1 tn Grk “mountain,” but this might give the English reader the impression of a far higher summit.
2 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the demonic spirits) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 sn Many have discussed why Jesus gave them permission, since the animals were destroyed. However, this is another example of a miracle that is a visual lesson. The demons are destructive: They were destroying the man. They destroyed the pigs. They destroy whatever they touch. The point was to take demonic influence seriously, as well as Jesus’ power over it as a picture of the larger battle for human souls. There would be no doubt how the man’s transformation had taken place.
5 tn Grk “joined himself to” (in this case an idiom for beginning to work for someone).
6 tn Grk “and he.” Here the conjunction καί (kai) and the personal pronoun have been translated by a relative pronoun to improve the English style.
7 sn To a Jew, being sent to the field to feed pigs would be an insult, since pigs were considered unclean animals (Lev 11:7).