Luke 11:19

And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — Jesus addresses His critics who have accused Him of exercising exorcistic power through a demonic prince. He speaks during a direct confrontation over the source of His authority to expel unclean spirits.

The words — Βεελζεβοὺλ (Beelzeboul) is the specific name the accusers use for the demon lord, and ἐκβάλλω (ekballō) literally means to cast out or expel.

The thread — The identical argument appears in Matthew 12:27 and is bounded by Luke 11:18 and Luke 11:20, which contrast a divided kingdom with the arrival of God's kingdom by the finger of God.

Why it lands — The text states that if the accusers' premise were true, their own followers' practices would logically condemn them. It requires the reader to test spiritual claims by internal consistency and observable results rather than accepting dismissive labels.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.

Cross-references

Luke 9:49 “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not accompany us.”
Job 15:6 Your own mouth, not mine, condemns you; your own lips testify against you.
Matthew 12:27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.
Matthew 12:41 The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here.
Luke 11:31 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater than Solomon is here.
Luke 19:22 His master replied, ‘You wicked servant, I will judge you by your own words. So you knew that I am a harsh man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?
Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.