THE GERASENES (των Γερασηνων). Like Luke 8:26 while Matthew 8:28 has "the Gadarenes." The ruins of the village Khersa (Gerasa) probably point to this site which is in the district of Gadara some six miles southeastward, not to the city of Gerasa some thirty miles away.... [ Continue Reading ]
OUT OF THE BOAT (εκ του πλοιου). Straightway (ευθυς) Mark says, using the genitive absolute (εξελθοντος αυτου) and then repeating αυτω associative instrumental after απηντησεν. The demoniac greeted Jesus at once. Mark and Luke 9:27 mention only one man while Matthew notes two demoniacs, perhaps o... [ Continue Reading ]
NO MAN COULD ANY MORE BIND HIM, NO, NOT WITH A CHAIN (ουδε αλυσε ουδεις εδυνατο αυτον δησα). Instrumental case αλυσε, a handcuff (α privative and λυω, to loosen). But this demoniac snapped a handcuff as if a string.... [ Continue Reading ]
OFTEN BOUND (πολλακις δεδεσθα). Perfect passive infinitive, state of completion. With fetters (πεδαις, from πεζα, foot, instep) and chains, bound hand and foot, but all to no purpose. The English plural of foot is feet (Anglo-Saxon _fot_, _fet_) and fetter is _feeter_.RENT ASUNDER (διεσπασθα).... [ Continue Reading ]
HE WAS CRYING OUT, AND CUTTING HIMSELF WITH STONES (ην κραζων κα κατακοπτων εαυτον λιθοις). Further vivid details by Mark. Night and day his loud scream or screech could be heard like other demoniacs (cf. Mark 1:26; Mark 3:11; Mark 9:26). The verb for cutting himself occurs here only in the N.T.,... [ Continue Reading ]
RAN AND WORSHIPPED (εδραμεν κα προσεκυνησεν). "At first perhaps with hostile intentions. The onrush of the naked yelling maniac must have tried the newly recovered confidence of the Twelve. We can imagine their surprise when, on approaching, he threw himself on his knees" (Swete).... [ Continue Reading ]
I ADJURE THEE BY GOD (ορκιζω σε τον θεον). The demoniac puts Jesus on oath (two accusatives) after the startled outcry just like the one in Mark 1:24, which see. He calls Jesus here "son of the Most High God" (υιε του θεου του υψιστου) as in Luke 8:28 (cf. Genesis 14:18).TORMENT ME NOT (μη με β... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR HE SAID (ελεγεν γαρ). For he had been saying (progressive imperfect). Jesus had already repeatedly ordered the demon to come out of the man whereat the demon made his outcry to Jesus and protested. Matthew 8:29 had "before the time" (προ καιρου) and Mark 8:31 shows that the demons did not wan... [ Continue Reading ]
MY NAME IS LEGION (Λεγιων ονομα μο). So Luke 8:30, but not Matthew. Latin word (_legio_). A full Roman legion had 6,826 men. See on Matthew 26:53. This may not have been a full legion, for Mark 5:13 notes that the number of hogs was "about two thousand." Of course, a stickler for words might say... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE GAVE THEM LEAVE (κα επετρεψεν αυτοις). These words present the crucial difficulty for interpreters as to why Jesus allowed the demons to enter the hogs and destroy them instead of sending them back to the abyss. Certainly it was better for hogs to perish than men, but this loss of property... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IN THE COUNTRY (κα εις τους αγρους). Mark adds this to "the city." In the fields and in the city as the excited men ran they told the tale of the destruction of the hogs. They came to see (ηλθον ιδειν). All the city came out (Matthew), they went out to see (Luke).... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY COME TO JESUS (ερχοντα προς τον Ιησουν). Vivid present. To Jesus as the cause of it all, "to meet Jesus" (εις υπαντησιν Ιησου, Matthew 8:34).AND BEHOLD (θεωρουσιν). Present tense again.AND THEY WERE AFRAID (κα εφοβηθησαν). They became afraid. Mark drops back to the ingressive aorist tens... [ Continue Reading ]
TO DEPART FROM THEIR BORDERS (απελθειν απο των οριων). Once before the people of Nazareth had driven Jesus out of the city (Luke 4:16-31). Soon they will do it again on his return there (Mark 6:1-6; Matthew 13:54-58). Here in Decapolis pagan influence was strong and the owners of the hogs cared m... [ Continue Reading ]
AS HE WAS ENTERING (εμβαινοντος αυτου). The man began to beseech him (παρεκαλε) before it was too late.... [ Continue Reading ]
GO TO THY HOUSE UNTO THY FRIENDS (Hυπαγε εις τον οικον σου προς τους σους). "To thy own folks" rather than "thy friends." Certainly no people needed the message about Christ more than these people who were begging Jesus to leave. Jesus had greatly blessed this man and so gave him the hardest task... [ Continue Reading ]
HE WENT HIS WAY (απηλθεν). He went off and did as Jesus told him. He heralded (κηρυσσειν) or published the story till all over Decapolis men marvelled (εθαυμαζον) at what Jesus did, kept on marvelling (imperfect tense). The man had a greater opportunity for Christ right in his home land than anyw... [ Continue Reading ]
MY LITTLE DAUGHTER (το θυγατριον μου). Diminutive of θυγατηρ (Matthew 9:18). "This little endearing touch in the use of the diminutive is peculiar to Mark" (Vincent). "Is at the point of death" (εσχατως εχε). Has it in the last stages. Matthew 9:18 has: "has just died" (αρτ ετελευσεν), Luke "she... [ Continue Reading ]
HE WENT WITH HIM (απηλθεν). Aorist tense. Went off with him promptly, but a great multitude followed him (ηκολουθε), was following, kept following (imperfect tense).THEY THRONGED HIM (συνεθλιβον αυτον). Imperfect tense again. Only example of (here and in verse Mark 5:31) this compound verb in t... [ Continue Reading ]
HAD SUFFERED MANY THINGS OF MANY PHYSICIANS (πολλα παθουσα υπο πολλων ιατρων). A pathetic picture of a woman with a chronic case who had tried doctor after doctor.HAD SPENT ALL THAT SHE HAD (δαπανησασα τα παρ' αυτης παντα). Having spent the all from herself, all her resources. For the idiom with... [ Continue Reading ]
IF I TOUCH BUT HIS GARMENTS (Εαν αψωμα κ'αν των ιματιων αυτου). She was timid and shy from her disease and did not wish to attract attention. So she crept up in the crowd and touched the hem or border of his garment (κρασπεδον) according to Matthew 9:20 and Luke 8:44.... [ Continue Reading ]
SHE FELT IN HER BODY (εγνω τω σωματ). She knew, the verb means. She said to herself,I AM HEALED (ιαμα). Ιατα retains the perfect passive in the indirect discourse. It was a vivid moment of joy for her. The plague (μαστιγος) or scourge was a whip used in flagellations as on Paul to find out his... [ Continue Reading ]
PERCEIVING IN HIMSELF (επιγνους εν εαυτω). She thought, perhaps, that the touch of Christ's garment would cure her without his knowing it, a foolish fancy, no doubt, but one due to her excessive timidity. Jesus felt in his own consciousness. The Greek idiom more exactly means: "Jesus perceiving i... [ Continue Reading ]
THRONGING THEE (συνθλιβοντα σε). See verse Mark 5:24. The disciples were amazed at the sensitiveness of Jesus to the touch of the crowd. They little understood the drain on Jesus from all this healing that pulled at his heart-strings and exhausted his nervous energy even though the Son of God. He... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE LOOKED ROUND ABOUT (κα περιεβλεπετο). Imperfect middle indicative. He kept looking around to find out. The answer of Jesus to the protest of the disciples was this scrutinizing gaze (see already Mark 3:5; Mark 3:34). Jesus knew the difference between touch and touch (Bruce).... [ Continue Reading ]
FEARING AND TREMBLING, KNOWING (φοβηθεισα κα τρεμουσα, ειδυια). These participles vividly portray this woman who had tried to hide in the crowd. She had heard Christ's question and felt his gaze. She had to come and confess, for something "has happened" (γεγονεν, second perfect active indicative,... [ Continue Reading ]
GO IN PEACE (Hυπαγε εις ειρηνην). She found sympathy, healing, and pardon for her sins, apparently. Peace here may have more the idea of the Hebrew _shalom_, health of body and soul. So Jesus adds: "Be whole of thy plague" (ισθ υγιης απο της μαστιγος σου). Continue whole and well.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHILE HE YET SPAKE (Ετ αυτου λαλουντος). Genitive absolute. Another vivid touch in Mark and Luke 8:49. The phrase is in Genesis 29:9. Nowhere does Mark preserve better the lifelike traits of an eyewitness like Peter than in these incidents in chapter 5. The arrival of the messengers from Jairus w... [ Continue Reading ]
NOT HEEDING (παρακουσας). This is the sense in Matthew 18:17 and uniformly so in the LXX. But here the other sense of hearing aside, overhearing what was not spoken directly to him, probably exists also. "Jesus might overhear what was said and disregard its import" (Bruce). Certainly he ignored t... [ Continue Reading ]
SAVE PETER, AND JAMES, AND JOHN (ε μη Πετρον κα λακωβον κα Ιωανην). Probably the house was too small for the other disciples to come in with the family. The first instance of this inner circle of three seen again on the Mount of Transfiguration and in the Garden of Gethsemane. The one article in... [ Continue Reading ]
WAILING GREATLY (αλαλαζοντας πολλα). An onomatopoetic word from Pindar down. The soldiers on entering battle cried Αλαλα. Used of clanging cymbals (1 Corinthians 13:1). Like ολολυζω in James 5:1. It is used here of the monotonous wail of the hired mourners.... [ Continue Reading ]
MAKE A TUMULT (θορυβεισθε). Middle voice. Jesus had dismissed one crowd (verse Mark 5:37), but finds the house occupied by the hired mourners making bedlam (θορυβος) as if that showed grief with their ostentatious noise. Matthew 9:23 spoke of flute-players (αυλητας) and the hubbub of the excited t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY LAUGHED HIM TO SCORN (κα κατεγελων). "They jeered at him" (Weymouth). Note imperfect tense. They kept it up. And note also κατ- (perfective use). Exactly the same words in Matthew 9:24 and Luke 8:53. The loud laughter was ill suited to the solemn occasion. But Jesus on his part (αυτος δε... [ Continue Reading ]
TALITHA CUMI . These precious Aramaic words, spoken by Jesus to the child, Peter heard and remembered so that Mark gives them to us. Mark interprets the simple words into Greek for those who did not know Aramaic (το κορασιον, εγειρε), that is,DAMSEL, ARISE . Mark uses the diminutive κορασιων, a... [ Continue Reading ]
ROSE UP, AND WALKED (ανεστη κα περιεπατε). Aorist tense (single act) followed by the imperfect ( THE WALKING WENT ON ).FOR SHE WAS TWELVE YEARS OLD (ην γαρ ετων δωδεκα). The age mentioned by Mark alone and here as explanation that she was old enough to walk.AMAZED (εξεστησαν). We have had thi... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT NO ONE SHOULD KNOW THIS (ινα μηδεις γνο τουτο). Second aorist active subjunctive, γνο. But would they keep still about it? There was the girl besides. Both Mark and Luke note that Jesus ordered that food be given to the childGIVEN HER TO EAT , (δοθηνα αυτη φαγειν), a natural care of the Gr... [ Continue Reading ]