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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mar_5:1-13
1They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. 2When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, 3and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; 4because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. 5Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. 6Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; 7and shouting with a loud voice, he said, "What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!" 8For He had been saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" 9And He was asking him, "What is your name?" And he said to Him, "My name is Legion; for we are many." 10And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain. 12The demons implored Him, saying, "Send us into the swine so that we may enter them." 13Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea.
Mar_5:1 "They came to the other side of the sea" It was probably still night (cf. Mar_4:35). The disciples had to row the boat since Jesus had completely calmed the winds.
▣ "into the country of the Gerasenes" This is the northeast corner of the Sea of Galilee, called Decapolis. This area was mostly Gentile and very Hellenistic. The Synoptic Gospels vary on the spelling : Gerasa (MSS à *, B, D, and Luk_8:26), Gergesa (MSS à cf8 i2, L), Gergusta (MS W), or Gadara (MSS A, C, and Mat_8:28). All of these were towns in this area.
Mar_5:2 "When He got out" Maybe the disciples heard the screaming (Mar_5:5) and were glad to let Jesus go first!
▣ "immediately" See note at Mar_1:10.
▣ "a man" Mat_8:28 ff has two men. Matthew also has two blind men outside of Jericho (cf. Mat_20:29; Mar_10:46; Luk_18:35). This is a characteristic of Matthew's Gospel. Mark and Luke agree there was only one demoniac (cf. Luk_8:26 ff). For further discussion see Hard Sayings of the Bible pp. 321-322.
▣ "from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him" This is an obvious account of demon possession. The NT does not discuss the origin of the demonic or the detailed procedures on how to deal with them. Exorcism is never listed as a gift of the Spirit. See Special Topics: The Demonic and Exorcism at Mar_1:25.
Mar_5:3 "dwelling among the tombs" They had landed in the area of a local graveyard. The local people had driven a possessed lunatic into this remote area. It had become his home.
▣ "no one was able to bind him anymore" He had supernatural strength.
Mar_5:4 "he had often been bound with shackles and chains" This is a perfect passive infinitive. Apparently the town's people had attempted to chain him. He was a well known local problem.
▣ "had been town apart by him" This also shows his supernatural strength.
Mar_5:5 "screaming. . .gashing himself with stones" This behavior may be linked to expressions of self destruction or to OT pagan worship practices (cf. 1Ki_18:28). The graphic information about this man's regular behavior must have come from the villagers.
Mar_5:6 "he ran up and bowed down before Him" The first term implies hostility. The second implies respect and acknowledgment of Jesus' position and authority (cf. Mar_5:4 b).
Mar_5:7 "shouting with a loud voice he said, 'What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God" One of the demons addresses Jesus. They knew who He was (cf. Mar_1:23; Jas_2:19). They even address Him with a Messianic phrase. In this case, their motive is fear (unlike Mar_1:23).
▣ "I implore You by God" This was a Hebrew idiom that means "to swear to God."
▣ "do not torment me" This is grammatically either an aorist active subjunctive of prohibition or an aorist active subjunctive functioning as an aorist active imperative, which implies "never start an action" (cf. Barbara and Timothy Friberg's Analytical Greek New Testament, p. 120). The demonic knew that judgment was coming (cf. Mar_1:23-24; Mat_25:41; Rev_12:9; Rev_20:10). The parallels in Mat_8:29 and Luk_8:28; Luk_8:31 also imply eschatological judgment. These demons apparently did not know about the two comings of the Messiah. Even "spirits" can suffer!
Mar_5:8-9 "had been saying" The imperfect tense was used primarily in two ways: (1) repeated action in past time or (2) the beginning of an action in past time. In this context only #2 appears to fit. However, if the order of Jesus' statements to the demonic are out of chronological order, then #1 may apply. Mark may be using the tense in a colloquial way because the same tense is also in Mar_5:10.
Mar_5:9 "What is your name" This question could be a Hebraic idiom and refer to their characteristics.
▣ "Legion" In the Roman Army 6,000 troops made up a Legion. This is another of the many Latin terms used in Mark. This may have been a metaphor of the degree of their control over the man. However, because of Mar_5:13, which describes the demons causing the death of 2,000 hogs, it may be literal.
Mar_5:10 "out of the country" This could refer to (1) the area of the tombs; (2) the Decapolis district; or (3) possibly to the Abyss, which is recorded in the parable of Luk_8:31. The Matthew parallel has "before the appointed time" (cf. Mat_8:29).
Mar_5:11 The herd of swine shows it was a Gentile area.
Mar_5:12 "Send us into the swine" Notice that the demons made a request to Jesus. The text does not tell us why Jesus allowed these demons to go into the hogs or why they wanted to. Possibly the demons leaving the man and entering the hogs was a visible way to encourage the man to believe that he was delivered (i.e., a visual aid, similar to putting spit and mud into blind eyes). The demons may have requested it because (1) they preferred hogs to the abyss or (2) this action would cause the townspeople to ask Jesus to leave. Demons do not do things to help Jesus!
Mar_5:13 "they were drowned" This is imperfect passive indicative. They ran off the cliff one after another!