Mark 5:9-13

5:9 Jesus ¹  asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “My name is Legion, ²  for we are many.” 5:10 He begged Jesus ³  repeatedly not to send them out of the region. 5:11 There on the hillside, ⁴  a great herd of pigs was feeding. 5:12 And the demonic spirits ⁵  begged him, “Send us into the pigs. Let us enter them.” 5:13 Jesus ⁶  gave them permission. ⁷  So ⁸  the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs. Then the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake, and about two thousand were drowned in the lake.

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¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² sn The name Legion means “thousands,” a word taken from a Latin term for a large group of soldiers. The term not only suggests a multiple possession, but also adds a military feel to the account. This is a true battle.

³ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴ tn Grk “mountain,” but this might give the English reader the impression of a far higher summit.

⁵ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the demonic spirits) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷ 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.

⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate a conclusion and transition in the narrative.