But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils but by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils.

This thought was provoked by the frank expression of amazement on the part of the people. Apparently, they did not voice their sentiments outside of their own circle, because they feared the multitude; but, after the manner of their kind, they murmured and grumbled among themselves, accusing Christ of being in league with the devil, as once before, chapter 9:34. Beelzebub, which means god of flies, and Beelzebub, god of dung, had originally been names of idols, and were by the Jews applied to the devil. It was an insult without parallel which they thus heaped upon the Lord.

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