Luke 11 19

Luke 11:19 kjv

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

Luke 11:19 nkjv

And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

Luke 11:19 niv

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

Luke 11:19 esv

And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

Luke 11:19 nlt

And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said.

Luke 11 verses

Luke 11 19 Meaning

Luke 11:19 presents a sharp counter-argument by Jesus against the accusation that He casts out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons. Jesus exposes the hypocrisy and faulty logic of His accusers, specifically referencing Jewish exorcists, whom they acknowledged performed similar acts. By using the actions of "their sons" (other Jewish exorcists), Jesus highlights that if His own exorcisms, which bring relief, are attributed to evil, then the similar exorcisms performed by those known to them must also be from the same source, leading to self-condemnation for the accusers. The verse ultimately declares that their own people's actions serve as a damning indictment against their irrational and biased judgment of Jesus.

Luke 11 19 Context

Luke chapter 11 opens with Jesus teaching His disciples to pray (the Lord's Prayer) and follow it with a parable encouraging persistent prayer. Following this, Jesus casts out a mute demon (Lk 11:14), leading to the crowd's amazement. However, some among them, likely scribes and Pharisees, accuse Him: "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons" (Lk 11:15). This accusation posits that Jesus’ power originates not from God but from Satan. Luke 11:17-18 contains Jesus' primary refutation, arguing against the logical absurdity of Satan casting out Satan. Luke 11:19 is a direct rhetorical question and counter-accusation within this larger defense, aiming to expose the hypocrisy and bias of His critics. Historically, there were Jewish exorcists who invoked God’s name to cast out demons, a practice the Pharisees did not condemn. This background makes Jesus' question concerning "your sons" a powerful and incriminating point against their inconsistent judgment of His miracles.

Luke 11 19 Word analysis

• And if (Καὶ εἰ, Kai ei): "Kai" (and) connects this verse to the preceding arguments. "Ei" (if) introduces a hypothetical condition or a premise for an argument. It’s not assuming truth, but creating a premise for a logical trap for His accusers.
• I cast out (ἐκβάλλω, ekballō): Meaning "to throw out," "to drive out," or "to expel." This is the consistent verb used for Jesus' action of demon expulsion.
• demons (δαιμόνια, daimonia): Malignant spiritual beings, servants of Satan, understood to cause physical and spiritual ailments. The focus of the miracles that provoked the accusation.
• by Beelzebul (ἐν Βεελζεβοὺλ, en Beelzeboul): "En" (by/in/with) indicates the instrumentality. Beelzebul (also Beelzebub) was a derogatory Jewish title for Satan or a prominent demon, possibly derived from the Philistine god Baal-zebub (2 Ki 1:2), meaning "lord of flies," or perhaps "lord of the dwelling." Attributing Jesus’ power to him was a profound blasphemy and an attempt to discredit His divine authority.
• by whom (ἐν τίνι, en tini): A rhetorical question meaning "by whose power or authority." This turns the tables on the accusers, challenging them to apply their own standard of judgment universally.
• your sons (οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν, hoi huioi hymōn): Refers to the disciples, followers, or practitioners of Jewish exorcism from their own cultural and religious group. This group claimed to cast out demons. It is implied these "sons" (a general term for practitioners/adherents, not necessarily literal children) were not condemned for their exorcisms by these same accusers.
• cast them out? (ἐκβάλλουσιν, ekballousin): The same verb for casting out, implying similar actions and effects. The accusers must admit their "sons" cast out demons by either good or evil power.
• therefore (διὰ τοῦτο, dia touto): Connects the previous rhetorical question to its inescapable conclusion. It means "for this reason," highlighting the logical consequence of their double standard.
• they shall be (αὐτοὶ ἔσονται, autoi esontai): Emphatic "they themselves shall be." The very people whom the accusers acknowledge will expose their faulty judgment.
• your judges (ὑμῶν ἔσονται κριταί, hymōn esontai kritai): Not literal judicial judges in a court, but accusers/witnesses whose actions will convict the Pharisees of their inconsistent and prejudiced condemnation of Jesus. Their own actions (or the actions of those they endorse) stand as proof of their erroneous judgment of Jesus.

Words-group analysis

• If I cast out demons by Beelzebul: This phrase highlights the direct accusation against Jesus and sets up the premise of His logical counter-argument. It's the central blasphemy Jesus is addressing.
• by whom do your sons cast them out?: This rhetorical question is the core of Jesus' polemic. It immediately shifts the focus from Jesus to His accusers' own acknowledged practices. It forces them into a dilemma: either condemn their own people's actions (implying the "sons" also work by demonic power) or acknowledge a divine source for exorcisms, which would then apply to Jesus as well.
• therefore they shall be your judges: This concluding phrase asserts the consequence of their flawed logic. Their inconsistency will stand as an undeniable witness against their hypocrisy. It implies self-condemnation, as their own people's actions expose their irrational judgment of Jesus.

Luke 11 19 Bonus section

The phrase "your sons" doesn't necessarily refer to their literal offspring but to Jewish exorcists operating within their accepted religious circles. This broad reference allows for the inclusion of a range of practices from various Jewish traditions, some of which are evidenced in ancient Jewish texts or even the New Testament itself (Acts 19:13). These exorcists, by their very existence and presumed lack of demonic association, provided the factual basis for Jesus' devastating counter-argument. This verse underscores a key theme in Jesus' ministry: the profound inability or unwillingness of certain religious leaders to discern God's power and presence directly before them, even when it aligned with their own traditions. They attributed divine action to demonic power, thereby committing what borders on blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which is the broader context of these verses (Lk 12:10). Their bias and vested interests prevented them from seeing the obvious manifestation of the Kingdom of God.

Luke 11 19 Commentary

Luke 11:19 is a masterful rhetorical thrust by Jesus, part of His larger response to the accusation of casting out demons by Beelzebul. Jesus dismantles their baseless charge by employing a strategy known as "argumentum ad hominem" in a logical, not derogatory, sense: using their own premise (the reality of demon expulsion) and the existence of their own people performing similar acts ("your sons") to reveal their hypocritical judgment. The accusers had a double standard: they were willing to acknowledge certain exorcisms (performed by fellow Jews, likely using divine names) as legitimate, but refused to acknowledge Jesus’ infinitely more powerful and liberating exorcisms as divine, choosing instead to attribute them to Satan. Jesus’ point is that the effectiveness of these other exorcists, if they too were not deemed demonically empowered by the Pharisees, automatically disqualifies the Pharisees' accusation against Him. If "their sons" expelled demons by God’s power, then Jesus, whose works were superior, must certainly be doing so. Their refusal to acknowledge God’s work through Jesus, while accepting it through others, serves as their own self-indictment.