Luke 11:17

17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and {a divided household} falls.

Luke 11:17 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 11:17

But he knowing their thoughts
Being God omniscient,

said unto them;
the following parables, as they are called in ( Mark 3:23 ) or proverbial expressions, very pertinent to the purpose, and sufficient to set aside the base calumnies of the Pharisees:

every kingdom divided against itself, is brought to desolation;
in process of time, division will end in destruction; and as it does in the kingdoms of the world, of which there have been fatal instances, so it would in the kingdom of Satan, was there in it a division, which the calumny of the Pharisees supposes:

and an house divided against an house, falleth.
The Persic version renders it, "an house divided from the foundation, falls"; the sense is, a family, in which one part is opposed to the other, issues in the ruin of both; (See Gill on Matthew 12:25), (See Gill on Mark 3:24), (See Gill on Mark 3:25).

Luke 11:17 In-Context

15 But some of them said, "By Beelzebul the ruler of demons he expels demons!"
16 And others, [in order to] test [him], were demanding from him a sign from heaven.
17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and {a divided household} falls.
18 So if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say [that] I expel demons by Beelzebul.
19 But if I expel demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons expel [them]? For this [reason] they will be your judges!

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Literally "house against house"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.