Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Luke 4:35

φιμώθητι. Literally, ‘Be muzzled,’ as in 1 Corinthians 9:9. See Matthew 22:34; Mark 1:25, &c.

ῥῖψαν. St Mark uses the stronger word σπαράξαν, “tearing him.” It was the convulsion which became a spasm of visible deliverance. It is most instructive to contrast the simple sobriety of the narratives of the Evangelists with the credulous absurdities of even so able, polished and cosmopolitan a historian as Josephus, who describes an exorcism wrought in the presence of Vespasian by a certain Eleazar. It was achieved by means of a ring and the ‘root of Solomon,’ and the demon in proof of his exit was ordered to upset a bason of water! (Jos. B. J. VII. 6, § 3; Antt. VIII. 2, § 5.) As this is the earliest of our Lord’s miracles recorded by St Luke, we may notice that the terms used for miracles in the Gospels are τέρας, ‘prodigy,’ and θαυμάσιον ‘wonderful’ (Matthew 21:15 only), from the effect on men’s minds; παράδοξον (Luke 5:26 only), from their strangeness; σημεῖα, ‘signs,’ and δυνάμεις ‘powers,’ from their being indications of God’s power; ἔνδοξα, ‘glorious deeds’ (Luke 13:17 only), as shewing His glory; and in St John ἔργα, ‘works,’ as the natural actions of One who was divine. See Trench, On Miracles, I. 9. “Miracles, it should be observed, are not contrary to nature, but beyond and above it.” Mozley.

μηδὲν βλάψαν αὐτόν. The subjective negative is used to imply the unexpectedness of this result—not, as one would have thought, hurting him: comp. the μήτε ἐσθίων in Luke 7:33.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Luke 4:35

Old Testament

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