Luke 4:31-37
Came down ( κατηλθεν ). Mr 1:21 has the historical present,they go into ( εισπορευοντα ). Capernaum (Tell Hum) is now the headquarters of the Galilean ministry, since Nazareth has rejected Jesus. Lu 4:31-37 is parallel with Mr 1:21-28 which he manifestly uses. It is the first of Christ's miracles which they give.
Was teaching them ( ην διδασκων αυτους ). Periphrastic imperfect. Mark has εδιδασκεν first and then εν διδασκων. "Them" here means the people present in the synagogue on the sabbath, construction according to sense as in Mr 1:22.
Rest of the sentence as in Mark, which see, except that Luke omits "and not as their scribes" and uses οτ ην instead of ως εχων.
Which had ( εχων ). Mark has εν.
A spirit of an unclean demon ( πνευμα δαιμονιου ακαθαρτου ). Mark has "unclean spirit." Luke's phrase here is unique in this combination. Plummer notes that Matthew has δαιμονιον ten times and ακαθαρτον twice as an epithet of πνευμα; Mark has δαιμονιον thirteen times and ακαθαρτον eleven times as an epithet of πνευμα. Luke's Gospel uses δαιμονιον twenty-two times and ακαθαρτον as an epithet, once of δαιμονιον as here and once of πνευμα. In Mark the man is in ( εν ) the power of the unclean spirit, while here the man "has" a spirit of an unclean demon.
With a loud voice ( φωνη μεγαλη ). Not in Mark. Really a scream caused by the sudden contact of the demon with Jesus.
Ah! ( Εα ). An interjection frequent in the Attic poets, but rare in prose. Apparently second person singular imperative of εαω, to permit. It is expressive of wonder, fear, indignation. Here it amounts to a diabolical screech. For the rest of the verse see discussion on Mr 1:24 and Mt 8:29. The muzzle ( φιμος ) occurs literally in 1Co 9:9, 1Ti 5:18, and metaphorically here and Mr 1:25; 4:39; Mt 22:12.
Had thrown him down in the midst ( ριψαν αυτον εις το μεσον ). First aorist (effective) participle of ριπτω, an old verb with violent meaning, to fling, throw, hurl off or down.
Having done him no hurt ( μηδεν βλαψαν αυτον ). Luke as a physician carefully notes this important detail not in Mark. Βλαπτω, to injure, or hurt, occurs in the N.T. only here and in Mr 16:18, though a very common verb in the old Greek.
Amazement came ( εγενετο θαμβος ). Mark has εθαμβηθησαν.
They spake together one with another ( συνελαλουν προς αλληλους ). Imperfect indicative active and the reciprocal pronoun. Mark has simply the infinitive συνζητειν (question).
For ( οτ ). We have here an ambiguous οτ as in 1:45, which can be either the relative "that" or the casual οτ "because" or "for," as the Revised Version has it. Either makes good sense. Luke adds here δυναμε (with power) to Mark's "authority" ( εξουσιαν ).
And they come out ( εξερχοντα ). So Luke where Mark has "and they obey him" ( κα υπακουουσιν αυτω ).
Went forth a rumour ( εξεπορευετο ηχος ). Imperfect middle, kept on going forth. Our very word εχο in this word. Late Greek form for ηχω in the old Greek. Used for the roar of the waves on the shore. So in Lu 21:25. Vivid picture of the resounding influence of this day's work in the synagogue, in Capernaum.
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