πᾶσα βασιλεία μερισθεῖσα κ.τ.λ. Not that civil disputes destroy a nation, but a nation disunited, rent by factions, in the presence of a common enemy must fall. Here Satan’s kingdom is regarded as warring against the kingdom of God.

Observe the gradation of βασιλεία—πόλις—οἰκία—Σατανᾶς; it is a climax; the smaller the community the more fatal the division. Division in an individual is a contradiction in terms.

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Old Testament