The Meaning of Luke 4:36 Explained

Luke 4:36

KJV: And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.

YLT: and amazement came upon all, and they were speaking together, with one another, saying, 'What is this word, that with authority and power he doth command the unclean spirits, and they come forth?'

Darby: And astonishment came upon all, and they spoke to one another, saying, What word is this? for with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.

ASV: And amazement came upon all, and they spake together, one with another, saying, What is this word? for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  they were  all  amazed,  and  spake  among  themselves,  saying,  What  a word  [is] this!  for  with  authority  and  power  he commandeth  the unclean  spirits,  and  they come out. 

What does Luke 4:36 Mean?

Context Summary

Luke 4:31-44 - Healer And Preacher
In after years the evil spirit cried out, "Jesus I know," Acts 19:15. Evidently our Lord was not only "seen of angels," but closely watched by the fallen spirits, who beheld His every act and listened to every word. What a remarkable verdict was that given in Luke 4:34! Those who know most of evil are most certain of the ultimate woe which awaits its votaries; and they know genuine goodness when they meet it. Our Lord had overcome the prince of demons, and could therefore command His household.
We need to be delivered from the fever of passion, caught in the low-lying marshes of our lives; to have Christ's hands laid upon our sicknesses and wounds; to be delivered from evil things that haunt our hearts. Then we must help Him in similar services to others. But if He must have His quiet prayer times, so must we, Luke 4:42. [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 4

1  The fasting and temptation of Jesus
14  He begins to preach
16  The people of Nazareth marvel at words, but seek to kill him
33  He cures one possessed of a demon,
38  Peter's mother-in-law,
40  and various other sick persons
41  The demons acknowledge Jesus, and are reproved for it
42  He preaches through the cities of Galilee

Greek Commentary for Luke 4:36

Amazement came [εγενετο ταμβος]
Mark has εταμβητησαν — ethambēthēsan spake together one with another Imperfect indicative active and the reciprocal pronoun. Mark has simply the infinitive συνζητειν — sunzētein (question). [source]
For [οτι]
We have here an ambiguous οτι — hoti as in Luke 1:45, which can be either the relative “that” or the casual οτι — hoti “because” or “for,” as the Revised Version has it. Either makes good sense. Luke adds here δυναμει — dunamei (with power) to Mark‘s “authority” So Luke where Mark has “and they obey him” (και υπακουουσιν αυτωι — kai upakouousin autōi). [source]
And they come out [εχερχονται]
So Luke where Mark has “and they obey him” (και υπακουουσιν αυτωι — kai upakouousin autōi). [source]
They were all amazed [ἐγένετο θάμβος ἐπὶ πάντες]
Lit., as Rev., amazement came upon all. Θάμβος ,amazement, is used by Luke only. The kindred verb, θαμβέομαι ,to be amazed, occurs only once in Luke (Acts 9:6), and three times in Mark; while Mark alone has the strong compound ἐκθαμβέω ,to be greatly amazed (Mark 9:15). [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 4:36

Luke 8:24 We perish [Κυριε]
So in Mark 4:38; Matthew 8:25. Linear present middle indicative, we are perishing.The raging of the water (απολλυμετα — tōi kludoni tou hudatos). τωι κλυδονι του υδατος — Kludōn common Greek word, is a boisterous surge, a violent agitation. Here only in the N.T. save James 1:6. Κλυδων — Kuma (Mark 4:37) is the regular swell or wave. A calm (Κυμα — galēnē). Only in the parallels in the N.T., though common word. Here Mark 4:39; Matthew 8:26 add great (γαληνη — megalē).That This use of οτι — hoti as explanatory of the demonstrative pronoun οτι — houtos occurs in the parallels Mark 4:36; Matthew 8:27 and also in Luke 4:36. It is almost result.He commandeth (ουτος — epitassei). Peculiar to Luke. [source]
Luke 8:24 That [μεγαλη]
This use of οτι — hoti as explanatory of the demonstrative pronoun οτι — houtos occurs in the parallels Mark 4:36; Matthew 8:27 and also in Luke 4:36. It is almost result.He commandeth (ουτος — epitassei). Peculiar to Luke. [source]
Acts 3:10 Wonder [θάμβους]
Used by Luke only. See on Luke 4:36. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 4:36 mean?

And came astonishment upon all they were speaking to one another saying What - word [is] this that with authority power He commands the unclean spirits they come out
Καὶ ἐγένετο θάμβος ἐπὶ πάντας συνελάλουν πρὸς ἀλλήλους λέγοντες Τίς λόγος οὗτος ὅτι ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ δυνάμει ἐπιτάσσει τοῖς ἀκαθάρτοις πνεύμασιν ἐξέρχονται

ἐγένετο  came 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular
Root: γίνομαι  
Sense: to become, i.
θάμβος  astonishment 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: θάμβος  
Sense: to render immovable.
ἐπὶ  upon 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐπί  
Sense: upon, on, at, by, before.
συνελάλουν  they  were  speaking 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: συλλαλέω  
Sense: to talk with.
ἀλλήλους  one  another 
Parse: Personal / Reciprocal Pronoun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀλλήλων  
Sense: one another, reciprocally, mutually.
λέγοντες  saying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
λόγος  word 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: λόγος  
Sense: of speech.
οὗτος  [is]  this 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
ὅτι  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
ἐξουσίᾳ  authority 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: ἐξουσία  
Sense: power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases.
δυνάμει  power 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: δύναμις  
Sense: strength power, ability.
ἐπιτάσσει  He  commands 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἐπιτάσσω  
Sense: to enjoin upon, order, command, charge.
ἀκαθάρτοις  unclean 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Neuter Plural
Root: ἀκάθαρτος  
Sense: not cleansed, unclean.
πνεύμασιν  spirits 
Parse: Noun, Dative Neuter Plural
Root: πνεῦμα  
Sense: a movement of air (a gentle blast.
ἐξέρχονται  they  come  out 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἐξέρχομαι 
Sense: to go or come forth of.