When the seventy return, they say that even demons obey them in his name.
Luke 10:18 I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Luke 10:18 “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
I contemplated the adversary like a flash of light falling out of the sky.
Jesus envisioned his adversaries tripping up.
This verse loosely parallels the Greek of the beginning of Isa 14:12, which describes the fall of on an earthly king. Any analysis of the Septuagint of that verse is shown below.
The word translated as "beheld" and "saw" is not one of the common words for seeing, but a much more specific word. It means "contemplate" and "to behold in the mind." The word "satan" is not a name. It means "the adversary." Here, it refers to the demons his followers were able to defeat. See this article on the word.We know this because it is introduced by an article (this is clearer in the Septuagint version).
The word translated as "fall" also means "attack." So the line could mean "I contemplated the adversary attacking from the sky."
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "beheld" is not one of the common words usually translated as "see."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "satan" is not shown in the English translation.
- UW --Untranslated Word -- The word "satan" means "adversary." It is an untranslated Aramaic word adopted into English.
- WF -- Wrong Form - This "fall" is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing. "
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "sky" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW --Confusing Word --The word, "heaven," is a religious concept, but this word just means "sky."
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "saw" is not one of the common words usually translated as "see."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "satan" is not shown in the English translation.
- UW --Untranslated Word -- The word "satan" means "adversary." It is an untranslated Aramaic word adopted into English.
- WF -- Wrong Form - This "fall" is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing. "
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "sky" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW --Confusing Word --The word, "heaven," is a religious concept, but this word just means "sky."
I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.
beheld -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "beheld" is not one of the common words Jesus uses to mean "see." It is a fancier word that has more of a sense of viewing something as a spectator. This word is the root of the English word "theater." It works like our word "view" and our word "review" in the sense of "inspect" and "judge a thing." Jesus uses it most commonly to refer to people inspecting him now but not judging him in the future. This word is the root of the English word "theater," where plays are both viewed and reviewed by critics.
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.
Satan - (UW) "Satan" is from an Aramaic word meaning "adversary" or "opponent." Jesus uses it to refer both to external opposition and our desire to make bad decisions. See this article on the word.
as -- The word translated as "as" has a very broad meaning, translated as "when," "where," "just as," "like," and related words. It means "how" only in an exclamation with and adjective or adverb like "how wonderful."
lightning - "Lightening" is "a flash of lightning," "lightning," and the "light of a lamp. " It is a metaphor for the "flashing" of the eyes.
fall -- (WF) "Fall" is translated from a Greek word that means "to fall" and "to fall down." It is the root word for dozens of Greek terms involving moving from a higher state to a lower one. Like our word "to fall" it has a number of special meanings including "to fall into a given class," "to prostrate," "to fall from power," "to perish," and so on. This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing. "
from -- The Greek preposition translated as "from" means "out of" or "from." The word also means "beyond," "on," "in," "since," or "by"based upon its context, but it indicates separation "from" something rather than being a part "of" it like "of" does. It is also used to describe the author or means "by" which something is done, especially with passive verbs.
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.
heaven. -- (CW) The word translated as "heaven" means simply the "sky," but it can also mean the "climate," or the "universe." It also meant the home of the gods in a physical sense: the sun, moon, and planets were named for the gods. More about the word in this article.
I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.
saw -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "beheld" is not one of the common words Jesus uses to mean "see." It is a fancier word that has more of a sense of viewing something as a spectator. This word is the root of the English word "theater." It works like our word "view" and our word "review" in the sense of "inspect" and "judge a thing." Jesus uses it most commonly to refer to people inspecting him now but not judging him in the future. This word is the root of the English word "theater," where plays are both viewed and reviewed by critics.
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.
Satan - (UW) "Satan" is from an Aramaic word meaning "adversary" or "opponent." Jesus uses it to refer both to external opposition and our desire to make bad decisions. See this article on the word and this article on this word and related terms.
like -- The word translated as "like " has a very broad meaning, translated as "when," "where," "just as," "like," and related words. It means "how" only in an exclamation with and adjective or adverb like "how wonderful."
lightning - "Lightening" is "a flash of lightning," "lightning," and the "light of a lamp. " It is a metaphor for the "flashing" of the eyes.
fall -- (WF) "Fall" is translated from a Greek word that means "to fall" and "to fall down." It is the root word for dozens of Greek terms involving moving from a higher state to a lower one. Like our word "to fall" it has a number of special meanings including "to fall into a given class," "to prostrate," "to fall from power," "to perish," and so on. This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing. "
from -- The Greek preposition translated as "from" means "out of" or "from." The word also means "beyond," "on," "in," "since," or "by"based upon its context, but it indicates separation "from" something rather than being a part "of" it like "of" does. It is also used to describe the author or means "by" which something is done, especially with passive verbs.
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.
heaven. -- (CW) The word translated as "heaven" means simply the "sky," but it can also mean the "climate," or the "universe." It also meant the home of the gods in a physical sense: the sun, moon, and planets were named for the gods. More about the word in this article.
Context: Isaiah describes the fall of an earthly king.
Isa 14:12: πῶς ἐξέπεσενἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὁ ἑωσφόρος
πῶς [36 verses](pron indecl form) "How" is pos, which means "how," "how in the world," "how then," "in any way," "at all," "by any mean," "in a certain way,"and "I suppose." -- "How" is the adverb that means "how," "by any means," and "I suppose." This is a common interrogatory pronoun used by Jesus.
ἐξέπεσενἐκ {ἐκπίτνω}(verb 3rd sg aor ind act) This from ekpipto, which means "fall out," or "fall from." This word is also related to the Greek word, thronos for "throne."
τοῦ [821 verses](article sg masc gen) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
οὐρανοῦ [111 verses](noun sg masc gen) "Sky" is the Greek ouranos, which means "heaven as in the vault of the sky," "heaven as the seat of the gods," "the sky," "the universe," and "the climate."
ὁ [821 verses](article sg masc nom) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). Proper nouns do normally not take articles but they are needed when the noun ending cannot be changed to show the noun's role in the sentence as an object, indirect object, or genitive (possessive) form. See this article.
ἑωσφόρος (noun sg masc nom) This is from eosphonpos which means "bringer of morning" and "morning star."
Ἐθεώρουν [15 verses](verb 1st sg imperf ind act ) "I beheld" is theoreo, which means "to view," "to see", "to look at", "to gaze," "to behold," (of the mind) "to contemplate", "to consider", "to observe (as a spectator)", "to gaze", "to gape", "to inspect (troops)" "to judge of," and, in abstract, "to theorize" and "to speculate." It originally means literally, "to be a spectator" or "to be sent to see an oracle."
τὸν [821 verses](article sg masc acc) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." Proper nouns do normally not take articles but they are needed when the noun ending cannot be changed to show the noun's role in the sentence as an object, indirect object, or genitive (possessive) form. However, the Greek article is very close to "this" so the purpose of an article like this can also be demonstrative. See this article. -
Σατανᾶν [16 verses] (noun sg masc acc) "Satan" is satanas, which is an Aramaic word meaning "adversary," "opponents," or "one who opposes another in purpose or act. " -
ὡς (167 verses](adv/conj) "As" is hos, an adverb which means to "thus," "as," "when," "where," "like," "just as," "so far as," "as much as can be," "that," "in order that," "nearly (with numbers)," and "know that." It means "how" only in an exclamation with and adjective or adverb like "how wonderful."
ἀστραπὴ [4 verses](noun sg fem nom) "Lightning" is from astrapê, which means "a flash of lightning," "lightning," and the "light of a lamp. " It is a metaphor for the "flashing" of the eyes. -
ἐκ [121 verses] (prep) "From" is ek, which means 1) [of motion] "out of," "from," "by," "away from;" 2) [of place] "beyond," "outside of," "beyond;" 3) [of succession] "after," "from;" 4) [of rest] "on," "in," 5) [of time] "since," "from," "at," "in;" 7) [of materials] "out of," "made from;" 7) cause, instrument, or means "by." It is also used to describe the author or means "by" which something is done, especially with passive verbs.-- The Greek preposition translated as "from" means "out of" or "from." The word also means "beyond," "on," "in," "since," or "by"based upon its context, but it indicates separation "from" something rather than being a part "of" it like "of" does. It is also used to describe the author or means "by" which something is done, especially with passive verbs.
τοῦ [821 verses](article sg masc nom) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." Proper nouns do normally not take articles but they are needed when the noun ending cannot be changed to show the noun's role in the sentence as an object, indirect object, or genitive (possessive) form. However, the Greek article is very close to "this" so the purpose of an article like this can also be demonstrative. See this article. -
οὐρανοῦ [111 verses] (noun sg masc gen) "Heaven" is the Greek ouranos, which means "heaven as in the vault of the sky," "heaven as the seat of the gods," "the sky," "the universe," and "the climate."
πεσόντα. [36 verses](part sg aor act masc acc) "Fall" is pipto, which means "to fall," "to fall down," "to be cast down," "fall upon," "intersect (geometry)," "meet," "pass through," "fall violently upon," "attack," "fall in battle," "sink{in water)," "fall short i.e. fail," " fall out of," "lose a thing," "escape from," "fall asleep," "to be accessible to perception," "to fall (between her feet, i.e. to be born)," "to let fall[dice)," "turn out," and "fall under (belong to a class)."