Read the Bible
KING JAMES BIBLE · PCE

Matthew 12:43–45

TEXT EDITION
Pure Cambridge Edition selected
When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
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.
Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
Share
Email linkOpen a new message in your email app
Read chapter
More
Report an issueTell us about a text or study problem

PASSAGE SELECTION

Build from either side

3 selected · 7 available

Choose up to 10 verses in this chapter. The study tools update with the selected passage.

SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE

Cross References

15 Essential passages are open for comparison.

Reference depth

From verse 43

  1. Luke 11:24–26Rank 1 from verse 43
    Open

    24When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.

    25And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.

    26Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

  2. Luke 8:28–32Rank 2 from verse 43
    Open

    28When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.

    29(For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)

    30And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.

    31And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.

    32And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.

  3. Matthew 8:29Rank 3 from verse 43
    Open

    29And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?

  4. Amos 8:11–13Rank 4 from verse 43
    Open

    11¶ Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:

    12And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.

    13In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.

  5. Mark 5:7–13Rank 5 from verse 43
    Open

    7And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.

    8For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

    9And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

    10And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.

    11Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.

    12And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

    13And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

From verse 44

  1. 1 John 4:4Rank 1 from verse 44
    Open

    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.

  2. 1 Corinthians 11:19Rank 2 from verse 44
    Open

    19For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

  3. 1 John 2:19Rank 3 from verse 44
    Open

    19They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

  4. Jude 1:4–5Rank 4 from verse 44
    Open

    4For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

    5I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

  5. Psalms 81:11–12Rank 5 from verse 44
    Open

    11But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.

    12So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.

From verse 45

  1. Luke 11:26Rank 1 from verse 45
    Open

    26Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

  2. Hebrews 10:26–31Rank 2 from verse 45
    Open

    26For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

    27But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

    28He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:

    29Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

    30For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.

    31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

  3. Hebrews 6:4–8Rank 3 from verse 45
    Open

    4For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

    5And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

    6If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

    7For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:

    8But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

  4. Mark 5:9Rank 4 from verse 45
    Open

    9And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

  5. 2 Peter 2:14–22Rank 5 from verse 45
    Open

    14Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

    15Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

    16But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.

    17These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

    18For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

    19While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

    20For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

    21For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

    22But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

WORDS IN THIS PASSAGE

Definitions

Open a word for its full definition and concordance.

DEFINED WORDS

Matthew 12:43

COMBINED MEANING

unclean

↗

Not clean; ceremonially unfit; physically foul; or morally defiled or impure.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

spirit

↗

Sense 1: An immaterial living or personal being distinct from a body. Sense 2: The inward life, disposition, mind, or courage of a person. Sense 3: The Holy Spirit, the divine Spirit of God.

Meaning drawn from: Direct Scripture definition · KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

gone

↗

Departed, went away, passed, or advanced to another place or condition.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

out

↗

Outside, away from within, forth, absent, or no longer in a stated condition.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

man

↗

1. A human being or person. 2. Mankind collectively. 3. A male person.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

dry

↗

Sense 1: Without moisture. Sense 2: To become or make free from moisture.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

places

↗

1. Physical locations or rooms. 2. Positions or offices. 3. Occasions, circumstances, or passages.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

rest

↗

Sense 1: To cease from labour or motion, lie still, settle, remain, or rely; also repose, peace, security, or an abiding place. Sense 2: The remaining persons or things after a part is distinguished.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

findeth

↗

Third-person singular present form of find (to discover, meet with, obtain, perceive, or learn by search or experience).

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Matthew 12:44

COMBINED MEANING

return

↗

Sense 1: To go, come, send, or give back; to restore, answer, or turn again. Sense 2: The act or time of coming back or recurring.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

house

↗

Sense 1: A building or dwelling. Sense 2: The people of a household or family. Sense 3: A lineage or family line. Sense 4: As a verb, to shelter, lodge, or provide a dwelling for.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

out

↗

Outside, away from within, forth, absent, or no longer in a stated condition.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

findeth

↗

Third-person singular present form of find (to discover, meet with, obtain, perceive, or learn by search or experience).

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

empty

↗

Sense 1: Containing nothing; void, unfilled, destitute, or without effect. Sense 2: To pour out or deprive of contents.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

garnished

↗

Past-tense, participial, or adjectival form of garnish, meaning to adorn or decorate.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Matthew 12:45

COMBINED MEANING

taketh

↗

Third-person singular present form of take: receives, seizes, carries, accepts, chooses, or lays hold of.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

enter

↗

To go or come in; to penetrate; to become an ingredient or constituent part; to enter the mind.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

in

↗

1. A preposition marking position, presence, state, circumstance, manner, means, sphere, reference, relation, association, or participation. 2. As an adverb, inward, inside, or into the place or position referred to.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

last

↗

At the end or after all others; latest or final.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

man

↗

1. A human being or person. 2. Mankind collectively. 3. A male person.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

even

↗

1. Used to emphasize, include, or precisely identify what is meant: indeed, precisely, or namely. 2. Used to mark a boundary, endpoint, or full reach in place, time, or degree: up to, as far as, or through. 3. In ‘even as,’ ‘even so,’ and like constructions, just as, exactly so, or in the same manner. 4. The evening, or close of day. 5. Equal, level, identical, balanced, or uniform.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

shall

↗

An auxiliary verb expressing future action, intention, promise, command, requirement, or determination.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

READ BEFORE AND AFTER

Surrounding Verses

Nearby Scripture remains separate from the selected passage until you add it.

42The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

43When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

Selected passage

44Then 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.

Selected passage

45Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Selected passage

46¶ While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.

LOCAL PASTOR DIRECTORY

Find a Pastor Near You

Enter a U.S. ZIP code to find nearby pastors committed to holding fast the faithful word.

Your ZIP is processed in this browser from local data. It is not sent to a ZIP lookup service or to a church. ZIP coordinates from GeoNames, licensed under CC BY 4.0.