People come into the synagogue, but in this fallen world they can become the dwelling place of unclean spirits. It need not have been a spirit that made this man a patient. It could also have been a spirit of contradiction and slander that made this Israelite a difficult and intractable person. In any case, he does speak intelligibly and the fact that he screams at Jesus makes it clear that he is his opponent. 1
23 Il se trouva dans leur synagogue un homme qui avait un esprit impur, et qui s'écria: