When a strong man armed,.... By the strong man, is meant the devil; See Gill on Matthew 12:29 and who may be said to be "armed", both with his own temptations, which are as fiery darts, and which are thrown by him thick and fast, suddenly and swiftly, privily, and with great art and cunning, and with great strength, and are very injurious; and also with the sins and lusts of men, which are armour of unrighteousness, and which Satan turns upon them, and makes use of against them, to their great detriment; and who

keepeth his palace: which is the corrupt heart of an unregenerate man, where he dwells as a king, has his throne, keeps his court, and has his courtiers, and attendants, the lusts of the flesh, and the desires of the will, and the carnal affections; and which, as filthy a palace as it is, is perfectly agreeable to his nature; and this is kept by a guard of devils, and worldly lusts, till its strong holds are demolished by the Gospel, and Christ the King of glory enters in; till such time,

his goods are in peace: there is no concern in such an heart about sin, no uneasiness on that account, no sense of danger, nor inquiry after salvation; no dread upon the mind at the curses of the law, nor fears of hell, and damnation; but such a man lives in entire security, crying Peace, Peace, to himself.

A strong man (ὁ ἰσχυρὸς)

It has the article: the strong man. So Rev. See on Matthew 12:29.

Armed (καθωπλισμένος)

Fully armed: down (κατά) from head to heel.

His palace (ἑαυτοῦ αὐλήν)

Lit., his own. Ἀυλή is strictly the open court in front of a house: later, the court round which the house is built, and so applied to the house generally, as our door or roof. Rev., court; for there, in the open space, commanding the doors, he would mount guard.

When a strong man armed keepeth his {e} palace, his goods are in peace:

(e) The word properly signifies an open and empty room in front of a house, and so in translation is taken for noblemen's houses.

11:14-26 And he was casting out a devil, etc. See notes on Mt 12:22-29,43-45. This discourse was given in Galilee.

11:21 The strong one armed - The devil, strong in himself, and armed with the pride, obstinacy, and security of him in whom he dwells.

21, 22. strong man-meaning Satan.

armed-pointing to all the subtle and varied methods by which he wields his dark power over men.

keepeth-"guardeth."

his palace-man whether viewed more largely or in individual souls-how significant of what men are to Satan!

in peace-undisturbed, secure in his possession.

11:14-26 Christ's thus casting out the devils, was really the destroying of their power. The heart of every unconverted sinner is the devil's palace, where he dwells, and where he rules. There is a kind of peace in the heart of an unconverted soul, while the devil, as a strong man armed, keeps it. The sinner is secure, has no doubt concerning the goodness of his state, nor any dread of the judgment to come. But observe the wonderful change made in conversion. The conversion of a soul to God, is Christ's victory over the devil and his power in that soul, restoring the soul to its liberty, and recovering his own interest in it and power over it. All the endowments of mind of body are now employed for Christ. Here is the condition of a hypocrite. The house is swept from common sins, by a forced confession, as Pharaoh's; by a feigned contrition, as Ahab's; or by a partial reformation, as Herod's. The house is swept, but it is not washed; the heart is not made holy. Sweeping takes off only the loose dirt, while the sin that besets the sinner, the beloved sin, is untouched. The house is garnished with common gifts and graces. It is not furnished with any true grace; it is all paint and varnish, not real nor lasting. It was never given up to Christ, nor dwelt in by the Spirit. Let us take heed of resting in that which a man may have, and yet come short of heaven. The wicked spirits enter in without any difficulty; they are welcomed, and they dwell there; there they work, there they rule. From such an awful state let all earnestly pray to be delivered.