Luke 16:16

Entereth violently into it

(εις αυτην βιαζετα). A corresponding saying occurs in Matthew 11:12 in a very different context. In both the verb βιαζετα, occurs also, but nowhere else in the N.T. It is present middle here and can be middle or passive in Matthew, which see. It is rare in late prose. Deissmann (Bible Studies, p. 258) cites an inscription where βιαζομα is reflexive middle and used absolutely. Here the meaning clearly is that everyone forces his way into the kingdom of God, a plea for moral enthusiasm and spiritual passion and energy that some today affect to despise.