Mark 5:12

And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. AND ALL THE DEVILS BESOUGHT HIM, SAYING ["IF THOU CAST US OUT" ( )], SEND US INTO THE SWINE, THAT WE MAY ENTER INTO THEM. Had they spoken out all their mind, perhaps this would have been it: 'If we must quit our hold of this man, suffer us to continue our work of mischief in another form, that by entering these swine and thus destroying the people's property, we may steel their hearts against Thee!...

1-20 Some openly wilful sinners are like this madman. The commands of the law are as chains and fetters, to restrain sinners from their wicked courses; but they break those bands in sunder; and it is an evidence of the power of the devil in them. A legion of soldiers consisted of six thousand men, or more. What multitudes of fallen spirits there must be, and all enemies to God and man, when here was a legion in one poor wretched creature! Many there are that rise up against us. We are not a match for our spiritual enemies, in our own strength; but in the Lord, and in the power of his might, we shall be able to stand against them, though there are legions of them. 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, who delivers the wretched slaves of Satan, and numbers them among hi...

Verse Mark 5:12. ALL _THE DEVILS_] παντες, _all_, is omitted by many MSS. and versions; _Griesbach_ leaves it out of the text. οι δαιμονες is omitted also by several: _Griesbach_ leaves it doubtful. Probably it should be read thus, _And they besought him, saying_....

See this account of the demoniacs fully explained in the notes at Matthew 8:28. Mark 5:4 HE HAD BEEN OFTEN BOUND WITH FETTERS AND CHAINS - Efforts had been made to confine him, but his great strength - his strength increased by his malady - had prevented it. There often appears to be a great increase of strength produced by insanity, and what is here stated in regard to this maniac often occurs in Palestine and elsewhere now. Dr. Thomson (“The Land and the Book,” vol. i. p. 213) says respecting this case: “There are some very similar at the present day - furious and dangerous maniacs, who wander about the mountains, and sleep in tombs and caves. In their worst paroxysms they are quite unmanageable and prodigiously strong.”...

EXPOSITION MARK 5:1 AND THEY CAME TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SEA. The other side of the sea would be the south-east side of the sea. INTO THE COUNTRY OF THE GADARENES, or rather, _Gerasenes_,_ _which is now generally admitted to be the true reading, from Gerasa, Gersa, or Kersa. There was another Gerasa, situated at some distance from the sea, on the borders of Arabia Petraea. The ruins of the Gerasa, here referred to, have been recently discovered by Dr. Thomson, ('The Land and the Book'). Immediately over this spot is a lofty mountain, in which are ancient tombs; and from this mountain there is an almost perpendicular declivity, literally (κρημνός) corresponding accurately to what is required by the description in the narrative of the miracle. Dr. Farrar ('Life of Christ') says that in the days of Eusebius and Jer

AND ALL THE DEVILS BESOUGHT HIM,.... The whole legion of them, not only their chief, in the name of the rest, but all of them earnestly entreated him; they were all humble supplicants, not from love, but fear, and with a view to do mischief: though the word "all" is omitted in some copies, as it is in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Persic versions; neither has the Ethiopic the word devils, but both are retained in the Arabic version: SAYING, SEND US INTO THE SWINE, THAT WE MAY ENTER INTO THEM. The Persic version renders it, "seeing thou drivest us from the man, give leave that we may enter into the swine": which is rather a paraphrase than a version, and expresses the sense very well. They chose to be any where, rather than depart the country; and especially than to be sent into the deep, the abyss, or bottomless pit; and they chose to be sent into the swine, as being impure creatures l...

Mark 5:1. _And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit._ Our Lord crossed the Sea of Galilee on purpose to rescue this poor man from the power of the unclean spirit that possessed him. He knew that there were many who needed him on the Galilean side of the lake, and he could foresee the storm that would threaten to sink the little ship; yet he calmly said to his disciples (see chapter 4:Verse 35), «Let us pass over unto the other side.» As soon as the great Physician landed, a dreadful apparition appeared. «Out of the tombs», an uncanny place, rushed a man, howling and yelling like some wild beast; or worse still, under the influence of Satan, who had taken possession of him....

CHAPTER 5 _ 1. The Servant's Power over Satan's work. (Mark 5:1. Matthew 8:28; Luke 8:26 .)_ 2. The Servant's Power over disease and death. (Mark 5:21 .Matthew 9:18; Luke 8:40 .) 1. THE SERVANT'S POWER OVER SATAN'S WORK. Mark 5:1 The Storm on the Lake was the work of Satan, but here the power of the enemy is more prominent. The description of the demoniac differs from Mat

MARK 4:35 TO MARK 5:43. FOUR WONDER-STORIES. The stilling of the tempest, the healing of the demoniac and of the woman, and the raising of Jairus-' daughter form one of the most graphic sections of Mk.'s narrative. These stories have clearly been often told, and the evangelist delights to tell them. They seem to rest on unmistakable history. Thus the reference to the other little boats (Mark 4:36) reproduces an insignificant detail that naturally remained in the memory of an eye-witness (_cf._ Wellhausen). Other details, such as asleep _on the cushion_ (Mark 4:38), or the command to give the little girl something to eat ...

They came to the other side of the lake, to the territory of the Gerasenes. Immediately Jesus had disembarked from the boat, there met him from the tombs a man in the grip of an unclean spirit. This man lived amongst the tombs. No one had ever been able to bind him with a chain, because he had often been bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been wrenched apart by him and the fetters shattered; and no one was strong enough to tame him. Continually, night and day, in the tombs and in the hills, he kept shrieking and gashing himself with stones. He saw Jesus when he was still a long way away, and he ran and knelt before him. "What," he said, "have you and I to do with each other, Jesus, you son of the most high God? In God's name, I adjure you, do not torture me!" For Jesus had been saying to him, "Unclean spirit, come out of the man!" "What is your name?" he asked him. "Legion...