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Luke 11:24
ESV "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’
NIV "When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’
NASB When the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it then says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’
CSB "When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest, and not finding rest, it then says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’
NLT When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’
KJV When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.
NKJV “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’

What does Luke 11:24 mean?

Jesus has taken advantage of a discussion about whether He is empowered by Satan or the Holy Spirit to talk about the distinctions of following Satan or Himself. He has talked about how Satan is like a strong man defending his authority and power within a fortress. Yet Jesus is stronger and will defeat Satan and redistribute what he'd held captive. Jesus then used an agricultural metaphor to put a dividing line between their followers: people show which side they're on by how they act (Luke 11:14–23).

In this curious passage, Jesus shows that there is no middle ground. Even if you find yourself freed from Satan's influence and as spiritually neutral as possible, you're still vulnerable to Satan. In fact, you're more vulnerable to Satan than before.

The parable begins with a man freed from a demon: an act already established as only possible through God. Although the man appreciates the blessings of freedom, he doesn't make any positive movement toward God. He remains in a neutral human position. He doesn't realize that makes him vulnerable to even more demonic oppression (Luke 11:25–26). It isn't enough to "not worship" Satan. We must choose Jesus.

What this verse says about demons isn't clear. Demons can certainly exist without oppressing a human. But we don't know why the demon would travel through waterless places or need to seek rest. Nor do we know what "rest" would look like for a demon.
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Context Summary
Luke 11:24–26 continues the extended section (Luke 11:14–54) about the conflict between the Jewish religious leaders and Jesus. Jesus has decisively shown that He and Satan are on two vastly different sides (Luke 11:14–23). Here, He reveals that there is no middle ground between them. Either people choose Jesus or they stay under Satan's authority. Next, Jesus explains that not even His closest family members are exempt from this dichotomy (Luke 11:27–28). Matthew 12:43–45 also records this parable.
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Chapter Summary
Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray and explains God's intent to give "good" to those who ask. He then exorcizes a demon and refutes the claim that His power is satanic. Jesus explains that unreasonable skeptics will only see the "sign of Jonah." He then criticizes the superficial legalism of the Pharisees. In response, they plot against Him.
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What is the Gospel?
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