Luke 4:36 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Amazement sweeps the synagogue: with authority and power his mere word commands unclean spirits, and they come out.
What Does Luke 4:36 Mean?
The congregation turns to one another, groping for categories: what a word is this! Exorcists of that era worked with formulas, props, and invocations of greater names; here a bare command is enough. Luke pairs the two terms deliberately: authority, the right, and power, the might.
Their amazement is right as far as it goes, but the chapter keeps asking whether amazement will ripen into faith, for astonishment can fade by suppertime while faith reorders a life. The word that stunned Capernaum still goes out wherever the gospel is told, and it has lost none of its force. The real question their exclamation raises is not what a word is this, but who is this, whose word does such things.
Frequently Asked Questions About Luke 4:36
What does Luke 4:36 mean?
Amazement sweeps the synagogue: with authority and power his mere word commands unclean spirits, and they come out.