| 31 |
| Yesterday | Luke 4:31–37 |
| Καὶ | κατῆλθεν | εἰς | Καφαρναοὺμ | πόλιν | τῆς | Γαλιλαίας | ||||||||||||
| and | he came down | to | Capernaum | a town | of | Galilee |
| καὶ | ἦν | διδάσκων | αὐτοὺς | ἐν | τοῖς | σάββασιν | ||||||||||
| and | was | teaching | them | on | the | Sabbath |
| 32 | καὶ | ἐξεπλήσσοντο | ἐπὶ | τῇ | διδαχῇ | αὐτοῦ | |||||||||||||
| and | they were astounded | at | [-] | teaching | his |
| ὅτι | ἐν | ἐξουσίᾳ | ἦν | ὁ | λόγος | αὐτοῦ | ||||||||||
| because | with | authority | was | [-] | word | his |
| 33 | καὶ | ἐν | τῇ | συναγωγῇ | ἦν | ἄνθρωπος | ἔχων | πνεῦμα | δαιμονίου | |||||||||||||||||||
| and | in | the | synagogue | there was | a man | who had | the spirit | demon |
| ἀκαθάρτου | ||
| of an unclean |
| καὶ | ἀνέκραξεν | φωνῇ | μεγάλῃ | |||||||
| and | he cried out | voice | with a loud |
| 34 | Ἔα | τί | ἡμῖν | καὶ | σοί | Ἰησοῦ | Ναζαρηνέ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ha! | what | to us | and | to you | Jesus | the Nazarene |
| ἦλθες | ἀπολέσαι | ἡμᾶς | ||||||
| have you come | to destroy | us |
| οἶδά | σε | τίς | εἶ | ὁ | ἅγιος | τοῦ | θεοῦ | |||||||||||||||||
| I know | you | who | are | the | holy one | of | God |
| 35 | καὶ | ἐπετίμησεν | αὐτῷ | ὁ | Ἰησοῦς | λέγων | |||||||||||||
| and | rebuked | him | [-] | Jesus | saying |
| Φιμώθητι | καὶ | ἔξελθε | ἀπʼ | αὐτοῦ | ||||||||||||||
| be silent | and | come out | of | him |
| καὶ | ῥίψαν | αὐτὸν | τὸ | δαιμόνιον | εἰς | τὸ | μέσον | ἐξῆλθεν | ἀπʼ | αὐτοῦ | |||||||||||||
| and | [after] throwing | him [down] | the | demon | in | their | midst | came out | of | him |
| μηδὲν | βλάψαν | αὐτόν | ||||
| without | hurting | him [at all] |
| 36 | καὶ | ἐγένετο | θάμβος | ἐπὶ | πάντας | |||||||||||||
| and | came | amazement | upon | [them] all |
| καὶ | συνελάλουν | πρὸς | ἀλλήλους | λέγοντες | ||||||||
| and | they began to talk | with | one another | saying |
| Τίς | ὁ | λόγος | οὗτος | |||||||||||||||
| what | [-] | word | [is] this |
| ὅτι | ἐν | ἐξουσίᾳ | καὶ | δυνάμει | ἐπιτάσσει | τοῖς | ἀκαθάρτοις | πνεύμασιν | καὶ | ||||||||||||
| for | with | authority | and | power | he commands | the | unclean | spirits | and |
| ἐξέρχονται | ||||
| they come out |
Runge, S. E. (2008–2014). The Lexham Discourse Greek New Testament (Lk 4:31–36). Lexham Press.
Aharoni, Y., Avi-Yonah, M., Rainey, A. F., Notley, R. S., & Safrai, Z., eds. (2011). The Carta Bible Atlas (Fifth Edition, p. 175). Carta Jerusalem.
MT. 4:12–22; 8:5–17; 9:9–10; 18–20; MK. 1:16–34; 2:1–17; 5:22–43; LK. 4:31–41; 5:27–32; 7:1–10; 8:40–56; JN. 2:1–12
According to Luke 3:23, Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. The evangelist records that at the beginning Jesus visited the synagogue of his childhood village of Nazareth (Luke 4:16–30). Mark (6:1–6), on the other hand, inserts the episode later within the context of Jesus’ teaching around the Sea of Galilee. In Matthew 13:53–58 the event is placed in the same context, and Jesus is here called the “carpenter’s son.” Through his public reading in Nazareth’s synagogue of a creative combination of biblical passages from Isaiah 61:1–2 and 58:6, Jesus challenged their expectations for divine redemption.
The audience refused to accept this new teaching, and so he relocated to Capernaum on the shores of the Lake of Gennesaret. Capernaum (in the original Hebrew, Kefar-nahum, “Village of Nahum”) was a prosperous townlet whose inhabitants engaged mainly in fishing (a great haul of fish is recorded in Luke 5:6). Being a frontier town between the domains of Antipas and Philip, it had a customs post (the apostle Matthew may have been called from his duty there as a tax-collector; Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:3–14; Luke 5:27).
A centurion commanding the local garrison, though a Gentile, had built the local synagogue (Luke 7:5), where Jesus often preached. It was at Capernaum that Jesus called his first disciples, the fishermen Simon Peter and Andrew, men of nearby Bethsaida east of the Jordan (John 1:44), as well as James and John, the sons of Zebedee; and here he invested the Twelve Apostles (Mark 3:13–19; Matthew 10:1–4).
It was here also that he performed many of the miraculous deeds reported in the Gospels. From then on Capernaum was called “his own city” (Matthew 9:1). As Capernaum had a more varied population and was nearer regional and international trade routes than the remote village of Nazareth, it is likely to have been more receptive to the new teachings.
Yet, Jesus did not entirely sever his ties with the region of his youth. John 2:11 continues, after the story of his baptism, with a miracle performed by Jesus at nearby Cana in the presence of Mary and the disciples. This visit to Cana occurred at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, but he is also reported to return there on a later occasion (John 4:46).
Aharoni, Y., Avi-Yonah, M., Rainey, A. F., Notley, R. S., & Safrai, Z., eds. (2011). The Carta Bible Atlas (Fifth Edition, p. 175). Carta Jerusalem.
Cross References from The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Mk 1:24 | “Leave us alone, Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
Mk 1:23 | Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit, and he cried out,
Mt 7:28 | When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his teaching,
Mt 7:29 | because he taught them like one who had authority, not like their experts in the law.
Mk 1:25 | But Jesus rebuked him: “Silence! Come out of him!”
From The Lexham Context Commentary
Jesus Moves His “Home” to Capernaum (4:31–44)
Verses 31–44 are bound together by geography; that is, the passage deals with Jesus’ transfer of his center of operations to Capernaum. Jesus’ teaching is initially received in Capernaum, and he performs several noteworthy miracles—the healing of a man with an unclean spirit and healing Peter’s mother-in-law, as well as healing crowds that gather outside Peter’s house. In due time, however, Jesus will accuse Capernaum of rejection as well (10:15). Nevertheless, Jesus’ ministry is not to be confined to Capernaum, and the passage concludes with Jesus’ decision to go and preach in other cities.
Demons Are Cast Out (4:31–37)
Upon Jesus’ arrival in Capernaum he begins teaching in the synagogue. Jesus’ teaching is impressive to those in attendance, but his message and authority are further confirmed by his healing of a man with an unclean spirit. Jesus’ ability to exorcise demons leads to news of him spreading beyond Capernaum.
4:31–32 Jesus leaves Nazareth for Capernaum and teaches in its synagogue. Rather than rejecting him, the people of Capernaum respond positively to his message.
4:33–34 While Jesus teaches in the synagogue, a demon-possessed man begins to address him as God’s Son.
4:35 Jesus casts the demon out of the man.
4:36–37 The result of Jesus’ exorcism of the demon is that people realize he has power over the demonic realm. The news of Jesus spreads beyond Capernaum and becomes a catalyst for his growing ministry.
Mangum, D., ed. (2020). Lexham Context Commentary: New Testament (Lk 4:31–37). Lexham Press.
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