Exegesis of Matthew 12:29 Strong Man Passage
Exegesis of Matthew 12:29: The Strong Man Passage
Matthew 12:29 reads, "Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man? Then he will plunder his house" [1]. This verse is part of a larger passage where Jesus defends his exorcisms against the accusation that he is casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul.
The literary context of Matthew 12:29 is Jesus' response to the Pharisees' accusation. Jesus argues that if Satan is divided against himself, his kingdom cannot stand. He then uses the analogy of the strong man to illustrate that his ability to cast out demons is evidence of a stronger power at work, namely the Spirit of God [3].
Historically, this passage has been understood within the context of Jewish exorcisms and the spiritual warfare prevalent in the first century. The strong man is typically identified as Satan or the devil, who is seen as the ruler of the demons [2, 5].
The key terms in this passage include "strong man" (ἰσχυρός, ischyros) and "bind" (δήσῃ, desē). The term "strong man" is used metaphorically to describe Satan's power and control over the demons. The act of binding signifies the overcoming or disabling of this power [8].
A major exegetical decision in interpreting Matthew 12:29 involves understanding the identity of the strong man and the nature of his binding. The majority of commentators across various traditions identify the strong man as Satan. According to John Gill, "By the strong man, is meant the devil" [2]. Augustine also interprets the strong man as the devil, emphasizing that Jesus has bound him to spoil his goods [6].
The range of interpretations on the binding of the strong man varies. Some see it as a reference to Jesus' victory over Satan through his death and resurrection, while others understand it as being fulfilled in Jesus' ministry, particularly through his exorcisms. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown suggest that the binding refers to Jesus' power over Satan during his ministry [4]. Tyndale House commentary on Luke 11:21-22, a parallel passage, supports this view, stating that Jesus' exorcisms demonstrated his defeat of Satan [8].
This passage has functioned significantly in Christian tradition, particularly in discussions about spiritual warfare and the authority of Christ over Satan. It has been cited in various theological debates, including those on the nature of salvation and the role of grace. Charles Hodge, in his Systematic Theology, emphasizes the importance of Christ's power in salvation, referencing the idea that believers are delivered from the power of darkness [9]. Aquinas, in the Summa Theologica, discusses the sacrament of Confirmation in the context of spiritual combat, drawing on the imagery of being strengthened against the devil [10].
The patristic interpretation, as seen in Augustine's writings, highlights the significance of Christ's binding of the strong man for understanding human deliverance from Satan's power. Augustine argues that Christ's binding of Satan is a demonstration of God's grace and power, enabling the rescue of humanity from darkness [6, 7].
Sources
- Matthew “Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man? Then he will plunder his house. -- Matthew 12:29”
- Luke (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Luke 11:20: When a strong man armed,.... By the strong man, is meant the devil; See Gill on Mat 12:29 and who may be said to be "armed", both with his own temptations, which are as fiery darts, and which are thrown by him thick and fast, suddenly and swiftly, privily, and with great art and cunning, and with great strength, and are very injurious; and also with the sins and lusts of men, which are armour of unrighteousness, and which Satan turns upon them, and makes use of against them, to their great detriment; and who keepeth his palace: which is the corrupt heart of an unrege”
- Matthew (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Matthew 12:24: Or else, how can anyone enter into a strong man's house,.... This is another argument of Christ's proving that his casting out of devils could not be by Satan, but by the Spirit of God; for if he did not act by any superior power to Satan's, and such by which he was able to master, overcome, and bind him, he could never spoil his goods, as he did; or dispossess devils out of the bodies or souls of men: just as if a man should enter into another man's house, who is strong and robust, with a design to spoil his goods, who would never make use of the man himself to d”
- Matthew (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Matthew 12:29: Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house--or rather, "the strong man's house." and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.”
- Luke (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Luke 11:21: strong man--meaning Satan. armed--pointing to all the subtle and varied methods by which he wields his dark power over men. keepeth--"guardeth." his palace--man whether viewed more largely or in individual souls--how significant of what men are to Satan! in peace--undisturbed, secure in his possession.”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 5: Augustine — Anti-Pelagian — CHAP. 45.--MAN'S DELIVERANCE SUITED TO THE CHARACTER OF HIS CAPTIVITY. (part 2): our behalf, has bound the strong man, that He may spoil his goods;[1] seeing that the weakness of God is stronger, not only than men, but also than angels. While, therefore, God delivers small as well as great, He shows in both instances that the apostle spoke under the direction of the Truth. For it is not merely adults, but little babes too whom He rescues from the power of darkness, in order to transfer them to the kingdom of God's dear Son.2”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 5: Augustine — Anti-Pelagian — CHAP. 6 [IV.]--GOD'S GRACE TO BE MAINTAINED AGAINST THE PELAGIANS; THE PELAGIAN HERESY NOT AN OLD ONE. (part 1): It is, however, to be feared lest all these and similar testimonies of Holy Scripture (and undoubtedly there are a great many of them), in the maintenance of free will, be understood in such a way as to leave no room for God's assistance and grace in leading a godly life and a good conversation, to which the eternal reward is due; and lest poor wretched man, when he leads a good life and performs good works (or rather thinks that he leads a g”
- Luke (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Luke 11:21: 11:21-22 The strong man is Satan; the stronger man is Jesus. Jesus’ exorcisms demonstrated that he was defeating and plundering Satan’s property—those people held in bondage by him (cp. Isa 49:24-26).”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 30: it by their own power. Our whole salvation is of Christ. Those who are in the grave hear his voice. They are raised by his power. And when they live it is He who lives in them. This is the doctrine which our Lord Himself so clearly and so frequently teaches, and upon which his Apostles so strenuously insist. St. Paul in the sixth and seventh chapters of his Epistle to the Romans, where he treats of this subject “ in extenso ,” has for his main object to prove that as we are not justified or our own righteousness, so we are not sanctified ”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of the Sacrament of Confirmation, Art. 10: Article: Whether he who is confirmed needs one to stand* for him? [*Literally, "to hold him"] I answer that, As stated above (Articles [1],4,9), this sacrament is given to man for strength in the spiritual combat. Now, just as one newly born requires someone to teach him things pertaining to ordinary conduct, according to Heb. 12:9: "We have had fathers of our flesh, for instructors, and we obeyed [Vulg.: 'reverenced']" them; so they who are chosen for the fight need instructors by whom they are inf”