Luke 11:22
But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
Original Language Analysis
ἐπὰν
when
G1875
ἐπὰν
when
Strong's:
G1875
Word #:
1 of 20
a particle of indefinite contemporaneousness; whenever, as soon as
ὁ
G3588
ὁ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
3 of 20
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
αὐτοῦ
from him
G846
αὐτοῦ
from him
Strong's:
G846
Word #:
5 of 20
the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative g1438) of the third person, and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons
ἐπελθὼν
shall come upon him
G1904
ἐπελθὼν
shall come upon him
Strong's:
G1904
Word #:
6 of 20
to supervene, i.e., arrive, occur, impend, attack, (figuratively) influence
αὐτοῦ
from him
G846
αὐτοῦ
from him
Strong's:
G846
Word #:
8 of 20
the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative g1438) of the third person, and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons
τὴν
G3588
τὴν
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
9 of 20
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
αὐτοῦ
from him
G846
αὐτοῦ
from him
Strong's:
G846
Word #:
11 of 20
the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative g1438) of the third person, and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons
αἴρει
he taketh
G142
αἴρει
he taketh
Strong's:
G142
Word #:
12 of 20
to lift up; by implication, to take up or away; figuratively, to raise (the voice), keep in suspense (the mind), specially, to sail away (i.e., weigh
ἐφ'
wherein
G1909
ἐφ'
wherein
Strong's:
G1909
Word #:
13 of 20
properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution (with the genitive case), i.e., over, upon, etc.; of re
ᾗ
G3739
ᾗ
Strong's:
G3739
Word #:
14 of 20
the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, that
ἐπεποίθει
he trusted
G3982
ἐπεποίθει
he trusted
Strong's:
G3982
Word #:
15 of 20
to convince (by argument, true or false); by analogy, to pacify or conciliate (by other fair means); reflexively or passively, to assent (to evidence
καὶ
and
G2532
καὶ
and
Strong's:
G2532
Word #:
16 of 20
and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
τὰ
G3588
τὰ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
17 of 20
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
Cross References
Isaiah 53:12Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.Genesis 3:15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.Isaiah 27:1In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.Colossians 2:15And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.1 John 4:4Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.1 John 3:8He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Historical Context
The parable reflects ancient Near Eastern warfare where victorious armies stripped conquered enemies of weapons and distributed spoils to victors. The imagery echoes Isaiah 49:24-25: 'Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away... and I will save thy children.' Jesus presents Himself as the fulfillment of this prophecy—the Divine Warrior who liberates captives from the 'strong man.' Early Christians understood salvation as liberation from slavery to sin and Satan (Romans 6:17-18, Hebrews 2:14-15).
Questions for Reflection
- How does understanding salvation as Christ's military conquest of Satan deepen appreciation for the costliness of redemption?
- What does the 'dividing of spoils' (liberated captives) teach about evangelism and discipleship as distributing the fruits of Christ's victory?
- In what ways does this imagery of total spoiling challenge contemporary views that Satan retains significant power over believers?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. This verse depicts Christ's victory over Satan through vivid military imagery. The phrase "a stronger than he" (ἰσχυρότερος αὐτοῦ, ischyroteros autou, comparative adjective) refers to Jesus, whose power infinitely exceeds Satan's. The verb "overcome" (νικήσῃ, nikēsē, aorist subjunctive) means to conquer, defeat utterly—complete victory, not stalemate.
The result is total despoiling: the stronger one "taketh from him all his armour" (τὴν πανοπλίαν αὐτοῦ αἴρει, tēn panoplian autou airei)—the full armor (πανοπλία, panoplia) in which Satan trusted is stripped away, leaving him defenseless. Then He "divideth his spoils" (τὰ σκῦλα αὐτοῦ διαδίδωσιν, ta skula autou diadidōsin)—distributes the plunder, liberating Satan's captives. This portrays redemption as conquest: Christ invades enemy territory, defeats the tyrant, and emancipates prisoners. Colossians 2:15 uses identical imagery: Christ 'spoiled principalities and powers, making a shew of them openly, triumphing over them.' Every exorcism is a foretaste of Satan's final defeat (Revelation 20:10).