Discovery BoxMark 5:9-13 
Context5:9 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.
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.
