Matthew 12:44

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it returns, it finds the house empty, swept clean, and in order.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Τότε λέγει, Ἐπιστρέψω εἰς τὸν οἶκόν μου ὅθεν ἐξῆλθον· καὶ ἐλθὸν, εὑρίσκει σχολάζοντα, σεσαρωμένον, καὶ κεκοσμημένον.

Transliteration

Then legei, Epistrepsō into the oikon of me from where exēlthon; and elthon, heuriskei scholazonta, sesarōmenon, and kekosmēmenon.

Grammar Details

• *Τότε*: adverb - then/at that time
• *legei*: present indicative, 3rd singular - says/speaks
• *Epistrepsō*: future indicative, 1st singular - I will return
• *oikon*: masculine, singular, accusative - house/home/dwelling
• *mou*: genitive, 1st person singular pronoun - of me/my
• *ὅθεν*: relative adverb - from where/whence
• *exēlthon*: aorist indicative, 1st singular - I went out/departed
• *elthon*: aorist participle, neuter, singular, nominative - having come
• *heuriskei*: present indicative, 3rd singular - finds/discovers
• *scholazonta*: present participle, masculine, singular, accusative - being empty/vacant
• *sesarōmenon*: perfect participle, passive, masculine, singular, accusative - having been swept
• *kekosmēmenon*: perfect participle, passive, masculine, singular, accusative - having been adorned/put in order

Word Meanings

• *legei*: says/speaks/tells
• *Epistrepsō*: I will return/turn back/come back
• *oikon*: house/home/dwelling/household
• *exēlthon*: I went out/departed/left
• *elthon*: having come/arrived/returned
• *scholazonta*: being empty/vacant/unoccupied
• *sesarōmenon*: having been swept/cleaned
• *kekosmēmenon*: having been adorned/decorated/put in order

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  Then he says, I will return to my house from which I came out; and when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and decorated.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  Then he saith, I will return into my house whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  Then he sayeth: I will retourne ageyne into my housse fro whece I came oute. And when he is come he fyndeth the housse empty and swepte and garnisshed.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  The saieth he: I wil turne agayne in to my house, fro whence I wete out. And whan he cometh, he fyndeth it emptye, swepte and garnyshed.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Then he saith, I wil returne into mine house from whence I came: and when he is come, he findeth it emptie, swept and garnished.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  Then he sayeth: I wyll returne into my house, from whence I came out. And when he is come, he fyndeth it emptie, swept, and garnyshed.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  ‹Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth› [it] ‹empty, swept, and garnished.›

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Then he says, 'I will return into my house from which I came out,' and when he has come back, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  then it saith, I will turn back to my house whence I came forth; and having come, it findeth `it' unoccupied, swept, and adorned:

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Then he saith, I will return into my house whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Then he saith, I will return into my house whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  Then he says, I will go back into my house from which I came out; and when he comes, he sees that there is no one in it, but that it has been made fair and clean.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Then he says, 'I will return into my house from which I came out,' and when he has come back, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Then it says,‘I will return to the home I left.’ When it returns, it finds the house empty, swept clean, and put in order.

Referenced Verses

• Ps 81:11-12 : 11 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open wide your mouth, and I will fill it. 12 But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.
• Hos 7:6 : 6 Their hearts are like an oven as they plot; all night their anger smolders, in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
• Matt 12:29 : 29 Or how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.
• Matt 13:20-22 : 20 The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.
• Luke 11:21-22 : 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are secure. 22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.
• John 12:6 : 6 He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the money box and would steal from what was put into it.
• John 13:2 : 2 During supper, the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him.
• John 13:27 : 27 After the piece of bread, Satan entered him. So Jesus told him, 'What you’re about to do, do quickly.'
• Acts 5:1-3 : 1 But a man named Ananias, along with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and he kept back part of the proceeds for himself with his wife's knowledge. He brought a portion and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds from the land?
• Acts 8:18-23 : 18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money. 19 He said, 'Give me this authority too, so that everyone I lay my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.' 20 But Peter said to him, 'May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!' 21 You have no part or share in this ministry because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such thoughts in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.
• 1 Cor 11:19 : 19 Indeed, there must be factions among you so that those who are approved may be recognized among you.
• Eph 2:2 : 2 In which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now at work in those who are disobedient.
• 2 Thess 2:9-9 : 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the workings of Satan, with all kinds of power, false signs, and wonders, 10 and with every kind of deceit targeting those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion, so that they will believe the lie, 12 in order that all who did not believe the truth but delighted in wickedness might be judged.
• 1 Tim 6:4-5 : 4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. Instead, he has an unhealthy interest in controversies and arguments about words, which result in envy, strife, slander, and evil suspicions. 5 These lead to constant friction among people who are corrupted in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means to profit. Stay away from such people.
• 1 Tim 6:9-9 : 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
• 1 John 2:19 : 19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their going out showed that none of them belonged to us.
• 1 John 4:4 : 4 You are from God, little children, and you have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
• Jude 1:4-5 : 4 For certain people have secretly slipped in among you—those who were written about long ago as being destined for this condemnation. They are ungodly, turning the grace of our God into a license for immorality and denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. 5 Now I want to remind you, although you already know all this, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, later destroyed those who did not believe.
• Rev 13:3-4 : 3 One of the beast's heads appeared to have been fatally wounded, but its mortal wound was healed. The whole earth marveled and followed the beast. 4 They worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?"
• Rev 13:8-9 : 8 All those who live on the earth will worship it, everyone whose names have not been written in the Lamb's book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world. 9 If anyone has ears to hear, let them listen.