Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 12:24

"But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This man doth not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub the prince of the demons." — Matthew 12:24 (ASV)

Beelzebub the prince of the devils—(See Notes on Matthew 9:34; Matthew 10:25.) The words appear to have been whispered by the Pharisees among the people; they were not addressed to Jesus. The charge is significant because it shows that the Pharisees admitted the reality of the healing they had witnessed and were driven to explain it by attributing it to demonic power.