Discovery BoxLuke 8:35-39 
Context8:35 So 1 the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus. They 2 found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 8:36 Those 3 who had seen it told them how the man who had been demon-possessed had been healed. 4 8:37 Then 5 all the people of the Gerasenes 6 and the surrounding region 7 asked Jesus 8 to leave them alone, 9 for they were seized with great fear. 10 So 11 he got into the boat and left. 12 8:38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go 13 with him, but Jesus 14 sent him away, saying, 8:39 “Return to your home, 15 and declare 16 what God has done for you.” 17 So 18 he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole town 19 what Jesus 20 had done for him.
1 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the people’s response to the report.
2 tn Grk “Jesus, and they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
3 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
4 tn Or “had been delivered”; Grk “had been saved.” This should not be understood as an expression for full salvation. They were only discussing the healing.
5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
6 tc See the tc note on “Gerasenes” in v. 26 for the same geographical options for the textual variants.
7 tn Grk “all the people of the surrounding region of the Gerasenes,” but according to L&N 1.80, “περίχωρος may include not only the surrounding region but also the point of reference, for example…‘the Gerasenes and the people living around them’ Lk 8:37.”
8 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 tn Or “to depart from them.”
10 sn Again there is great fear at God’s activity, but there is a different reaction. Some people want nothing to do with God’s presence. Mark 5:16 hints that economic reasons motivated their request.
11 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ departure was the result of the Gerasenes’ response. A new sentence was started in the translation at this point for stylistic reasons.
12 tn Grk “returned,” but the effect is that he departed from the Gerasene region.
13 tn Grk “be,” that is, “remain.” In this context that would involve accompanying Jesus as he went on his way.
14 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
15 tn Grk “your house.”
16 tn Or “describe.”
17 sn Jesus instructs the man to declare what God has done for him, in contrast to the usual instructions (e.g., 8:56; 9:21) to remain silent. Here in Gentile territory Jesus allowed more open discussion of his ministry. D. L. Bock (Luke [BECNT], 1:781) suggests that with few Jewish religious representatives present, there would be less danger of misunderstanding Jesus’ ministry as political.
18 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the man’s response to Jesus’ instructions.
19 tn Or “city.”
20 sn Note that the man could not separate what God had done from the one through whom God had done it (what Jesus had done for him). This man was called to witness to God’s goodness at home.
