The Fallible Study Bible

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Mark5:1–20

The Demons and the Pigs

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Mark 5:1–20 — The Demons and the Pigs. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

1

On the other side of the sea, they arrived in the region of the Gerasenes.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai eis to peran tēs thalassēs ēlthon eis tēn chōran tōn Gerasēnōn

Word by word12 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
εἰςeisOnG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τὸtotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
πέρανperanother sideG4008
√ πέραν — through (as adverb or preposition), iAdverb
peran: the far side, the beyond Mark has just brought them through the storm; the crossing lands them on the eastern, largely Gentile shore. Cambridge notes that not even there was the Lord destined to find peace or rest. The whole unit hangs on this geography: unclean spirits, unclean tombs, unclean swine, and a man no Israelite town would keep.
τῆςtēsof theG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Feminine Singular
θαλάσσηςthalassēsseaG2281
√ θάλασσα — the sea (genitive case or specially)NounGenitive Feminine Singular
thalassa: the sea The same sea Jesus had just rebuked will, at v13, swallow the herd. Mark uses the word twice in v13 alone, so the body of water that obeyed His voice becomes the place where the legion ends.
ἦλθονēlthonthey arrivedG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
erchomai: to come, to go Aorist plural: the arrival is one completed act shared by Jesus and the Twelve.
εἰςeisinG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τὴνtēntheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
χώρανchōranregionG5561
√ χώρα — room, iNounAccusative Feminine Singular
chōra: region, open country A district, not a city. Hold the word: in v10 the demons plead to stay inside this same χώρα, and in v17 the people ask Jesus to leave their ὅρια. Everyone in the story is arguing about who gets to occupy this ground.
τῶνtōnof theG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Plural
ΓερασηνῶνGerasēnōnGerasenesG1086
√ Γεργεσηνός — a Gergesene (iNounGenitive Masculine Plural
Gerasēnōn: of the Gerasenes The contested name. Gill assembles the rabbinic and classical geography of Gadara and reckons the place plainly heathen, both from its situation, and the manners of the people; Cambridge reports that Origen was shown the exact site at Gergesa. Our text prints Gerasenes and our lexicon files Gergesene: the honest statement is that the district is certain and the toponym is not.
2

As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, He was met by a man with an unclean spirit, who was coming from the tombs.

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Greek — tap a word ↓

kai euthys autou exelthontos ek tou ploiou hypēntēsen autō anthrōpos en akathartō pneumati ek tōn mnēmeiōn

Word by word16 · parsed
καὶkaiAs soon asG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
εὐθὺςeuthys. . .G2112
√ εὐθέως — directly, iAdverb
eutheōs: straightway, immediately Mark's pace word. It welds the stilled storm to the stilled man: two acts of authority with no breath between them.
αὐτοῦautou[Jesus]G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ἐξελθόντοςexelthontosgotG1831
√ ἐξέρχομαι — to issue (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Participle ActiveGenitive Masculine Singular
ἐκekout ofG1537
√ ἐκ — literal or figurativePreposition
τοῦtoutheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Neuter Singular
πλοίουploiouboatG4143
√ πλοῖον — a sailer, iNounGenitive Neuter Singular
ὑπήντησενhypēntēsenHe was met byG5221
√ ὑπαντάω — to go opposite (meet) under (quietly), iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
hypantaō: to go to meet An active verb with the man as subject. JFB observes at v6 that the running was not spontaneous alacrity but inward compulsion; here the grammar simply records that the meeting was his move, not Jesus'.
αὐτῷautō. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ἄνθρωποςanthrōposa manG444
√ ἄνθρωπος — from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι))NounNominative Masculine Singular
ἐνenwithG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
ἀκαθάρτῳakathartōan uncleanG169
√ ἀκάθαρτος — impure (ceremonially, morally (lewd) or specially, (demonic))AdjectiveDative Neuter Singular
akathartos: impure, ceremonially or demonically unclean The lexicon's own gloss covers ceremonial, moral and demonic impurity at once, and that triple range is the engine of the whole unit: an unclean spirit, in an unclean place, finally lodged in unclean animals. Under Leviticus 11:7 and Deuteronomy 14:8 the swine is the standing emblem of that category.
πνεύματιpneumatispiritG4151
√ πνεῦμα — a current of air, iNounDative Neuter Singular
pneuma: breath, wind, spirit Mark's preferred designation here. Ellicott notes the phrase is often used by him where the other Gospels have "possessed with demons". The older reason for the title is given in the long entry printed at Mark 5:1 under the tag JFB, which also carries Poole's annotations: they are called unclean spirits in opposition to the Holy Spirit. We name the tag rather than the author because that entry visibly merges two commentators.
ἐκek[who was] coming fromG1537
√ ἐκ — literal or figurativePreposition
τῶνtōntheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Neuter Plural
μνημείωνmnēmeiōntombsG3419
√ μνημεῖον — a remembrance, iNounGenitive Neuter Plural
mnēmeion: a remembrance, a sepulchre Cambridge describes rock-hewn chambers large enough to be entered and reckoned unclean because of the dead men's bones (Numbers 19:11, 16). A living man has taken up residence in the register of the dead.
3

This man had been living in the tombs and could no longer be restrained, even with chains.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

hos eichen tēn katoikēsin en tois mnēmasin kai edynato ouketi oudeis dēsai auton oude halysei

Word by word15 · parsed
ὃςhos[This man]G3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounNominative Masculine Singular
εἶχενeichenhadG2192
√ ἔχω — to hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remoteVerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
τὴνtēnG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
κατοίκησινkatoikēsinbeen livingG2731
√ κατοίκησις — residence (properly, the actNounAccusative Feminine Singular
katoikēsis: residence, the act of dwelling A rare noun in the New Testament, and Mark spends it on a man domiciled among corpses. Maclaren reads the choice of address theologically: all that belongs to corruption and death is congenial to the subjects of that dark kingdom of evil.
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
τοῖςtoistheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Neuter Plural
μνήμασινmnēmasintombsG3418
√ μνῆμα — a memorial, iNounDative Neuter Plural
mnēma: a memorial, a tomb A shift from v2's μνημεῖον to the shorter μνῆμα; the sense is the same and Mark repeats μνήμασιν again in v5. The place is named three times in four verses.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐδύνατοedynatocouldG1410
√ δύναμαι — to be able or possibleVerbImperfect Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
οὐκέτιouketino longerG3765
√ οὐκέτι — not yet, no longerAdverb
ouketi: no longer The adverb of an abandoned effort.
οὐδεὶςoudeisG3762
√ οὐδείς — not even one (man, woman or thing), iAdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
δῆσαιdēsaibe restrainedG1210
√ δέω — to bind (in various applications, literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Infinitive Active
deō: to bind Aorist infinitive after the negated verb: not one binding could be completed. The same root governs v4's δεδέσθαι. Henry turns the chains into law: the commands of the law are as chains and fetters to restrain sinners, and they break those bands in sunder.
αὐτὸνautonG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
οὐδὲoude[even]G3761
√ οὐδέ — not however, iAdverb
ἁλύσειhalyseiwith chainsG254
√ ἅλυσις — a fetter or manacleNounDative Feminine Singular
halysis: a fetter or manacle Ellicott argues at v4 that these need not have been metal, since one set is snapped and the other worn away; Gill insists the strength was not natural but came of the possession.
4

Though he was often bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the chains and shattered the shackles. Now there was no one with the strength to subdue him.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

dia auton pollakis to dedesthai halysesin kai pedais kai diespasthai hyp’ autou tas halyseis kai syntetriphthai tas pedas kai oudeis ischyen damasai auton

Word by word23 · parsed
διὰdia[Though]G1223
√ διά — through (in very wide applications, local, causal, or occasional)Preposition
αὐτὸνautonheG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
πολλάκιςpollakis{was} oftenG4178
√ πολλάκις — many times, iAdverb
τὸtoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
δεδέσθαιdedesthaiboundG1210
√ δέω — to bind (in various applications, literally or figuratively)VerbPerfect Infinitive Middle or Passive
deō: to bind (perfect passive infinitive) Perfect tense: the bindings are past acts whose result stands, and the result is failure. The causal construction gives Mark's reason for v3's despair.
ἁλύσεσινhalysesinwith chainsG254
√ ἅλυσις — a fetter or manacleNounDative Feminine Plural
halysis: chain Now plural, and joined to πέδαις. Cambridge: chains for the hands or feet generally, fetters restricted to the feet.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
πέδαιςpedaisshacklesG3976
√ πέδη — a shackle for the feetNounDative Feminine Plural
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
διεσπάσθαιdiespasthaihe had brokenG1288
√ διασπάω — to draw apart, iVerbPerfect Infinitive Middle or Passive
diaspaō: to draw apart, to tear asunder Rare: two verses in the New Testament. A word for a mob tearing a man apart is here used of iron torn apart by a man, which is Mark's measure of what possessed him.
ὑπ’hyp’. . .G5259
√ ὑπό — under, iPreposition
αὐτοῦautou. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
τὰςtastheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Plural
ἁλύσειςhalyseischainsG254
√ ἅλυσις — a fetter or manacleNounAccusative Feminine Plural
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
συντετρῖφθαιsyntetriphthaishatteredG4937
√ συντρίβω — to crush completely, iVerbPerfect Infinitive Middle or Passive
syntribō: to crush completely Perfect passive again. The two verbs together say that every technology of restraint the district owned had already been tried and destroyed.
τὰςtastheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Plural
πέδαςpedasshacklesG3976
√ πέδη — a shackle for the feetNounAccusative Feminine Plural
καὶkaiNowG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
οὐδεὶςoudeis[there was] no oneG3762
√ οὐδείς — not even one (man, woman or thing), iAdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
ἴσχυενischyenwith the strengthG2480
√ ἰσχύω — to have (or exercise) force (literally or figuratively)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ischyō: to have or exercise force Imperfect: nobody kept having the strength. The negative here is the hinge of the miracle, for the next thing this man does is fall at the feet of someone who never touches a chain.
δαμάσαιdamasaito subdueG1150
√ δαμάζω — to tameVerbAorist Infinitive Active
damazō: to tame The vocabulary of animal-breaking, applied to a human being. JFB reports Matthew's summary that he was the terror of the whole locality; Gill says he was not to be managed by art or force, even by those who undertook to exorcise.
αὐτὸνautonhimG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
5

Night and day in the tombs and in the mountains he kept crying out and cutting himself with stones.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai pantos nyktos kai hēmeras en tois mnēmasin kai en tois oresin ēn dia krazōn kai katakoptōn heauton lithois

Word by word19 · parsed
καὶkaivvvG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
παντὸςpantosvvvG3956
√ πᾶς — all, any, every, the wholeAdjectiveGenitive Masculine Singular
νυκτὸςnyktosNightG3571
√ νύξ — "night" (literally or figuratively)NounGenitive Feminine Singular
nyx: night Night before day, which is the order of a man for whom darkness is the working shift.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἡμέραςhēmerasdayG2250
√ ἡμέρα — day, iNounGenitive Feminine Singular
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
τοῖςtoistheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Neuter Plural
μνήμασινmnēmasintombsG3418
√ μνῆμα — a memorial, iNounDative Neuter Plural
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
τοῖςtoistheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Neuter Plural
ὄρεσινoresinmountainsG3735
√ ὄρος — perhaps akin to G142 (αἴρω)NounDative Neuter Plural
oros: mountain The same mountain country where, at v11, the herd is grazing. Mark sets the man and the swine on one hillside before the spirits ever cross between them.
ἦνēnheG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
διὰdiakeptG1223
√ διά — through (in very wide applications, local, causal, or occasional)Preposition
κράζωνkrazōncrying outG2896
√ κράζω — properly, to "croak" (as a raven) or scream, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
krazō: to croak, to scream A harsh, animal word, held in the present participle so that the screaming never stops. JFB reads the tears and self-torture as the sufferer's own misery, not only the demons': terrible as he was to others, he himself endured untold misery.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
κατακόπτωνkatakoptōncuttingG2629
√ κατακόπτω — to chop down, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
katakoptō: to chop down, to cut to pieces Mark alone records the self-mutilation, and it is the one detail that makes the possession legible as self-destruction. Maclaren's reading is that he derived some dreadful satisfaction from his own wounds.
ἑαυτὸνheautonhimselfG1438
√ ἑαυτοῦ — him- (her-, it-, them-, also (in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons) my-, thy-, our-, your-) self (selves), etcReflexive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
λίθοιςlithoiswith stonesG3037
√ λίθος — a stone (literally or figuratively)NounDative Masculine Plural
lithos: a stone The instrument lying to hand in a graveyard.
6

When the man saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees before Him.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai idōn ton Iēsoun apo makrothen edramen kai prosekynēsen auton

Word by word10 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiWhenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἰδὼνidōn[the man] sawG3708
√ ὁράω — by extension, to attend toVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
horaō: to see, to attend to Aorist participle. Maclaren notices the detail of the eyesight: his sharpened eyesight sees Jesus from afar.
τὸνtonG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
ἸησοῦνIēsounJesusG2424
√ Ἰησοῦς — Jesus (iNounAccusative Masculine Singular
ἀπὸapofromG575
√ ἀπό — "off," iPreposition
μακρόθενmakrothena distanceG3113
√ μακρόθεν — from a distance or afarAdverb
makrothen: from a distance The distance is what makes the timing of v2 possible; it also means the recognition happened before a word was exchanged.
ἔδραμενedramenhe ranG5143
√ τρέχω — compare G2359 (θρίξ))VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
trechō: to run The verb of an eager disciple, spent here on a man dragged by two motives at once.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
προσεκύνησενprosekynēsenfell on his kneesG4352
√ προσκυνέω — to fawn or crouch to, iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
proskyneō: to crouch toward, to do homage, to worship This is the unit's first great tension, and the commentators divide over it. Cambridge: as a man he is attracted towards the Holy One, as possessed by the Legion he desires to withdraw. JFB reads no alacrity in it at all but inward compulsion before the Judge. Gill allows both, that it may be the demons' forced homage or the man's own restored instinct. The text records the act and withholds the motive.
αὐτόνautonbefore HimG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
7

And he shouted in a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God not to torture me!”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai kraxas megalē phōnē legei Ti soi kai emoi Iēsou Huie tou tou Hypsistou Theou horkizō se ton Theon mē basanisēs me

Word by word22 · parsed
καὶkaiAndG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
κράξαςkraxashe shoutedG2896
√ κράζω — properly, to "croak" (as a raven) or scream, iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
krazō: to scream The same verb as v5, now aimed at a person rather than the empty hills.
μεγάλῃmegalēvvvG3173
√ μέγας — big (literally or figuratively, in a very wide application)AdjectiveDative Feminine Singular
φωνῇphōnēin a loud voiceG5456
√ φωνή — a tone (articulate, bestial or artificial)NounDative Feminine Singular
λέγειlegeiG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ΤίTiWhatG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Neuter Singular
σοίsoido You [want]G4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Singular
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐμοὶemoiwith meG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounDative 1st Person Singular
ἸησοῦIēsouJesusG2424
√ Ἰησοῦς — Jesus (iNounVocative Masculine Singular
ΥἱὲHuieSonG5207
√ υἱός — a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinshipNounVocative Masculine Singular
huios: son Vocative. Mark's demons keep naming Him accurately while the human witnesses in this unit manage only fear (v15) and amazement (v20).
τοῦtouofG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
τοῦtoutheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ὙψίστουHypsistouMost HighG5310
√ ὕψιστος — highest, iAdjectiveGenitive Masculine SingularSuperlative
hypsistos: highest, Most High The oldest shared name for God in Scripture, at home in the mouth of a Canaanite priest-king (Genesis 14:18) and of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4). Ellicott's point that it was a common ground between Gentile and Jew fits this Gentile shore exactly, and his further point that it was a standing exorcistic formula explains how a demoniac came to have it ready.
ΘεοῦTheouGodG2316
√ θεός — figuratively, a magistrateNounGenitive Masculine Singular
ὁρκίζωhorkizōI begG3726
√ ὁρκίζω — to put on oath, iVerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Singular
horkizō: to put on oath, to adjure The unit's sharpest reversal: the possessing spirit attempts the exorcist's own technique on the Exorcist. It fails, because an oath binds only where there is a higher name to swear by, and the demon has just named Him.
σεseYouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 2nd Person Singular
τὸνtonG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
ΘεόνTheonbefore GodG2316
√ θεός — figuratively, a magistrateNounAccusative Masculine Singular
μήmēnotG3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
βασανίσῃςbasanisēsto tortureG928
√ βασανίζω — to tortureVerbAorist Subjunctive Active2nd Person Singular
basanizō: to torture Aorist subjunctive with μή: a plea against a specific act, not a general state. Pulpit takes the dreaded torment to be what follows expulsion, and Luke's parallel names it the abyss; the demon's own words in Matthew add "before the time," so the fear is of a schedule already fixed.
μεmemeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 1st Person Singular
8

For Jesus had already declared, “Come out of this man, you unclean spirit!”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

gar elegen autō Exelthe ek tou anthrōpou to akatharton to pneuma

Word by word11 · parsed
γὰρgarForG1063
√ γάρ — properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensificationConjunction
gar: for, assigning a reason This small conjunction is the key to the sequence: v7 is a response to a command Mark tells us about only afterwards.
ἔλεγενelegen[Jesus] had already declaredG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
epō: to speak, to say (imperfect) The imperfect leaves the command hanging in progress, which is why Pulpit and Ellicott can both read v7 as an interruption. JFB draws the theological inference from the delay: ordinarily obedience was immediate, but here a certain delay is permitted, the more signally to manifest the power of Christ.
αὐτῷautō. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Neuter 3rd Person Singular
ἜξελθεExeltheComeG1831
√ ἐξέρχομαι — to issue (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
exerchomai: to come out, to issue The unit's hinge verb, answered by εἰσέρχομαι in vv12 and 13: out of the man, into the swine. Aorist imperative, second person singular, with no name invoked, no ritual and no chain. Set it beside the elaborate ὁρκίζω of v7 and the contest of the whole unit is decided on two words against one.
ἐκekout ofG1537
√ ἐκ — literal or figurativePreposition
τοῦtou[this]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ἀνθρώπουanthrōpoumanG444
√ ἄνθρωπος — from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι))NounGenitive Masculine Singular
τὸtoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleVocative Neuter Singular
ἀκάθαρτονakatharton{you} uncleanG169
√ ἀκάθαρτος — impure (ceremonially, morally (lewd) or specially, (demonic))AdjectiveVocative Neuter Singular
akathartos: unclean Jesus addresses the spirit by its category, not by the name He asks for next. The order of the two moves matters: expulsion is commanded first, interrogation comes after, so the naming in v9 is not a technique for gaining power but a disclosure for witnesses.
τὸtoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleVocative Neuter Singular
πνεῦμαpneumaspiritG4151
√ πνεῦμα — a current of air, iNounVocative Neuter Singular
pneuma: spirit Singular here, plural from v13 onward.
9

“What is your name?” Jesus asked. “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.”

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Ti soi onoma Kai epērōta auton moi onoma Legiōn Kai legei autō hoti esmen polloi

Word by word15 · parsed
ΤίTiWhat [is]G5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Neuter Singular
σοιsoiyourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Singular
ὄνομάonomanameG3686
√ ὄνομα — a "name" (literally or figuratively) (authority, character)NounNominative Neuter Singular
ΚαὶKaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐπηρώταepērōta[Jesus] askedG1905
√ ἐπερωτάω — to ask for, iVerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
eperōtaō: to ask, to interrogate Imperfect. Gill insists the question was not for Christ's information but for the witnesses': it was put that it might be known what a miserable condition this poor man was in. Pulpit says the same, that it was to elicit an answer that would reveal the multitude and so make His power fully known.
αὐτόνauton. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
μοιmoiMyG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounDative 1st Person Singular
ὄνομάonomaname [is]G3686
√ ὄνομα — a "name" (literally or figuratively) (authority, character)NounNominative Neuter Singular
ΛεγιὼνLegiōnLegionG3003
√ λεγεών — a "legion", iNounNominative Feminine Singular
legeōn: a legion Rare (four verses) and foreign. JFB reckons a full legion at six thousand but takes the word here as an indefinitely large number; Gill assembles the varying establishments from Romulus onward and adds that the rabbis used the word for any large company. Cambridge supplies the terror attached to it in a conquered province.
ΚαὶKaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
λέγειlegeivvvG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτῷautōhe repliedG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ὅτιhotiforG3754
√ ὅτι — demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant)Conjunction
ἐσμενesmenwe areG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Plural
eimi: to be First person plural. The name is singular, the self is not.
πολλοίpolloimanyG4183
√ πολύς — (singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) manyAdjectiveNominative Masculine Plural
polys: many The word returns in v10 as πολλά, the repeated begging, and in v11 as the great herd: the unit measures everything in quantity until one word disperses it.
10

And he begged Jesus repeatedly not to send them out of that region.

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kai parekalei auton polla hina mē aposteilē auta exō tēs chōras

Word by word11 · parsed
καὶkaiAndG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
παρεκάλειparekaleihe beggedG3870
√ παρακαλέω — to call near, iVerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
parakaleō: to call near, to entreat Imperfect, and the first of four requests in the unit. Maclaren makes the repetition structural: the word besought occurs four times in it, and we may group the details round each instance.
αὐτὸνauton[Jesus]G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
πολλὰpollarepeatedlyG4183
√ πολύς — (singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) manyAdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
polys: much (adverbial neuter plural) Not "many things" but "much, insistently."
ἵναhinavvvG2443
√ ἵνα — compare G3588 (ὁ))Conjunction
μὴmēvvvG3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
ἀποστείλῃaposteilēnot to sendG649
√ ἀποστέλλω — set apart, iVerbAorist Subjunctive Active3rd Person Singular
apostellō: to set apart, to send with commission The strong verb of authoritative dispatch. What the demons fear is not motion but a sentence, which is why Luke's parallel names the abyss and Matthew's "before the time" names a schedule.
αὐτὰautathemG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Neuter 3rd Person Plural
autos: them (neuter plural) Grammatical proof that the singular speaker is a crowd.
ἔξωexōout ofG1854
√ ἔξω — out(-side, of doors), literally or figurativelyPreposition
τῆςtēs[that]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Feminine Singular
χώραςchōrasregionG5561
√ χώρα — room, iNounGenitive Feminine Singular
chōra: region Gill and Pulpit both suppose the attachment to this χώρα was to a district where their influence was long established; Pulpit adds Matthew 12:43 on the unclean spirit passing through waterless places and finding no rest. That is inference about demonic motive, and our sources offer it as inference.
11

There on the nearby hillside a large herd of pigs was feeding.

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de ekei tō pros orei megalē agelē choirōn Ēn boskomenē

Word by word10 · parsed
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ἐκεῖekeiThereG1563
√ ἐκεῖ — thereAdverb
ekei: there A quiet word doing structural work: the herd is already on the stage before the request of v12 is made.
τῷtōon theG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Neuter Singular
πρὸςprosnearbyG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
ὄρειoreihillsideG3735
√ ὄρος — perhaps akin to G142 (αἴρω)NounDative Neuter Singular
oros: mountain The man's own ground (v5). Mark sets the human sufferer and the animal herd in one landscape so that the transfer needs no journey.
μεγάληmegalēa largeG3173
√ μέγας — big (literally or figuratively, in a very wide application)AdjectiveNominative Feminine Singular
ἀγέληagelēherdG34
√ ἀγέλη — a droveNounNominative Feminine Singular
agelē: a drove, a herd Rare (seven verses) and the chief verbal tie to the synoptic parallels.
χοίρωνchoirōnof pigsG5519
√ χοῖρος — a hogNounGenitive Masculine Plural
choiros: a hog The Torah's emblem of uncleanness (Leviticus 11:7; Deuteronomy 14:8), and in Isaiah 65:4 the food of a people who sit among the graves. Mark has now assembled both halves of that Isaianic picture in one scene.
ἮνĒnwasG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
βοσκομένηboskomenēfeedingG1006
√ βόσκω — to pastureVerbPresent Participle Middle or PassiveNominative Feminine Singular
boskō: to pasture, to feed Our sources dispute the owners' identity: JFB says they can hardly have been other than Jews, Gill argues the case either way, Cambridge allows part-Jewish traffickers, and Pulpit points to Roman colonists provisioning the army. The text does not say.
12

So the demons begged Jesus, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.”

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kai parekalesan auton legontes Pempson hēmas eis tous choirous hina eiselthōmen eis autous

Word by word13 · parsed
καὶkai[So]G2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
παρεκάλεσανparekalesan[the demons] beggedG3870
√ παρακαλέω — to call near, iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
parakaleō: to entreat The plural finally speaks as a plural. Gill notes some copies omit "all" and presses the point that they were humble supplicants, not from love, but fear.
αὐτὸνauton[Jesus]G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
λέγοντεςlegontesG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
ΠέμψονPempsonSendG3992
√ πέμπω — to dispatch (from the subjective view or point of departure, whereas (as a stronger form of ) refers rather to the objective point or terminus ad quem, and G4724 (στέλλω) denotes properly, the orderly motion involved), especially on a temporary errandVerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
pempō: to dispatch on a temporary errand The lexicon itself distinguishes this from the stronger sending of G649: πέμπω views the departure, ἀποστέλλω the terminus and the orders. The demons ask for the lesser word, which is the grammar of a request for a reprieve.
ἡμᾶςhēmasusG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 1st Person Plural
εἰςeistoG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τοὺςtoustheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Plural
χοίρουςchoirouspigsG5519
√ χοῖρος — a hogNounAccusative Masculine Plural
choiros: a hog Gill's reading, that they chose swine as being impure creatures like themselves, is an inference; Pulpit's warning is the sounder note, that they could not enter even the swine without permission.
ἵναhinaso thatG2443
√ ἵνα — compare G3588 (ὁ))Conjunction
εἰσέλθωμενeiselthōmenwe may enterG1525
√ εἰσέρχομαι — to enter (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Subjunctive Active1st Person Plural
eiserchomai: to enter The mirror of v8's ἐξέρχομαι. Mark's whole unit turns on these two prepositions, out of and into.
εἰςeis. . .G1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
αὐτοὺςautousthemG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
13

He gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the water.

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Kai epetrepsen autois kai ta ta akatharta pneumata exelthonta eisēlthon eis tous choirous kai hē agelē hōs dischilioi hōrmēsen kata tou krēmnou eis tēn thalassan kai epnigonto en tē thalassē

Word by word30 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐπέτρεψενepetrepsenHe gave them permissionG2010
√ ἐπιτρέπω — to turn over (transfer), iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
epitrepō: to turn over, to permit The theologically loaded verb of the unit, and our sources argue rather than report about it. JFB justifies the permission by the owners' guilt: if Jews they drove an illegal trade, if heathens they insulted the national religion. Gill answers differently, that Jesus did not destroy the herd, the devils did, and that the Creator may dispose of His creatures as He will. Pulpit reads the outcome as a lesson in comparative worth. All three are arguments about theodicy, not exegesis of ἐπέτρεψεν, which says only that He turned the matter over.
αὐτοῖςautois. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Neuter 3rd Person Plural
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
τὰtatheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Neuter Plural
τὰtaG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Neuter Plural
ἀκάθαρταakathartauncleanG169
√ ἀκάθαρτος — impure (ceremonially, morally (lewd) or specially, (demonic))AdjectiveNominative Neuter Plural
πνεύματαpneumataspiritsG4151
√ πνεῦμα — a current of air, iNounNominative Neuter Plural
ἐξελθόνταexelthontacame outG1831
√ ἐξέρχομαι — to issue (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Neuter Plural
exerchomai: to come out The command of v8 executed, in the plural at last.
εἰσῆλθονeisēlthon[and] wentG1525
√ εἰσέρχομαι — to enter (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
εἰςeisintoG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τοὺςtoustheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Plural
χοίρουςchoirouspigsG5519
√ χοῖρος — a hogNounAccusative Masculine Plural
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἡhētheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
ἀγέληagelēherdG34
√ ἀγέλη — a droveNounNominative Feminine Singular
ὡςhōsof aboutG5613
√ ὡς — which how, iAdverb
δισχίλιοιdischilioitwo thousandG1367
√ δισχίλιοι — two thousandAdjectiveNominative Masculine Plural
dischilioi: two thousand A number peculiar to Mark. Ellicott notes it as another instance of his graphic accuracy in detail; JFB observes that the legion was large enough to need two thousand bodies.
ὥρμησενhōrmēsenrushedG3729
√ ὁρμάω — to start, spur or urge on, iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
hormaō: to rush, to be urged on Singular verb, one mass motion. Gill says the possession had the same effect on the herd as on the man, so that the animals ran mad.
κατὰkatadownG2596
√ κατά — (prepositionally) down (in place or time), in varied relations (according to the case (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined)Preposition
τοῦtoutheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
κρημνοῦkrēmnousteep bankG2911
√ κρημνός — overhanging, iNounGenitive Masculine Singular
krēmnos: an overhanging cliff The article makes it a specific place, which is why the topographical notes in Pulpit and Cambridge are worth having.
εἰςeisintoG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τὴνtēntheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
θάλασσανthalassanseaG2281
√ θάλασσα — the sea (genitive case or specially)NounAccusative Feminine Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐπνίγοντοepnigontodrownedG4155
√ πνίγω — to wheeze, iVerbImperfect Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Plural
pnigō: to choke ⚙ The sea that obeyed His rebuke in the previous chapter is here the end of the unclean host. Psalm 74:13-14 and Isaiah 27:1 place the defeated monster in exactly that water; the figural link is ours, marked novel, and no commentator here draws it.
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
τῇtētheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
θαλάσσῃthalassē[water]G2281
√ θάλασσα — the sea (genitive case or specially)NounDative Feminine Singular
14

Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened.

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Kai hoi boskontes autous ephygon kai apēngeilan eis tēn polin kai eis tous agrous kai ēlthon idein ti estin to gegonos

Word by word21 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
οἱhoiThoseG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
βόσκοντεςboskontestendingG1006
√ βόσκω — to pastureVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
boskō: to pasture The keepers, named by the same verb as the grazing of v11.
αὐτοὺςautous[the pigs]G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
ἔφυγονephygonran offG5343
√ φεύγω — to run away (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
pheugō: to run away Gill suggests they fled partly to clear themselves of negligence, which is a shrewd and unverifiable reading of motive; what the text records is flight.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἀπήγγειλανapēngeilanreported [this]G518
√ ἀπαγγέλλω — to announceVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
apangellō: to announce, to report back The hinge word between the two halves of the unit. Terrified men carry the news first, and at v19 the same verb, in the imperative, becomes the healed man's commission. Mark lets a report born of loss turn into a report of mercy.
εἰςeisinG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τὴνtēntheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
πόλινpolintownG4172
√ πόλις — a town (properly, with walls, of greater or less size)NounAccusative Feminine Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
εἰςeisG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τοὺςtousG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Plural
ἀγρούςagrouscountrysideG68
√ ἀγρός — a field (as a drive for cattle)NounAccusative Masculine Plural
agros: a field City and farmland together: JFB notes the double witness of herdsmen and of the people's own eyes, so that the whole district had evidence of both miracles.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἦλθονēlthon[the people] went outG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
ἰδεῖνideinto seeG3708
√ ὁράω — by extension, to attend toVerbAorist Infinitive Active
τίtiwhatG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Neuter Singular
ἐστινestinvvvG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
τὸtovvvG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Neuter Singular
γεγονόςgegonoshad happenedG1096
√ γίνομαι — to cause to be ("gen"-erate), iVerbPerfect Participle ActiveNominative Neuter Singular
ginomai: to come to be, to happen Perfect participle: not an event that was, but a state of affairs that now stands, which is exactly what they will see in v15.
15

When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

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kai erchontai pros ton Iēsoun kai theōrousin ton daimonizomenon ton eschēkota ton legiōna kathēmenon himatismenon kai sōphronounta kai ephobēthēsan

Word by word19 · parsed
καὶkaiWhenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἔρχονταιerchontaithey cameG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Plural
πρὸςprostoG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
τὸνtonG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
ἸησοῦνIēsounJesusG2424
√ Ἰησοῦς — Jesus (iNounAccusative Masculine Singular
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
θεωροῦσινtheōrousinthey sawG2334
√ θεωρέω — to be a spectator of, iVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
theōreō: to be a spectator of, to gaze Present tense with the historic present before it: Mark freezes the tableau.
τὸνtonthe [man] whoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
δαιμονιζόμενονdaimonizomenonhad been possessedG1139
√ δαιμονίζομαι — to be exercised by a dæmonVerbPresent Participle Middle or PassiveAccusative Masculine Singular
daimonizomai: to be exercised by a demon Mark keeps calling him by the participle of his old condition even in the sentence that describes his cure, and then adds the relative clause about the legion. Ellicott notes that this particular antithesis of past and present is St. Mark's alone.
τὸνtonG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
ἐσχηκόταeschēkotaG2192
√ ἔχω — to hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remoteVerbPerfect Participle ActiveAccusative Masculine Singular
τὸνtonby theG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
λεγιῶναlegiōnalegion {of demons}G3003
√ λεγεών — a "legion", iNounAccusative Masculine Singular
καθήμενονkathēmenonsitting [there]G2521
√ κάθημαι — and (to sitVerbPresent Participle Middle or PassiveAccusative Masculine Singular
kathēmai: to sit The first undoing of vv3 to 5: the man who could not be held still is seated. Luke adds that it was at the feet of Jesus, and Henry reads the posture as discipleship, the delivered slave gladly sitting at the feet of his Deliverer to hear his word.
ἱματισμένονhimatismenonclothedG2439
√ ἱματίζω — to dressVerbPerfect Participle Middle or PassiveAccusative Masculine Singular
himatizō: to dress, to clothe Perfect passive participle: someone had clothed him, and the state stands. JFB's observation is the honest one, that Mark never told us the man was naked and we owe that to Luke 8:27, so this participle is unintelligible without the parallel; who supplied the garment is not stated, and both JFB's answer (the Twelve) and Gill's (clothes left by the fleeing herdsmen) are guesses.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
σωφρονοῦνταsōphronountain his right mindG4993
√ σωφρονέω — to be of sound mind, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveAccusative Masculine Singular
sōphroneō: to be of sound mind The third undoing: the screaming of v5 is replaced by self-possession. ⚙ Taken together with the sitting and the clothing, Mark's three participles reverse the portrait item by item, which is why Barnes can treat the picture itself as the proof of the miracle.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐφοβήθησανephobēthēsanthey were afraidG5399
√ φοβέω — to frighten, iVerbAorist Indicative Passive3rd Person Plural
phobeō: to frighten, to be afraid Aorist passive, and the unit's most uncomfortable word: the sane man is the occasion of terror. Benson presses it, that instead of rejoicing that a human being was delivered, they were thrown into the utmost consternation.
16

Those who had seen it described what had happened to the demon-possessed man and also to the pigs.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai hoi idontes diēgēsanto autois pōs egeneto tō daimonizomenō kai peri tōn choirōn

Word by word13 · parsed
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
οἱhoiThoseG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
ἰδόντεςidonteswho had seen [it]G3708
√ ὁράω — by extension, to attend toVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
διηγήσαντοdiēgēsantodescribedG1334
√ διηγέομαι — to relate fullyVerbAorist Indicative Middle3rd Person Plural
diēgeomai: to relate fully An eyewitness word for ordered narration. Gill spells out what such a report would contain: how at first sight of Christ he ran to meet him and fell down, and how a legion was dispossessed by a word.
αὐτοῖςautois. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
πῶςpōswhatG4459
√ πῶς — an interrogative particle of mannerAdverb
ἐγένετοegenetohad happenedG1096
√ γίνομαι — to cause to be ("gen"-erate), iVerbAorist Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
τῷtōto theG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Singular
δαιμονιζομένῳdaimonizomenōdemon-possessed manG1139
√ δαιμονίζομαι — to be exercised by a dæmonVerbPresent Participle Middle or PassiveDative Masculine Singular
daimonizomai: to be demonized Dative: the man is the one to whom it happened. The account is about a benefit received.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
περὶperi[also to]G4012
√ περί — properly, through (all over), iPreposition
peri: concerning, about The small preposition marks the shift from person to property, and Pulpit's judgement follows from it: they thought far more of the worldly loss than of the spiritual gain.
τῶνtōntheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Plural
χοίρωνchoirōnpigsG5519
√ χοῖρος — a hogNounGenitive Masculine Plural
choiros: a hog Named last, and it is the swine, not the man, that determine what the district decides in v17.
17

And the people began to beg Jesus to leave their region.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai ērxanto parakalein auton apelthein apo autōn tōn horiōn

Word by word9 · parsed
καὶkaiAndG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἤρξαντοērxanto[the people] beganG756
√ ἄρχομαι — to commence (in order of time)VerbAorist Indicative Middle3rd Person Plural
archomai: to begin Inceptive, and the beginning of a request Mark never says they finished.
παρακαλεῖνparakaleinto begG3870
√ παρακαλέω — to call near, iVerbPresent Infinitive Active
parakaleō: to entreat The third beseeching. Maclaren's contrast is exact: the men of the country, caring more for their swine than their Saviour, beg Him to take Himself away.
αὐτὸνauton[Jesus]G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ἀπελθεῖνapeltheinto leaveG565
√ ἀπέρχομαι — to go off (iVerbAorist Infinitive Active
aperchomai: to go off, to depart The granted petition. JFB draws the terrible conclusion that the evil spirits thus had their object, and Cambridge quotes Trench: their prayer was heard, He did depart, He took them at their word.
ἀπὸapo. . .G575
√ ἀπό — "off," iPreposition
αὐτῶνautōntheirG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
τῶνtōnG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Neuter Plural
ὁρίωνhoriōnregionG3725
√ ὅριον — a boundary-line, iNounGenitive Neuter Plural
horion: a boundary line, territory ⚙ The word turns the refusal into a property dispute. Our voices differ on the motive: JFB hears irritation held in check by awe, Gill hears worldly-mindedness that prefers its swine to a Saviour, Pulpit argues it was timorous fear rather than hatred, since they were Gentiles who supposed themselves liable to punishment. Mark reports only the request.
18

As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by the demons begged to go with Him.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai autou embainontos eis to ploion ho daimonistheis parekalei auton hina ē met’ autou

Word by word14 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiAsG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
αὐτοῦautouHeG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ἐμβαίνοντοςembainontoswas gettingG1684
√ ἐμβαίνω — to walk on, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveGenitive Masculine Singular
embainō: to step in, to embark Genitive absolute: the request is squeezed into the moment of departure.
εἰςeisintoG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τὸtotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
πλοῖονploionboatG4143
√ πλοῖον — a sailer, iNounAccusative Neuter Singular
ὁhothe [man]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
δαιμονισθεὶςdaimonistheiswho had been possessed by the demonsG1139
√ δαιμονίζομαι — to be exercised by a dæmonVerbAorist Participle PassiveNominative Masculine Singular
daimonizomai: to be demonized (aorist passive) The aorist closes the man's old identity. Mark names him by it one last time and then never again.
παρεκάλειparekaleibeggedG3870
√ παρακαλέω — to call near, iVerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
parakaleō: to entreat The fourth beseeching. Maclaren's whole exposition hangs on the tally: the demons' request granted, the townsmen's granted, and this one, the one we would have expected to be granted, refused.
αὐτὸνautonG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ἵναhinatoG2443
√ ἵνα — compare G3588 (ὁ))Conjunction
ᾖēgoG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Subjunctive Active3rd Person Singular
eimi: to be ⚙ The verb is the point. He does not ask to serve, to follow, or to travel, but to be with Him, which is the very clause Mark used at 3:14 for the appointment of the Twelve. Cambridge offers both motives, gratitude toward his Benefactor or fear that the enemies might return, and Gill and Benson both take the fear seriously.
μετ’met’withG3326
√ μετά — properly, denoting accompanimentPreposition
meta: with, denoting accompaniment The preposition of companionship, and the one thing denied him.
αὐτοῦautouHimG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
19

But Jesus would not allow him. “Go home to your own people,” He said, “and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy He has shown you.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai ouk aphēken auton Hypage eis ton oikon sou pros tous sous alla legei autō kai apangeilon autois hosa ho Kyrios pepoiēken soi kai ēleēsen se

Word by word26 · parsed
καὶkaiButG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
οὐκoukvvvG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
ἀφῆκενaphēken[Jesus] would not allowG863
√ ἀφίημι — an intensive form of , to go)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
aphiēmi: to send away, to let go, to permit Aorist with the negative: one refusal. Barnes canvasses the possible reasons (evidence to the people, assurance to the man, restoration to his family) and prefers the last, which is an honest "probable" rather than a claim.
αὐτόνautonhimG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ὝπαγεHypageGoG5217
√ ὑπάγω — to lead (oneself) under, iVerbPresent Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
hypagō: to go, to depart A present imperative: keep going. The man who was driven into the wilderness is now sent home.
εἰςeisvvvG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τὸνtonvvvG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
οἶκόνoikonhomeG3624
√ οἶκος — a dwelling (more or less extensive, literal or figurative)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
oikos: a dwelling, a household The counterpart of v3's κατοίκησις among the tombs. His residence is changed from the memorials of the dead to a house of the living, which is the quietest and strongest sign in the unit.
σουsou. . .G4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
πρὸςprostoG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
τοὺςtousG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Plural
σούςsousyour own [people]G4674
√ σός — thinePersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 2nd Person Plural
ἀλλὰallaG235
√ ἀλλά — properly, other things, iConjunction
λέγειlegeiHe saidG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτῷautōG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἀπάγγειλονapangeilontellG518
√ ἀπαγγέλλω — to announceVerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
apangellō: to announce, to report back ⚙ The same verb as v14. Jesus does not coin a new word for gospel work here; He takes the district's own word for bad news and turns it around. This, not the boat, is the man's place in the mission.
αὐτοῖςautoisthemG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
ὅσαhosahow muchG3745
√ ὅσος — as (much, great, long, etcPersonal / Relative PronounAccusative Neuter Plural
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ΚύριόςKyriosLordG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounNominative Masculine Singular
kyrios: supreme in authority, Lord The disputed word: Father (Ellicott, on the strength of Luke 8:39) or Christ Himself (Gill). Note that the man's own report in v20 substitutes "Jesus" without correction from the Evangelist.
πεποίηκενpepoiēkenhas doneG4160
√ ποιέω — to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct)VerbPerfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
poieō: to make, to do (perfect) Perfect tense: a completed act whose effect stands, which is exactly the man's condition as the crowd saw it in v15.
σοιsoifor youG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἠλέησένēleēsenwhat mercy He has shownG1653
√ ἐλεέω — to compassionate (by word or deed, specially, by divine grace)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
eleeō: to show compassion, specially by divine grace The verb of covenant mercy, and the last thing said about the miracle by the One who performed it. Not power, but mercy, is the content of the commanded report, which is why Psalm 66:16 and Psalm 107:22 stand so near this verse (Barnes cites the first by name at v20).
σεseyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 2nd Person Singular
20

So the man went away and began to proclaim throughout the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai apēlthen kai ērxato kēryssein en tē Dekapolei hosa ho Iēsous epoiēsen autō kai pantes ethaumazon

Word by word16 · parsed
ΚαὶKai[So]G2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἀπῆλθενapēlthen[the man] went awayG565
√ ἀπέρχομαι — to go off (iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἤρξατοērxatobeganG756
√ ἄρχομαι — to commence (in order of time)VerbAorist Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
archomai: to begin The same inceptive construction the townspeople used in v17 to begin asking Him to leave. One beginning drives Jesus out; the other spreads His name through ten cities.
κηρύσσεινkērysseinto proclaimG2784
√ κηρύσσω — to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel)VerbPresent Infinitive Active
kēryssō: to herald, to preach ⚙ Mark's own word for the preaching of Jesus and of the Twelve, given here to a man who was never allowed to join them. Cambridge calls him the first great preacher in the half-heathen district; Pulpit, that he became a missionary to both Jew and Gentile. The refusal of v19 was a commission, not a demotion.
ἐνenthroughoutG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
τῇtētheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
ΔεκαπόλειDekapoleiDecapolisG1179
√ Δεκάπολις — the ten-city regionNounDative Feminine Singular
Dekapolis: the ten-city region Cambridge lists the cities and dates the Roman refounding to about 65 BC, noting all but Scythopolis lay east of Jordan; Ellicott sends the reader to Matthew 4:25, and the name occurs only three times in Scripture. The commission's field is a Gentile federation.
ὅσαhosahow muchG3745
√ ὅσος — as (much, great, long, etcPersonal / Relative PronounAccusative Neuter Plural
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἸησοῦςIēsousJesusG2424
√ Ἰησοῦς — Jesus (iNounNominative Masculine Singular
ἐποίησενepoiēsenhad doneG4160
√ ποιέω — to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
poieō: to do Aorist. What he has to tell is one thing that happened to him, which is all that testimony ever is.
αὐτῷautōfor himG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
καὶkaiAndG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
πάντεςpanteseveryoneG3956
√ πᾶς — all, any, every, the wholeAdjectiveNominative Masculine Plural
ἐθαύμαζονethaumazonwas amazedG2296
√ θαυμάζω — to wonderVerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
thaumazō: to wonder Imperfect, and the unit's last word. JFB hopes some did more than marvel; Henry's verdict is bleaker, that many who cannot but wonder at the works of Christ do not, as they ought, wonder after him. Mark records the wonder and not the faith.

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The landing, and the man who lived in the memorials of the dead — 1-5

Mark spends five verses on a portrait before he spends one on a cure. The crossing lands Jesus εἰς τὸ πέραν, on the far side, and Cambridge notes that not even there was the Lord destined to find peace or rest. Ellicott records the divided manuscripts behind the district's name (Gerasenes, Gergesenes, Gadarenes), and Gill, marshalling Pliny, Ptolemy and the Talmud, concludes from its situation and the manners of its people that it was a heathen country. The man's address is a κατοίκησις among the μνήμασιν, a settled residence in other people's memorials; Cambridge explains that such places were reckoned unclean because of the dead men's bones which were there. Maclaren, who calls the passage either painted from life or one of the most wonderful feats of the poetic imagination, reads the address as a disclosure: all that belongs to corruption and death is congenial to the subjects of that dark kingdom of evil. Then the three perfect infinitives of v4, δεδέσθαι, διεσπάσθαι, συντετρῖφθαι, each recording a finished result: bound, torn apart, crushed. Ellicott judges the material may have been cord rather than iron, since one set is snapped and the other worn away; Cambridge sends us to Acts 19:16 for comparable strength; Barnes quotes Thomson on furious and dangerous maniacs who sleep in tombs and caves, reading the case through the medicine of 1834. The last verb of the sequence is δαμάσαι, to tame, the word for breaking an animal, and JFB sums the district's verdict: he was the terror of the whole locality. Only Mark records the stones (Ellicott), and JFB alone among our voices insists on the inside of it: terrible as he was to others, he himself endured untold misery.

ii. Two attempts to bind, and only one that holds — 6-13

The structure of the middle movement is a contest of binding. The man who broke every ἅλυσις tries to put Jesus under oath: ὁρκίζω σε τὸν Θεόν, and Ellicott notes that the verb is the one behind our word exorcise, peculiar here to St. Mark, so that the demon seeks in some sense to exorcise, though in the language not of command but entreaty. Geneva reduces it to its legal content: assure me by an oath that you will not vex me. It does not hold. What holds is two words already spoken, Ἔξελθε (v8), which Ellicott's imperfect ἔλεγεν shows was still in progress when the shriek interrupted it. Ellicott also supplies the title's history: Ὑψίστου, Most High, is the name shared from Melchizedek onward between Gentile and Jew, and had become a formula of exorcism, which is why it was ready on this man's lips. Then the name that answers a name. Cambridge hears the political weight in it: he had seen the thick and serried ranks of a Roman legion, that fearful instrument of oppression; JFB reckons the number indefinite but large enough to rush into two thousand swine; Henry and Gill both use it to count the enemy. Four times in this narrative someone beseeches, as Maclaren observes, and here two of the four fall: not out of the region (v10), and into the swine (v12). JFB frankly labels his reconstruction of the demons' motive a guess ("Had they spoken out all their mind, perhaps this would have been it"), and Gill's reading, that they chose the swine as being impure creatures like themselves, is inference too. What the text gives is ἐπέτρεψεν, He turned it over to them, and then the herd's single verb ὥρμησεν, rushed, down τοῦ κρημνοῦ, the definite cliff that Pulpit and Cambridge both locate on the ground. Pulpit draws the balance: by this Christ shows of how little worth are earthly possessions when set against the souls of men. On whether the permission was just, JFB answers by the owners' guilt, Gill by the Lord's proprietorship of all creatures, and both are arguing, not reporting.

iii. Two requests refused, and a preacher sent to the ten cities — 14-20

The last movement is built of verbs of report. The herdsmen ἀπήγγειλαν (v14), the eyewitnesses διηγήσαντο (v16), and at v19 Jesus commands the healed man ἀπάγγειλον, the very verb the swineherds used in their panic, now turned into a commission. Between them stands the picture in v15: καθήμενον, ἱματισμένον, σωφρονοῦντα, sitting, clothed, sound-minded. Barnes makes it the proof of the miracle, that to see him all at once peaceful, calm, and rational was proof that it was the power of God only that had done it; JFB points out that Mark never told us the man was naked, and that we owe the clothing's significance to Luke, calling this a striking case of Undesigned Coincidences; Ellicott notes the antithesis of past and present state is St. Mark's alone. The fear that follows is read differently by our voices: Barnes takes it as awe, as in the presence of God, while JFB hears other feelings of a darker kind, and Gill thinks they dreaded a judge and said not one word about their swine. Then the third and fourth requests. Cambridge quotes Trench on the town's: and their prayer was heard: He did depart; He took them at their word; and let them alone. Maclaren weighs the man's: two of the requests are granted, one is refused, and it is the one we might have expected to be granted. Benson gives the reason our sources agree on, that it was proper to leave him in that country as a witness of the power and goodness of his deliverer, and Cambridge calls him the first great preacher in the half-heathen district. Ellicott adds the honest textual note that the Κύριος of v19 must be taken in its Old Testament sense, of the Father, since Luke 8:39 has God. The man's obedience at v20 quietly overshoots the command: Gill observes that instead of saying the Lord had done them, he attributed them to Jesus.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

⚙ This is the tool's own fallible reading, offered to be tested. Read the unit as a story about binding. Every party in it is trying to hold something. The district tries to hold the man with ἁλύσεσιν καὶ πέδαις and fails so often that it gives up (Ellicott). The man, or the legion in him, tries to hold Jesus with an oath, ὁρκίζω σε, the strongest binding a first-century tongue knew, invoking the highest name available (Ellicott shows it was the stock exorcistic formula), and fails in a single verse. The demons try to hold their ground, begging not to be sent out of the χώρα, and are given a tenancy that lasts perhaps a minute before the sea takes it. The townspeople try to hold their borders, and get exactly what they ask for: He goes. Only one binding in the whole unit holds, and it is a word: Ἔξελθε. Notice, then, what Jesus does with the one man who wants to be bound to Him. The healed man's request in v18, ἵνα ᾖ μετ’ αὐτοῦ, is in substance the clause Mark used at 3:14 for the calling of the Twelve, that they might be with Him. It is refused, and the refusal is not a lesser calling but the same calling given a harder field: ἀπάγγειλον, report, the swineherds' own word of terror repurposed as gospel, and then κηρύσσειν in v20, the verb Mark used of Jesus' own preaching in 1:14. The unit therefore ends with a man who is not with Jesus and is doing Jesus' work, in a district that asked Jesus to leave. If that is right, the consolation here is not proximity but commission, and the most searching sentence in the passage is not the demons' plea but the townspeople's: a request Jesus grants.

Every chain in this story breaks except the one made of a single word (this is the tool's own reading, not a verse).

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The synoptic triple witness, and the herd that names it verbal / quotation: confirmed

Matthew 8:28-34 and Luke 8:26-39 tell the same event, and the Verifier's strongest computed links are to Matthew 8:32 and Luke 8:33, sharing ἐξέρχομαι (G1831) and, decisively, ἀγέλη (G34), a word the Verifier finds in only seven verses of the New Testament and which occurs in this unit at vv11 and 13. The entry printed at Mark 5:1 under the tag JFB, which also carries Poole's annotations, records the older observation plainly: this famous piece of history hath the testimony of three evangelists. The differences are real and our voices do not hide them. Ellicott and Cambridge both note that Mark and Luke report one demoniac where Matthew has two; JFB concedes it is difficult to see how the principal details here given could apply to more than one case; Gill and Benson suppose Mark records the fiercer of the two. JFB separately shows the dependence running the other way, that Mark's "clothed" in v15 is only intelligible because Luke 8:27 tells us the man wore none.

Matthew 8:32 · Luke 8:33 · Matthew 8:28

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexemes G34 ἀγέλη (rare, in 7 vv) and G1831 ἐξέρχομαι (in 212 vv) with Matthew 8:32 and Luke 8:33, plus G5561 χώρα (in 28 vv) and G4008 πέραν (in 24 vv) with Matthew 8:28. Greek to Greek within the synoptic tradition; the rare lexeme ἀγέλη carries the verbal tier. No quotation is claimed, only shared wording in parallel accounts.

"Legion": the only other place the word is spoken verbal / quotation: confirmed

λεγιών (G3003) is a Latin loanword, and the Verifier finds it in just four verses of the New Testament. One of them is Matthew 26:53, where Jesus tells Peter in Gethsemane that He could ask the Father and be given more than twelve legions of angels. The two occurrences frame the same authority from opposite ends: here a legion is dispossessed by a word without any army, there an available army is declined. Cambridge supplies the political texture of the word, that he had seen the thick and serried ranks of a Roman legion, that fearful instrument of oppression; JFB and Gill assemble the varying numbers a legion held and both conclude the sense is an indefinitely large one. The Verifier's shared basis with Matthew 26:53 also includes παρακαλέω (G3870), the unit's fourfold "besought" that Maclaren uses to divide the narrative.

Matthew 26:53

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexemes G3003 λεγεών (rare, in 4 vv), G3870 παρακαλέω (in 105 vv), G1410 δύναμαι (in 201 vv). Greek to Greek; the rarity of λεγεών carries the verbal tier. The link is lexical, not a quotation, and the thematic pairing of the two legions is the tool's own reading.

Torn apart: a two-verse word verbal / quotation: confirmed

διασπάω (G1288), the verb for what this man did to his chains in v4, occurs in only two verses of the New Testament. The other is Acts 23:10, where the tribune snatches Paul out of the council lest he be torn in pieces. The usage is exactly inverted: in Acts a man is nearly torn apart by a crowd, in Mark a crowd's ironwork is torn apart by a man. Ellicott, weighing the two verbs of v4, suggests the bonds may have been cords rather than metal since one kind is snapped and the other worn away; Cambridge points to Acts 19:16 for a comparable display of strength, which is a second Lukan parallel to the same phenomenon.

Acts 23:10

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G1288 διασπάω (rare, in 2 vv, the only two New Testament occurrences), with G5259 ὑπό and G4183 πολύς. Greek to Greek. Acts 19:16 is added on Cambridge's own citation, not on a computed lexeme, and carries no verbal claim.

A far country, and a man sent to feed swine structural / thematic: confirmed

The Verifier links this unit to Luke 15:15 through two words: χώρα (G5561), the region of vv1 and 10, and βόσκω (G1006), the feeding of vv11 and 14, found in only nine verses. In the parable the younger son goes into a far χώρα and is sent into the fields to βόσκειν χοίρους; here a man in a far χώρα among χοίροι is restored, clothed, and sent home εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου (v19). Gill's reading of v15 as an emblem of conversion, in which the man once naked is now clothed and once wandering now sits, runs along the same line, and Cambridge notes that the clothing is a detail we owe to Luke. We tier this thematic rather than verbal on purpose: the shared words are real, but the resonance between a parable and a miracle is a reading, not a citation, and nothing in the text says Mark or Luke intended it.

Luke 15:15

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexemes G5561 χώρα (in 28 vv, twice) and G1006 βόσκω (in 9 vv). Greek to Greek, so a verbal basis exists, but the claim made here is a shared motif (far country, swine, clothing, return home) and is deliberately tiered down from verbal.

Sitting among the graves and eating swine's flesh structural / thematic: confirmed

Isaiah 65:4 describes a rebellious people who sit among the graves and eat swine's flesh, and Isaiah 66:3 and 66:17 return to the same pairing of tombs and swine as the emblem of a defiled cult. That is the exact double uncleanness Mark assembles: a man whose κατοίκησις is in the μνήμασιν (v3) and a ἀγέλη χοίρων grazing on the same hillside (v11). Leviticus 11:7 and Deuteronomy 14:8 are the statutes that make the swine unclean in the first place, and Gill invokes Deuteronomy 14:8 directly when defending the herd's destruction, while Cambridge observes that if the owners were only in part Jews, who merely trafficked in these animals, still they were not justified before the Law. Cambridge also cites Numbers 19:11 and 19:16 for the uncleanness of contact with the dead. No formal quotation is made or implied; what we record is that Mark's scene is built out of the Torah's categories of uncleanness and Isaiah's picture of them.

Isaiah 65:4 · Leviticus 11:7 · Deuteronomy 14:8 · Numbers 19:16 · Isaiah 66:17

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek unit to Hebrew texts), so no shared Strong's number is possible and no verbal tier is available. The recorded basis is a shared motif and legal category: graves plus swine's flesh (Isaiah 65:4; 66:3, 17), swine declared unclean (Leviticus 11:7; Deuteronomy 14:8, cited by Gill at Mark 5:13), and corpse-uncleanness (Numbers 19:11, 16, cited by Cambridge at Mark 5:2).

The sea as the place where the monster ends typological

Psalm 74:13-14 has God breaking the heads of the sea monsters in the waters, and Isaiah 27:1 has the Lord slaying the dragon that is in the sea. Mark has just shown Jesus rebuking that sea, and now the unclean host ends εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, drowned in it. Read figurally, the geography preaches: the waters that could not resist His voice become the grave of what defied it. We mark this typological and, so far as our sources go, novel in this pairing. None of the eleven commentators in this brief makes the connection; Gill and Geneva instead debate which body of water was involved, Geneva quoting Strabo on a polluted pool at Gadara and Gill weighing the Talmudic whirlpool of Gadara against the lake of Tiberias. Pulpit stays with what the act demonstrates morally, that earthly possessions weigh little against the souls of men. The figural reading is ours and should be tested, not leaned on.

Psalm 74:13 · Isaiah 27:1

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew): no shared Strong's number is possible, so no verbal claim is made. The basis is a figural reading of a shared image, the sea as the place of the defeated monster (Psalm 74:13-14; Isaiah 27:1), against Mark's θάλασσα in vv1 and 13. Novel rather than widely-held: no commentator in this unit's sources draws it.

Tell them how much the Lord has done for you structural / thematic: confirmed

At v19 Jesus commands ἀπάγγειλον αὐτοῖς ὅσα ὁ Κύριός σοι πεποίηκεν, and the shape of that sentence is the shape of the Psalms of testimony. Psalm 66:16 calls the hearers to come and hear what God has done for the speaker's soul, and Psalm 107:22 sends the delivered, including those who went down to the sea, to declare His works with rejoicing. This is not our own pairing: Barnes, commenting on v20, points the reader to Psalm 66:16 by name. Ellicott adds the necessary caution on the word itself, that Κύριος here, with God as its equivalent in Luke 8:39, must be taken in its Old Testament sense, of the Father and not of the Lord Jesus, which makes the Psalm parallel tighter and the man's substitution at v20 (Gill: he attributed them to Jesus) the more striking.

Psalm 66:16 · Psalm 107:22

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew): no shared Strong's number is possible, so no verbal tier is available. The basis is a shared speech-form, the delivered man commanded to recount what God has done for him, and the provenance is explicit: Barnes cites Psalm 66:16 at Mark 5:20.

"Legion" as coded speech about Rome flagged: verify source

A widely repeated modern reading takes λεγιών as a deliberate political signal, the occupying army named in a Gentile district, with the herd's plunge into the sea as its figure. The raw material is in our sources: Cambridge writes of that fearful instrument of oppression, that sign of terror and fear to the conquered nations, and Pulpit notes that the Decapolis had been colonized by Rome some sixty years before Christ and that swine were bred there for provisioning the Roman army. But none of our eleven commentators draws the political conclusion; for JFB, Gill and Henry the word supplies only number and malice. We therefore flag the reading rather than assert it: the lexical fact is certain, the political intent is not attested in any source before us, and we cannot verify its provenance from this brief.

Mark 5:9

basis: Contested provenance. The lexical datum is firm (G3003 λεγεών, in 4 vv, a Latin military loanword) and Cambridge and Pulpit supply the Roman context, but no source in this unit's brief asserts an intended political reference. Flagged pending a citable source rather than tiered.

"That he might be with Him": the clause of the Twelve, refused structural / thematic: confirmed

The healed man's petition at v18 is ἵνα ᾖ μετ’ αὐτοῦ, that he might be with Him. At Mark 3:14, appointing the Twelve, Mark writes ἵνα ὦσιν μετ’ αὐτοῦ, that they might be with Him: the same conjunction, the same verb of being, the same preposition, changed only from plural to singular. We checked the pair with the Verifier and report its result honestly: the shared lexemes are ἵνα (G2443) and μετά (G3326), both extremely common, so the link cannot rest on rare vocabulary and is tiered structural rather than verbal. What carries it is the identity of the clause. If the reading holds, the refusal in v19 is not a lesser place but the same appointment given a Gentile field, which is exactly how Benson, JFB, Cambridge and Pulpit all read the sending, and it is confirmed by Mark's own choice of κηρύσσειν at v20, the verb he uses of Jesus' preaching. The clause identity is the tool's observation, not a claim any commentator in this brief makes.

Mark 3:14

basis: Verifier pair check (Mark 5:18 / Mark 3:14) returns structural / thematic, basis: shared lexemes G2443 ἵνα (in 626 vv) and G3326 μετά (in 440 vv). Both are common, so no verbal tier is claimed; the recorded basis is the identical purpose clause ἵνα ᾖ / ὦσιν μετ’ αὐτοῦ within one Gospel.

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The Lord of demons: named by His enemies, obeyed without a ritual ancient/widely-held

⚙ The unit's Christology is spoken by the wrong mouth and is nonetheless exact. Υἱὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ Ὑψίστου: Ellicott traces this name from Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18) and Balaam (Numbers 24:16) through the Psalms and Daniel, the name held in common by Gentile and Jew, and notes that it had hardened into a formula of exorcism, which is why it lay ready on this man's tongue. Gill presses the confession: the devils own the being of a God and his supreme government, and confess Jesus of Nazareth to be the Son of God according to his divine nature, yet have nothing to do with him as a Saviour. Pulpit infers from the scene that after these miracles there was a general belief amongst the hosts of evil that he was indeed the Son of God, the Messiah. The demonstration is the manner of it: no name invoked, no adjuration, no chain, only Ἔξελθε. Maclaren titles the whole passage THE LORD OF DEMONS, and Henry draws the pastoral consequence, that in the Lord and in the power of his might we shall be able to stand against them, though there are legions of them. This is the ancient and widely-held reading, and our voices state it with one accord.

Mark 5:7 · Mark 5:8 · Genesis 14:18 · James 2:19

Clothed, seated, in his right mind: the restored image ancient/widely-held

⚙ Mark's three participles in v15, καθήμενον, ἱματισμένον, σωφρονοῦντα, undo the portrait of vv3 to 5 item by item: the restless one sits, the naked one is clothed, the shrieking one is sound-minded. Barnes makes this the evidential centre of the miracle, that to see him all at once peaceful, calm, and rational was proof that it was the power of God only that had done it. Luke adds that he sat at the feet of Jesus, and Henry reads the posture as discipleship: when the vilest transgressor is delivered by the power of Jesus from the bondage of Satan, he will gladly sit at the feet of his Deliverer, and hear his word. Gill develops the same figure at length, the man once naked now clothed with a righteousness not his own. ⚙ Our own addition is only this: the clothing is supplied by someone, and JFB's guess that it came from among the Twelve is a guess, honestly labelled. What the text asserts is that the salvation shows itself as a man returned to his senses, his clothes, and his household (v19), which is what redemption looks like when it is finished rather than merely begun. The redemptive-historical reading is widely held; the detail about the garment's provenance is not a fact.

Mark 5:15 · Luke 8:35

The refused request: sent, not kept ancient/widely-held

⚙ The healed man's petition in v18, ἵνα ᾖ μετ’ αὐτοῦ, is in substance the clause Mark used at 3:14 when Jesus appointed the Twelve that they might be with Him. It is denied, and the denial is a sending. Maclaren, who organizes the whole narrative around its four requests, marks the strangeness: two of the requests are granted, one is refused, and the refused one is the one we might have expected to be granted. Benson gives the purpose our sources agree on, that it was proper to leave him in that country as a witness of the power and goodness of his deliverer; JFB judges it a far nobler calling than following Him where nobody had ever heard of him; Cambridge notes the reversal of Jesus' usual command to silence, that on this man He enjoined publicity, appointing him a living memorial of His own saving Power and the first great preacher in the half-heathen district; Pulpit says plainly that this dispossessed demoniac became a missionary to both Jew and Gentile. ⚙ The verbal detail is ours and should be weighed: at v19 the commission uses ἀπάγγειλον, the swineherds' own panicked verb from v14, and at v20 the man's activity is κηρύσσειν, the verb Mark uses of Jesus' own preaching. The man in the tombs becomes the first herald in the Decapolis. The substance of this reading is widely held among our voices; the lexical bridge from 3:14 and from v14 is the tool's contribution.

Mark 5:18 · Mark 5:19 · Mark 3:14 · Mark 5:20

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (c. 1905)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

⚙ Honesty notes for this unit. (1) The place name is genuinely uncertain. Our interlinear prints Γερασηνῶν while the Strong's entry behind it (G1086) is filed as Γεργεσηνός; Ellicott reports that the better MSS give Gerasenes and some Gergesenes, Gill's copies mostly read Gadarenes, Pulpit prefers Gerasenes, and Cambridge lays out all three candidate sites. We have not resolved this and the reader should not take the printed form as settled. (2) One demoniac or two: Mark and Luke have one, Matthew 8:28 has two. Ellicott, Cambridge, Gill, Benson and JFB all register the difficulty and answer it by conjecture (one was fiercer, or better known). We record the difficulty and adopt no harmonization. (3) The clothing of v15 is not explained by Mark. JFB's suggestion that the Twelve supplied it is expressly a conjecture, and Gill offers a second (garments left by the fleeing herdsmen). Neither is in the text. (4) Whether the swine's owners were Jews or Gentiles is disputed in our own sources: JFB says there can hardly be any doubt they were Jews, Gill argues the case either way, Cambridge allows part-Jewish traffickers, Pulpit points to Roman colonists and army provisioning. The justice of the permission in v13 is then argued on different grounds by JFB (the owners' guilt) and Gill (the Creator's right); both are theological argument, not reportage. (5) Cambridge's cross-references in this chapter are printed with several book names miscarried as "Mark" where Luke or Matthew is meant (for example "Mark 8:27" and "Mark 8:31" for Luke 8:27 and Luke 8:31, and "Mark 8:28" for Matthew 8:28). We have read these as the intended Lukan and Matthean references and flag the printing error rather than silently correcting the quotation. (6) Ellicott's note on Κύριος at v19, that it must be taken in its Old Testament sense of the Father since Luke 8:39 has God, is a judgement we follow but do not treat as certain; Gill reads the same verse as proof of Christ's deity, and Mark himself lets the man substitute Jesus for the Lord at v20 without comment. (7) Verse-by-verse Verifier candidates supplied all verbal thread bases; the Isaiah, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Numbers and Psalm links are cross-Testament and therefore carry no shared Strong's number, so each is tiered structural or typological with the reason stated. The Psalm 66:16 link is on Barnes' own citation; the chaoskampf reading of the sea is the tool's and is marked novel; the political reading of "Legion" is flagged as unverified provenance. (8) Maclaren's and Gill's entries are capped in the brief; we have quoted only from the text before us and have not reconstructed the missing portions. (9) The long entry printed at Mark 5:1 under the tag JFB visibly contains a second commentator's annotations as well, since it includes a chapter outline and the direction "See Poole on Matthew 8:28". Where we draw on that material in prose we name the tag and the merge rather than guess at the author, and we have anchored no voice to it; Poole therefore appears nowhere in this unit's voice list, his own entries at vv2 to 20 being only cross-references to Mark 5:1. (10) The Mark 3:14 thread rests on a Verifier pair check we ran ourselves; its computed basis is two very common lexemes, and we say so in the badge rather than dress the clause identity up as a verbal link.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)