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.
When {G3752} the unclean {G169} spirit {G4151} is gone {G1831} out of {G575} a man {G444}, he walketh {G1330} through {G1223} dry {G504} places {G5117}, seeking {G2212} rest {G372}; and {G2532} finding {G2147} none {G3361}, he saith {G3004}, I will return {G5290} unto {G1519} my {G3450} house {G3624} whence {G3606} I came out {G1831}.
“When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it travels through dry country seeking rest. On finding none, it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’
When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’
The unclean spirit when he is gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, seeking rest, and finding none, he saith, I will turn back unto my house whence I came out.
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Matthew 12:43
When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. -
Matthew 12:45
Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last [state] of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. -
1 Peter 5:8
¶ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: -
Psalms 63:1
¶ A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou [art] my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; -
Job 2:2
And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. -
Job 1:7
And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. -
Isaiah 48:22
[There is] no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.
This verse is part of Jesus' teaching following the casting out of a demon and the subsequent accusations from His critics that He performed exorcisms by the power of Beelzebub. Jesus argues that His power comes from God's kingdom, not Satan's, and then uses this illustration to warn about the state of a person from whom an evil spirit has departed but whose life is not subsequently filled with good.
Key Themes
Linguistic Insights
The term "unclean spirit" (Greek: pneuma akatharton) signifies a spirit that pollutes or defiles. The phrase "dry places" (Greek: anudron topon) can refer to deserts or desolate regions, metaphorically representing a state of spiritual emptiness or a place devoid of the refreshing presence of God, which offers no true peace or rest to these entities.
Related Scriptures
This passage has a direct parallel in Matthew 12:43-45. The verses immediately following this one in Luke (Luke 11:25-26) explain the consequence of the spirit's return: it finds the 'house' swept and garnished, and returns with seven other spirits more wicked than itself, making the final state worse than the first. This illustrates the principle that spiritual freedom requires filling the void. We are called to stand against spiritual forces, and our adversary, like these spirits, is always seeking whom to devour (see 1 Peter 5:8).
Reflection
This verse serves as a powerful warning. It's not enough to simply remove negative influences, habits, or even evil spirits from one's life. If the resulting void is not filled with the positive presence of God, His Spirit, and His Word, the individual remains vulnerable. Spiritual emptiness is dangerous. True freedom and security come not just from the absence of evil, but from the active indwelling and filling of the Holy Spirit, which provides true rest and protection against the return and escalation of spiritual attack.