in this context is that a clean house is ready for someone to live in. In the same way, a person who is spiritually empty is available for a spirit (good or bad) to live in him. (In Matthew 12:44, it says explicitly that the house is empty.) In some languages, it may be necessary to make this point of similarity explicit. For example:
⌊the man is like⌋ an ⌊empty⌋ house that has been cleaned and arranged neatly
-or-
⌊the man is like⌋ a house that has been cleaned and arranged neatly ⌊so it is ready for someone to live there⌋
it finds: In this context it finds means “the unclean spirit learns or discovers.” This implies that the unclean spirit finds something it had not expected. Some other ways to translate this are:
it discovers
-or-
it learns
swept clean: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as swept clean is literally “swept.” The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the word clean. In some languages it may not be necessary to include a word such as clean, since this idea may already be implied.
To sweep a house means to clean the floor by brushing it with a broom. In some cultures people do not clean a floor by sweeping it. If that is true in your culture, you may want to use a more general expression. For example:
clean (Good News Translation)
put in order: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as put in order means “made neat” or “tidied up.” The things in the house are in their right place, and the house looks nice and neat, ready for someone to live in.
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