Mark 5:13

And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. AND FORTHWITH JESUS GAVE THEM LEAVE. In Matthew this is given with majestic brevity - "Go!" The owners, if Jews, drove an illegal trade; if pagans, they insulted the national religion: in either case the permission was just. AND THE UNCLEAN SPIRITS WENT OUT (OF THE MAN, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently [or 'rushed' hoormeesen (G3729)] down a steep place [`down the hanging cliff' kata (G2596) tou (G3588) kreemnon ...

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 5:13. _GAVE THEM LEAVE._] For επετρεψεν, DH, three others, and three copies of the _Itala_ have επεμψεν, _sent_ them....

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 FORTHWITH JESUS GAVE THEM LEAVE,.... For the reason of this Matthew 8:32. AND THE UNCLEAN SPIRITS WENT OUT; of the man, in whom they had for some time dwelt: AND ENTERED INTO THE HERD OF SWINE; according to the leave given them by Christ: this shows not only the existence of spirits, but their going from one to another shows that they are circumscribed by space; that they are here, and not there, or there, and not here: there is an "ubi", a somewhere, where they are; and whilst there, are not elsewhere: AND THE HERD RAN VIOLENTLY DOWN A STEEP PLACE INTO THE SEA. The Syriac and Arabic versions read, "the herd ran to the rock", or "promontory", and "fell into the sea". The Ethiopic, the "herd grew mad, and was carried headlong into the sea": the sense is, that the devils having entered into them, it had a like effect on them, as on

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...