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OET (OET-LV) And if I am_throwing_out the demons by Beʼelzeboul by whom the sons of_you_all are_they_throwing_out?
Because_of this, they will_be judges of_you_all.
OET (OET-RV) And if I’m driving out demons by Beelzebul, then by who are your sons driving them out?
In this section, Jesus healed a man whom demons had been controlling. The Pharisees said that he did it by the power of Satan. Doing something by the power of Satan is sorcery. Sorcery was punishable by death in the Jewish law. Jesus explained to them why it could not be true that he cast out demons by the power of Satan. He also warned them that they must not look at something he had done by the Holy Spirit’s power and say that Satan gave him the power to do it. This is blaspheming the Holy Spirit (12:31).
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
The Pharisees accuse Jesus of working with Satan
Jesus’ power is greater than Satan’s power
The power of Jesus comes from the Holy Spirit, not from Satan
There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 3:22–30 and Luke 11:14–23.
And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul,
If I cast out demons by/using the power of Beelzebul/Satan,
If it were true that Satan gives me the power to expel evil spirits from people,
You say that I use the power of Beelzebul to force out demons. If that is true, (NCV)
And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul: The Pharisees were saying that Jesus was driving out demons by the power of Beelzebul/Satan. That was not true. Jesus did not cast out demons by the power of Satan. However, Jesus said this clause as if it were true for the sake of his argument. It is hypothetical.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
Indicate in the text that this clause is hypothetical. For example:
If it were true that I expel demons from people by Satan’s power
You say that I use the power of Beelzebul to force out demons. If that is true, (NCV)
Explain it in a footnote. Here is a sample footnote:
Jesus did not drive out demons by the power of Satan. Jesus asked this “if” question to show that the Pharisees’ thinking was wrong.
by whom do your sons drive them out?
then by/using whose power do your(plur) disciples cast out demons?
then who gives your followers the power to expel them?
your(plur) people also use his/Satan’s power to force demons out of people.
Verse 12:27b is based on the common knowledge that some of the followers of the Pharisees also drove out demons.
by whom do your sons drive them out?: This is a rhetorical question. It expresses a rebuke. The Pharisees believed that their own followers cast out demons by the power of God. When they said that Jesus cast out demons by the power of Satan, they were actually condemning their own followers. So Jesus implied that the Pharisees could not claim that he cast out demons by the power of Satan. They were wrong to make such a statement, and he rebuked them for it.
Here are some other ways to translate this rebuke:
As a rhetorical question. For example:
your people drive them out with whose power?
who gives your people the power to cast them out? Is it Satan?
As a statement. For example:
then your people must do likewise!
Translate this rebuke in a way that is natural in your language.
by whom: This phrase asks “who gave the authority/power to do (something).”
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
in whose name
by/using whose power/authority
who gives your followers the power
your sons: In this context, the Greek word that the BSB translates as sons is a Jewish idiom that means “followers.” Not all followers of the Pharisees were driving out demons. Probably only a few had the power to do this special work.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
your followers (GNT)
your people (NCV)
So then, they will be your judges.
So, they will show that you are wrong.
So, their work confirms/shows that what you have said about me is not true.
So then: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as So then introduces the conclusion to Jesus’ statements in 12:25–27b.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
Therefore (ESV)
so (NLT)
For that reason
they will be your judges: The pronoun they refers to the followers of the Pharisees. The word judges refers to “people who show/say that others are wrong.” When the followers of the Pharisees cast out demons, it showed that God was at work, not Satan. Jesus did the same things. So their actions showed that what the Pharisees said about Jesus was wrong.
Here, this clause does not refer to the final judgment. It does not refer to a court that decides the guilt or innocence of a person. It does not mean that the followers of the Pharisees will sit in judgment of the Pharisees. It means that their actions show that what the Pharisees said about Jesus was not true.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
What your own followers do proves that you are wrong (GNT)
their work shows that what you said about me is wrong
they will condemn you for what you have said (NLT)
they will say that what you said is not the truth
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-condition-contrary
εἰ ἐγὼ ἐν Βεελζεβοὺλ ἐκβάλλω τὰ δαιμόνια, οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν ἐν τίνι ἐκβάλλουσιν
if (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί εἰ ἐγώ ἐν Βεελζεβούλ ἐκβάλλω τά δαιμόνια οἱ υἱοί ὑμῶν ἐν τίνι ἐκβάλλουσιν Διά τοῦτο αὐτοί κριταί ἔσονται ὑμῶν)
Jesus is making a conditional statement that sounds hypothetical, but he is already convinced that the condition is not true. He knows that he does not cast out demons by Beelzebul, but he wants to show what would also be true if he did cast out demons by Beelzebul. Use a natural form in your language for introducing a condition that the speaker believes is not true. Alternate translation: [were I to be casting out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom would your sons be casting them out]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
εἰ ἐγὼ ἐν Βεελζεβοὺλ ἐκβάλλω τὰ δαιμόνια, οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν ἐν τίνι ἐκβάλλουσιν
if (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί εἰ ἐγώ ἐν Βεελζεβούλ ἐκβάλλω τά δαιμόνια οἱ υἱοί ὑμῶν ἐν τίνι ἐκβάλλουσιν Διά τοῦτο αὐτοί κριταί ἔσονται ὑμῶν)
The implication is that the people challenging Jesus would not say that their own followers were using the power of Beelzebul, and so they should agree that he is not using that power himself. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [if I cast out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Since you do not believe that they cast out demons by Beelzebul, it must not be true about me, either.]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion
οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν ἐν τίνι ἐκβάλλουσιν?
the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί εἰ ἐγώ ἐν Βεελζεβούλ ἐκβάλλω τά δαιμόνια οἱ υἱοί ὑμῶν ἐν τίνι ἐκβάλλουσιν Διά τοῦτο αὐτοί κριταί ἔσονται ὑμῶν)
Jesus is using the question form to show that the sons of the Pharisees must use the same power that he uses. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: [your sons cast them out by that same power] or [then your sons also cast them out by Beelzebul]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν
the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί εἰ ἐγώ ἐν Βεελζεβούλ ἐκβάλλω τά δαιμόνια οἱ υἱοί ὑμῶν ἐν τίνι ἐκβάλλουσιν Διά τοῦτο αὐτοί κριταί ἔσονται ὑμῶν)
Jesus is speaking of the disciples of the Pharisees as if they were their sons. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [your disciples] or [your followers]
Note 5 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
διὰ τοῦτο
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί εἰ ἐγώ ἐν Βεελζεβούλ ἐκβάλλω τά δαιμόνια οἱ υἱοί ὑμῶν ἐν τίνι ἐκβάλλουσιν Διά τοῦτο αὐτοί κριταί ἔσονται ὑμῶν)
Jesus implies that the Pharisees would not say that their sons cast out demons by Beelzebul, and the phrase Because of this introduces a result based on this implied answer. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make the reason for this result more explicit. Alternate translation: [Because you would not say that they cast out demons by Beelzebul,] or [Since you would not answer that they do it by Beelzebul,]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
αὐτοὶ κριταὶ ἔσονται ὑμῶν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί εἰ ἐγώ ἐν Βεελζεβούλ ἐκβάλλω τά δαιμόνια οἱ υἱοί ὑμῶν ἐν τίνι ἐκβάλλουσιν Διά τοῦτο αὐτοί κριταί ἔσονται ὑμῶν)
Jesus speaks of the sons of the Pharisees as if they were the Pharisees’ judges. He means that what the sons do proves that the Pharisees are wrong about what they have said about Jesus. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [what they do proves that you are wrong] or [when they cast out demons, it shows that you have spoken falsely]
12:27 what about your own exorcists (literally your sons): Jesus forced them to think consistently. If demons are cast out under Satan’s influence, then their disciples were equally guilty (see Acts 19:13-16).
OET (OET-LV) And if I am_throwing_out the demons by Beʼelzeboul by whom the sons of_you_all are_they_throwing_out?
Because_of this, they will_be judges of_you_all.
OET (OET-RV) And if I’m driving out demons by Beelzebul, then by who are your sons driving them out?
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.