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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadJohn Bengel Commentary - Matthew 12:26 - 12:26
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Mat 12:26. Εἰ ὁ Σατανᾶς τὸν Σατανᾶν ἐκβάλλει, if Satan cast out Satan) Satan or the devil is one. I, says our Lord, cast out Satan. In the kingdom of darkness there is none greater than Satan. If therefore your words are true, it must be Satan who casts out Satan. But this is clearly absurd: one kingdom, one city, one house, is not divided against itself; neither is one spirit divided against himself. The noun is used for the reciprocal pronoun (ἑαυτόν) as in Exo 16:7; Lev 14:15; Lev 14:26; 1Ki 8:1; 1Ki 10:13; 1Ki 12:21; 2Ki 17:31. This does not however prevent the supposition, that the accusative τὸν Σατανᾶν, Satan, is put by synecdoche for his comrades. Thus, for example, you might say, “The Gaul destroyed himself,” if at any time one Gallic cohort should put another to the sword. Thus Satan would cast himself out, i.e., Satan, the prince, who is one, would cast out those whom he knew to be his own, his comrades.-βασιλεία, kingdom) which is however very stable. Satan is said to have a kingdom, and yet he is never called a king, for he is an usurper.