Translation commentary on Luke 11:19

Exegesis:

ei de egō ‘but if I….’ de marks here the shift to a different argument. egō is emphatic and contrasts with hoi huioi humōn ‘your sons,’ see next note.

hoi huioi humōn en tini ekballousin ‘by whom do your sons cast out (demons)?’ hoi huioi humōn (emphatic by virtue of its position at the beginning of the clause) means ‘your own people’ i.e. who practice exorcism.

dia touto autoi humōn kritai esontai ‘because of this they shall be your judges.’ touto refers to the fact that there are also Jewish exorcists (cf. 9.49; Acts 19.13), who know that they cannot exorcize demons with the help of Beelzebul. The clause means that their own exorcists are the people to judge their opinion about Jesus to be untrue, with the undertone that this will result in their condemnation.

kritēs ‘judge,’ used here in a non-technical sense.

Translation:

And, preferably, ‘again,’ ‘what is more,’ ‘at the same time,’ or another expression marking a new part of the argument.

If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, or, avoiding repetition, “if I do that” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation), “if this is how I drive them out” (Good News Translation).

Your sons, or, “your own people” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation, New English Bible), “your own followers” (Good News Translation).

They shall be your judges, or, ‘the ones who judge/condemn you’; or better to emphasize the subject, ‘it is they who will declare you guilty,’ ‘they themselves will show/say that you are wrong.’

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 11:19

11:19

In 11:19 Jesus gave a second reason why it was not logical for his critics to say that he used Beelzebul’s power to drive out demons. This reason contains implied information and a rhetorical question. Here is a statement of the reason with the implied information included:

(a) ⌊You think/say that⌋ I drive out demons by Beelzebul’s power.

(b) ⌊Your followers also drive out demons,⌋ ⌊so you are implying that⌋ your own followers also use ⌊Beelzebul’s⌋ power when they drive out demons. ⌊But they do not.⌋

(c) So your own followers will judge you ⌊to be wrong⌋.

11:19a

And: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And introduces a new part of Jesus’ argument or reasoning. Though some versions (NET Bible, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version) translate it as “Now,” it is not a time word here.

Some versions do not use a specific conjunction here. Use a way that is natural in your language to introduce this new reasoning.

if I drive out demons by Beelzebul: Here Jesus was pointing out that the thinking of his critics would lead to a conclusion that they themselves could not agree with. He was not admitting that he used Beelzebul’s power to drive out demons.

The words I drive out demons by Beelzebul are a repetition of part of 11:18c. In some languages, it may not be natural to repeat these words. If that is true in your language, you can say:

If that is true

I: In Greek, the word I is emphasized. There is a deliberate contrast between I in 11:19a and “your followers” in 11:19b. If you have a way to show this contrast in your language, you should use it here.

11:19b

Verse 11:19b is based on the common knowledge that some of the followers of Jesus’ critics also drove out demons.

by whom do your sons drive them out?: Here your sons refers to disciples or followers. This is a rhetorical question. It emphasizes the obvious but implied conclusion to the claim that Jesus drove out demons by the power of Beelzebul. The implied conclusion is: “⌊then⌋ ⌊you are saying that⌋ your followers also drive out demons by the power of Beelzebul.”

There are at least two ways to translate this rhetorical question:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

⌊what about⌋ your ⌊own⌋ followers? By whom do they drive out demons? ⌊By Beelzebub’s power?⌋
-or-
what about your own followers? (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-

⌊you are saying that⌋ your followers also drive out demons ⌊by Beelzebub⌋. ⌊Isn’t that right?⌋

• As a statement. For example:

then ⌊you are saying that⌋ your followers also do it that way.
-or-
then ⌊you are saying/implying that⌋ your followers also use ⌊Beelzebub’s⌋ power to cast out demons.

Translate this rhetorical question in a way that will make the implied conclusion clear in your language.

your sons: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as sons refers to disciples or people who follow a certain religious leader. According to Matthew 12:24, Jesus was addressing the Pharisees, so this probably refers to their followers.

You may want to add a footnote here if you feel it will be helpful. For example:

Jesus was probably referring here to the followers of the Pharisees. See Matthew 12:24–28.

11:19c

Between 11:19b and 11:19c is some implied information. This information is:

your followers do not use Satan’s power to cast out demons

If you need to supply this implied information, you can put it in your translation or in a footnote.

So then: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So then is more literally “Because of this.” This phrase introduces the conclusion to Jesus’ argument. Another way to translate this is:

Therefore (Revised Standard Version)

they will be your judges: The pronoun they refers to the “sons” who cast out demons in 11:19b. This pronoun is emphatic in Greek. They will be judges in the sense that they will prove or show that what the Jewish leaders were saying about Jesus was wrong.

Some other ways to translate this are:

they will judge/prove you ⌊to be wrong⌋
-or-
Your own followers prove that you are wrong! (Good News Translation)

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