Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 9:32

"And as they went forth, behold, there was brought to him a dumb man possessed with a demon." — Matthew 9:32 (ASV)

A mute man possessed by a demon — This account is also given only by Matthew. For a discussion of the general question of “possession,” refer to the note in the Excursus on Matthew 8:28. It may be noted here that the symptoms in this case were those of catalepsy or an insanity that manifested as stubborn and sullen silence.

The man's inability to speak was a spiritual disease, not the result of a birth defect. The act of healing, therefore, restored the man to sanity rather than removing a physical imperfection. Compare this to the similar events in Matthew 12:22 and Luke 11:14. The account in Luke agrees so closely with this one that if not for the fact that Matthew connects our Lord’s answer to the Pharisees' accusation with the second of these miracles, we might have assumed the two events were the same.