Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 12:26
And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
Verse 26. If Satan cast out Satan] A good cause will produce a good effect, and an evil cause an evil effect. Were I on Satan’s side, I would act for his interest and confirm his influence among you; but I oppose his maxims by my doctrine, and his influence by my power.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
26. And if Satan cast out Satan, heis divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?Theargument here is irresistible. “No organized society canstandwhether kingdom, city, or householdwhen turned againstitself; such intestine war is suicidal: But the works I do aredestructive of Satan’s kingdom: That I should be in league withSatan, therefore, is incredible and absurd.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And if Satan cast out Satan,…. That is, if Satan, the same with Beelzebub, casts out the rest of the Satans, or other devils, of which he is the prince and head,
he is divided against himself; he acts contrary to his own interest, which is to keep possession of the bodies and souls of men; and consequently it must, in course, be subversive of his power and dominion:
how shall then his kingdom stand? he will never be able to maintain his authority, and keep up the show of a government, as he does: for these words suggest, that there is a form of government among the devils, who are united in one body, under one head; and whose unity and concord are their greatest strength, as in all other governments. Our Lord’s argument, and which is his first, for others follow, is, that since Satan, who is so cunning and crafty, can never be thought to act such an opposite part to himself, subversive of his kingdom and government; and which would give so much credit to Christ, and serve so much to strengthen his interest, as to assist him in the casting out of devils; the weakness, and maliciousness of such a suggestion, must be clear and evident to all.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He is divided [] . Lit., “he was divided.” If he is casting himself out, there must have been a previous division.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And if Satan cast out Satan,” (kai ei ho Satanas ton satanan ekballei) “And what is more evident is, that if Satan expels Satan,” as you Pharisees reason or assert, Mat 12:24. Even Jesus credited the devil of having more reason than a fool, to destroy his own house or kingdom.
2) “He is divided, against himself;” (eph’ heauton emeristhe) “He is divided against himself,” isn’t he? But the works that Jesus did were destructive to Satan’s kingdom of darkness, sin, ravaging diseases, and mental derangement, or demon possession. The people understood this. To charge that Jesus was in colleague with Satan was incredible and absurd even to the unlearned, see? Mat 13:39.
3) “How shall then his kingdom stand?” (pos oun stathesetai he basileia autou) “How then, will his kingdom be able to stand?” Would you explain it to all these people, please? is the idea. Or is his kingdom to fall by his own hands? If so, should they not rather rejoice that Satan’s kingdom was falling through covert, internal strife? Rev 20:10; Mr 3:26; Luk 11:18-19.
That Satan empowered Jesus to cast his own demons out of men was an evident absurdity, too silly and stupid for sane people to accept is the right conclusion of the Pharisee charges against Him, Mat 12:24.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(26) If Satan cast out Satan.In the Greek the name has the article in both places, as pointing to the one great adversary. It is not that one Satan casts out another, but that he, on the assumption of the Pharisees, casts out himself. Satan is not personally identified with the demon, the deaf or dumb spirit, that had possessed the man, but the language implies that where evil enters into the soul, Satan enters also. (Comp. Joh. 13:27.) There is, as it were, a seeming ubiquity, a solidarit, in the power of evil, as there is admittedly in the sovereign power of good.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
26. Cast out Satan Our Lord here assumes, what doubtless the Jews would grant, that to cast out Satan is the strongest proof that can be visibly given of hostility to Satan. It is a case of the directest possible issue. It is a point where the kingdom of God and of Satan come into direct hostile contact. Certainly, as the general fights the battle for one side, the side of good, it is the highest possible proof that he is truly on that side.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
Ver. 26. He is divided against himself ] But so he is not. There is a marvellous accordance even between evil spirits. Squamae Leviathan ira cohaerent, ut earum opere textili densato quasi loricatus incedat Satan et cataphractus, as Luther elegantly and truly phraseth it. The devils in the possessed person were many, yet they say, “My name” (not our name) “is Legion.” Though many, they speak and act as one in the possession. That kingdom, we see, is not divided.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Mat 12:26 applies the axiom to Satan, , introduces a simple particular supposition without reference to its truth. : the aorist has the force of a perfect. Satan casting out Satan means self-stultification; ipso facto , self-division results. Against the argument it might be objected: Kingdoms and cities do become divided against themselves, regardless of fatal consequences, why not also Satan? Why should not that happen to Satan’s kingdom which has happened even to the Christian Church? Jesus seems to have credited Satan with more astuteness than is possessed by states, cities, and churches. Satan may be wicked, He says in effect, but he is not a fool. Then it has to be considered that communities commit follies which individuals avoid. Men war against each other to their common undoing, who would be wiser in their own affairs. One Satan might cast out another, but no Satan will cast out himself. And that is the case put by Jesus. Some, e.g. , De Wette and Fritzsche, take . . as = one Satan casting out another. But that is not Christ’s meaning. He so puts the case as to make the absurdity evident. Ex hypothesi He had a right to put it so; for the theory was that Satan directly empowered and enabled Him to deliver men from his (Satan’s) power.
Mat 12:27 . To the previous convincing argument Jesus adds an argumentum ad hominem , based on the exorcism then practised among the Jews, with which it would appear the Pharisees found no fault. , not of course Christ’s disciples (so most of the Fathers), for the Pharisaic prejudice against Him would extend to them, but men belonging to the same school or religious type, like-minded. By referring to their performances Jesus put the Pharisees in a dilemma. Either they must condemn both forms of dispossession or explain why they made a difference. What they would have said we do not know, but it is not difficult to suggest reasons. The Jewish exorcists operated in conventional fashion by use of herbs and magical formul, and the results were probably insignificant. The practice was sanctioned by custom, and harmless. But in casting out devils, as in all other things, Jesus was original, and His method was too effectual . His power, manifest to all, was His offence. . Jesus now makes the fellow-religionists of the Pharisees their judges. On a future occasion He will make John the Baptist their judge (Mat 21:23-27 ). Such home-thrusts were very inconvenient.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Mat 12:26. , 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 () 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 , 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.-, 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.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
his: Joh 12:31, Joh 14:30, Joh 16:11, 2Co 4:4, Col 1:13, 1Jo 5:19, Rev 9:11, Rev 12:9, Rev 16:10, Rev 20:2, Rev 20:3
Reciprocal: Jos 8:31 – as it is Luk 11:18 – Satan
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2:26
Satan is one of the names of Beelzebub and he would be interested in the same conditions that would be favorable to the other devils, and surely would not cooperate with Jesus or any other person in opposing their interests.
these persons really did cast out devils, they just made that claim such as the case in Act 19:13. But their position on the subject gave Christ another basis for exposing their inconsistency. They would not admit that their children did their work by the help of Beelzebub, for that would be classing
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 12:26. And if Satan cast out Satan. The accusation reduced to an absurdity, namely, that a person is divided against himself. A man might be at war within, but even then the outward acts would not necessarily be in opposition. Satan is utterly wicked, hence good and evil do not strive within him, and his fighting against himself is not to be imagined. This verse implies: that the Pharisees had called our Lord Satan; that Satan is a person; that he has a kingdom; while the whole argument assumes that this kingdom is in constant antagonism to the kingdom of God. This is brought out more fully afterwards.