Matthew 12:44

Amplified Bible

"Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it arrives, it finds the place unoccupied, swept, and put in order.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ Returning, it finds the house vacant, swept, and put in order.

King James Version (1611)
Then he saith, I will returne into my house from whence I came out; And when he is come, he findeth it emptie, swept, and garnished.

King James Version
Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

English Standard Version
Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order.

New American Standard Bible
"Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came'; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.

New Century Version
So the spirit says, ‘I will go back to the house I left.' When the spirit comes back, it finds the house still empty, swept clean, and made neat.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then he saith, I wil returne into mine house from whence I came: and when he is come, he findeth it emptie, swept and garnished.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came'; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came'; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.

Berean Standard Bible
Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' On its return, it finds the house vacant, swept clean and put in order.

Contemporary English Version
it says, "I will go back to the home I left." When it gets there and finds the place empty, clean, and fixed up,

Complete Jewish Bible
Then it says to itself, ‘I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house standing empty, swept clean and put in order.

Darby Translation
Then he says, I will return to my house whence I came out; and having come, he finds [it] unoccupied, swept, and adorned.

Easy-to-Read Version
So it says, ‘I will go back to the home I left.' When it comes back, it finds that home still empty. It is all neat and clean.

George Lamsa Translation
Then it says, I will return to my own house from whence I came out; so it comes back and finds it empty, warm, and well furnished.

Good News Translation
it says to itself, ‘I will go back to my house.' So it goes back and finds the house empty, clean, and all fixed up.

Lexham English Bible
Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came out.' And when it arrives it finds the house unoccupied and swept and put in order.

Literal Translation
Then he says, I will return to my house from which I came out. And coming, he finds it standing empty, swept and decorated.

American Standard Version
Then he saith, I will return into my house whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

Bible in Basic English
Then he says, I will go back into my house from which I came out; and when he comes, he sees that there is no one in it, but that it has been made fair and clean.

Hebrew Names Version
Then he says, 'I will return into my house whence I came out,' and when he has come back, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.

International Standard Version
Then it says, 'I will go back to my home that I left.' When it arrives, it finds it empty, swept clean, and put in order.

Etheridge Translation
Then he saith, I will return unto the house from whence I came forth; and coming, he findeth it untenanted, cleansed, and decorated.

Murdock Translation
Then it saith: I will return to my house, from which I came out. And it cometh, and findeth it vacated, and swept clean, and set in order.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then he sayeth: I wyll returne into my house, from whence I came out. And when he is come, he fyndeth it emptie, swept, and garnyshed.

English Revised Version
Then he saith, I will return into my house whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

World English Bible
Then he says, 'I will return into my house whence I came out,' and when he has come back, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Then he saith, I will return to my house whence I came out, and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept and garnished.

Weymouth's New Testament
Then he says, `I will return to my house that I left;' and he comes and finds it unoccupied, swept clean, and in good order.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thanne he seith, Y shal turne ayen in to myn hous, fro whannys Y wente out. And he cometh, and fyndith it voide, and clensid with besyms, and maad faire.

Update Bible Version
Then he says, I will return into my house from where I came out; and when he has come, he finds it empty, swept, and garnished.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth [it] empty, swept, and garnished.

New English Translation
Then it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.' When it returns, it finds the house empty, swept clean, and put in order.

New King James Version
Then he says, "I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.

New Living Translation
Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.' So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order.

New Life Bible
Then it says, ‘I will go back into my house from which I came.' When it goes back, it sees that it is empty. But it sees that the house has been cleaned and looks good.

New Revised Standard
Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.' When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then, it saith, Into my house, will I return whence I came out, - and, coming, findeth it empty and swept and adorned.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Then he saith: I will return into my house from whence I came out. And coming he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

Revised Standard Version
Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Then he sayeth: I will retourne ageyne into my housse fro whece I came oute. And when he is come he fyndeth the housse empty and swepte and garnisshed.

Young's Literal Translation
then it saith, I will turn back to my house whence I came forth; and having come, it findeth [it] unoccupied, swept, and adorned:

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The saieth he: I wil turne agayne in to my house, fro whence I wete out. And whan he cometh, he fyndeth it emptye, swepte and garnyshed.

Mace New Testament (1729)
I will return then, says he, into my house, which I have quitted; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

Simplified Cowboy Version
When it can't find anything to eat, it returns with its whole pack and finds your henhouse standing wide open.

Contextual Overview

³⁸Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign (attesting miracle) from You [proving that You are what You claim to be]." ³⁹But He replied and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation [that is morally unfaithful to God] craves and demands a [miraculous] sign; but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah; ⁴⁰for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ⁴¹"The men of Nineveh will stand up [as witnesses] at the judgment against this generation, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now, something greater than Jonah is here. ⁴²"The Queen of the South (Sheba) will stand up [as a witness] at the judgment against this generation, and will condemn it because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and now, something greater than Solomon is here. ⁴³"Now when the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, it roams through waterless (dry, arid) places in search of rest, but it does not find it. ⁴⁴"Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it arrives, it finds the place unoccupied, swept, and put in order.⁴⁵"Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and make their home there. And the last condition of that man becomes worse than the first. So will it also be with this wicked generation."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

my: Matthew 12:29, Luke 11:21, Luke 11:22, John 13:27, Ephesians 2:2, 1 John 4:4

he findeth: Matthew 13:20-22, Psalms 81:11, Psalms 81:12, Hosea 7:6, John 12:6, John 13:2, Acts 5:1-3, Acts 8:18-23, 1 Corinthians 11:19, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, 1 Timothy 6:4, 1 Timothy 6:5, 1 Timothy 6:9, 1 Timothy 6:10, 1 John 2:19, Jude 1:4, Jude 1:5, Revelation 13:3, Revelation 13:4, Revelation 13:8, Revelation 13:9

Reciprocal: Luke 11:25 - he findeth

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then he said, I will return into my house,.... Into the land of Judea, particularly into the Scribes and Pharisees, outward professors of religion; who, notwithstanding their outward reformation, and great pretensions to holiness, are Satan's house still: he has a property in them, a claim upon them; and though he says,

from whence I came out, yet he never really and properly quitted it, only seemingly, and in appearance; and therefore his returning is only throwing off the guise, and reassuming his former character, as a vicious and unclean spirit.

And when he is come, he findeth it empty: not empty of sin: this puts me in mind of a passage in the Misna y, where it is said, that on a fast day,

"when they stand in prayer, they cause to descend, or go before the ark, an old man, who is used (to prayer,) whose children, וביתו ריקם, "and his house, are empty", so that his heart is perfect in prayer,''

or entirely at leisure for it. The commentators z on that phrase, "his house is empty", note, that he was empty of sin, and free from it, and one concerning whom an evil report had not gone forth from his youth: but such was not this house; it was empty of God, of the true knowledge of him, of the fear of him, and love to him; of Christ, of faith in him, affection for him, and hope on him; of the Spirit of God, and of his graces, and of spiritual, internal religion, and powerful godliness.

Swept; not with the Spirit of grace convincing of sin, righteousness, and judgment; but with the besom of an outward reformation:

and garnished; not with internal grace, which makes saints all glorious within; but with secret lusts and corruptions, which rendered it an agreeable habitation for this unclean spirit; and at most, with some show of morality, a little negative holiness, or abstinence from outward acts of sin, an observance of some external rites and ceremonies, and a few hypocritical performances of fasting and prayer; which Satan can very well bear with, so long as the heart is empty of spiritual grace, and till an opportunity offers of throwing off all appearance of good.

y Taanith, c. 2. sect. 2. z Maimon. & Bartenora in ib.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

When the unclean spirit ... - The “general sentiment” which our Saviour here teaches is much more easily understood than the illustration which he uses. The Jews had asked a sign from heaven that should decisively prove that he was the Messiah, and satisfy their unbelief. He replies that, though he should give them such a sign a proof conclusive and satisfactory, and though for a time they should profess to believe and apparently reform, yet such was the obstinacy of their unbelief and wickedness, that they would soon return to their former course. and become worse and worse. Infidelity and wickedness, like an evil spirit in a possessed man, were appropriately at “home” in them. If driven out, they would find no other place so comfortable and undisturbed as their bosoms. Everywhere they would be, comparatively, like an evil spirit going through deserts and lonely places, and finding no place of rest. They would return, therefore, and dwell with them.

He walketh through dry places - That is, through deserts - regions of country unwatered, sandy, barren, desolate. That our Saviour here speaks according to the ancient belief of the Jews that evil spirits had their abodes in those desolate, uninhabited regions, there can be no doubt; nor can there be any doubt that the Bible gives countenance to the opinion. Thus Revelation 18:2; “Babylon - is become the habitation of “devils” and the hold of “every foul spirit;” that is, has become “desolate - a place where evil spirits appropriately dwell. So Isaiah 13:21; “And satyrs shall dance there:” “i. e.” according to the ancient Greek translation, “devils or demons shall dance there.” See also Jeremiah 50:39. Compare the Isaiah 34:4 note; Deuteronomy 32:17 note.

Seeking rest, and findeth none - These desolate and dry regions are represented as uncomfortable habitations; so much so, that the dissatisfied spirit, better pleased with a dwelling in the bosoms of people, as affording an opportunity of doing evil, seeks a return there.

Matthew 12:44

Then he saith, I will return into my house ... - The man is called his house, because the spirit had dwelt in him.

He findeth it empty ... - There is here a continuance of the reference to the dwelling of the spirit in people.

The man was called his “house.” By the absence of the evil spirit the house is represented as unoccupied, or “empty, swept,” and “garnished;” that is, while the evil spirit was away, the man was restored to his right mind, or was freed from the influence of the evil spirit.

Garnished - Adorned, put in order, furnished. Applied to the “man,” it means that his mind was sane and regular when the evil spirit was gone, or he had a “lucid interval.”

Matthew 12:45

Then goeth he ... - Seeing the state of the man; dissatisfied with a lonely dwelling in the desert where he could do no evil; envious of the happiness of the individual, and supremely bent on wickedness, he resolved to increase his power of malignant influences and to return.

He is therefore represented as taking seven other spirits still worse than himself, and returning to his former habitation. Seven denotes a large but indefinite number. It was a favorite number with the Jews, and was used to denote “completeness” or “perfection,” or any “finished” or “complete” number. See 1 Samuel 2:5. Compare Revelation 1:4. Here it means a sufficient number completely to occupy and harass his soul.

Even so shall it be with this generations - This shows the scope and design of this illustration. The state of that man was a representation of that generation of people. Much might be done to cure their unbelief, much to reform them externally; but such was the firm hold which the principles of infidelity and wickedness had taken of their minds “as their proper habitation,” that they would return, after all the means used to reform them, and they would be worse and worse. And this was literally accomplished. After all the instructions and miracles of the Saviour and his apostles; after all that had been done for them by holy people and prophets, and by the judgments and mercies of God; and after all their external temporary reformations - like the temporary departure of an evil spirit from a man possessed - yet such was their love of wickedness that the nation became worse and worse. They increased in crime, like the seven-fold misery and wretchedness of the man into whose bosom the seven additional evil spirits came. They rejected God’s messengers, abused his mercies, crucified his Son, and God gave their temple, and capital, and nation into the hands of the Romans. and thousands of the people to destruction.

It is not “proved” by this passage that evil spirits actually “dwell” in deserts It is proved only that such was the opinion of the Jews; that that opinion was drawn from some expressions in the Bible; and that “such expressions were sufficiently clear to justify the Saviour in drawing an argument from them to confound those who firmly believed that such was the case.” Nor is there any absurdity in the opinion; for,

1. There are evil spirits. See the notes at Matthew 8:33.
2. They must exist in “some place.”
3. There is as much propriety that they should be located about our earth as anywhere.
4. The clear doctrine of the Bible is, that many of them have much to do with our world.
5. It is as reasonable that they should dwell commonly in desolate and uninhabited regions as anywhere else.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 44. Into my house — The soul of that person from whom he had been expelled by the power of Christ, and out of which he was to have been kept by continual prayer, faith, and watchfulness.

He findeth it empty — Unoccupied, σχολαζοντα, empty of the former inhabitant, and ready to receive a new one: denoting a soul that has lost the life and power of godliness, and the testimony of the Holy Spirit.

Swept and garnished. — As σχολαζω signifies to be idle, or unemployed, it may refer here to the person, as well as to his state. His affections and desires are no longer busied with the things of God, but gad about, like an idle person, among the vanities of a perishing world. Swept, from love, meekness, and all the fruits of the Spirit; and garnished, or adorned, κεκοσμημενον, decorated, with the vain showy trifles of folly and fashion. This may comprise also smart speeches, cunning repartees, &c., for which many who have lost the life of God are very remarkable.