Vexed - The word "vex" with us means to provoke, or irritate by petty provocations. Here it means, however, to "afflict," to "torment" - denoting deep and heavy trials.

Unclean spirits - Demons that were impure and unholy, having a delight in tormenting, and in inflicting painful and loathsome diseases.

And they that were vexed with unclean spirits,.... Were possessed with devils, and sadly tormented and afflicted by them:

and they were healed: both such that had bodily diseases, and were under diabolical possessions.

Vexed (ὀχλούμενοι)

The best texts read ἐνοχλούμενοι, occurring only here and Hebrews 12:15. From ὄχλος, a crowd or mob, with the idea of want of arrangement and discipline, and therefore of confusion and tumult. Hence it is applied to the noise and tumult of a crowd, and so passes into the sense of the trouble and annoyance caused by these, and of trouble generally, like the Latin turbae. Thus Herodotus says of Croesus, when on the funeral-pile he uttered the name of Solon, and the interpreters begged him to explain what he meant, "and as they pressed for an answer and grew troublesome (καὶ ὄχλον παρεχόντων)" - I., 86. Frequent in medical language. Thus Hippocrates, "troubled (ἐνοχλουμένῳ) with a spasm or tetanus."

And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.

6:17-19 Came down with them, and stood in the plain. We now come to Luke's report of the Sermon on the Mount, given much more fully in Mt 5:1-7:29, on which see notes. Luke only states that the sermon was preceded by the healing of the diseased in the vast multitudes which had assembled from all parts of the country.

6:12-19 We often think one half hour a great deal to spend in meditation and secret prayer, but Christ was whole nights engaged in these duties. In serving God, our great care should be not to lose time, but to make the end of one good duty the beginning of another. The twelve apostles are here named; never were men so privileged, yet one of them had a devil, and proved a traitor. Those who have not faithful preaching near them, had better travel far than be without it. It is indeed worth while to go a great way to hear the word of Christ, and to go out of the way of other business for it. They came to be cured by him, and he healed them. There is a fulness of grace in Christ, and healing virtue in him, ready to go out from him, that is enough for all, enough for each. Men regard the diseases of the body as greater evils than those of their souls; but the Scripture teaches us differently.