Luke 8:31
in Luke 8And the demons kept begging Jesus not to order them to go into the Abyss.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And they entreated him that he would not command them to depart into the abyss.
KJV
And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.
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This verse in Luke 8
Commentary
11 notes on this verseAnd they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep - In the Chaldaic philosophy, mention is made of certain material demons, who are permitted to wander about on the earth, and are horribly afraid of being sent into abysses and subterranean places.
This site's exposition
What is your name
on Luke 8:30-33
Asked his name, the man answered Legion, Rome's word for a military unit, with its weight of numberless, disciplined hostility. The herd drowned in the lake, visible proof that the demons had truly left the man.
This site's exposition
go into the Abyss
The demons fear the Abyss more than leaving the man. Bede says they knew from the words of the prophets that the coming of the Lord would send them there in the end. Wesley glosses the Abyss as the bottomless pit.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
In his sepulchral prison the savage demon had broken Fetters of iron that bound him; he darts forth and kneels before Jesus. But the Lord sets the man free and orders the devil to madden Herds of the swine and to plunge with them into …
The Medieval Church4 voices
It is shown, therefore, that from the aforesaid, according to the literal sense, seven notable points can be gathered: first, that the power of Christ's word alone exceeds the strength of infinite thousands of demons; second, that the fury of demons with respect to the …
And they besought him etc. After the violence of the besieging demon, the Evangelist here subjoins the omnipotence of the Lord who liberates. Now in this part Christ is shown to be powerful in every way, namely powerful in commanding, powerful in permitting, powerful in …
(Ep. ad Georgium.) Now the Lord ordains for each class of sinners an appropriate punishment. The fire of Hell unquenchable for fleshly burnings, gnashing of teeth for wanton mirth, intolerable thirst for pleasure and revelry, the worm that dieth not for a crooked and malignant heart, everlasting darkness for ignorance and deceit, the bottomless pit for pride. Hence the deep is assigned to the devils as unto the proud, it follows, And there was there an herd of swine, &c.
And they begged him not to order them to go into the abyss. The demons knew that eventually, through the advent of the Lord, they would be sent into the abyss, not by foretelling the future themselves, but by recalling the words of the prophets …
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And they besought him,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
The well-known narrative which we have now read, is carefully recorded by all of the first three Gospel-writers. It is a striking instance of our Lord's complete dominion over the evil prince of this world. We see the great enemy of our souls for once completely vanquished — the "strong man" foiled by One stronger than he — and the lion spoiled of his prey. Let us mark, first, in this passage — the miserable condition of those over whom the devil reigns. The picture brought before us is a frightful one.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
proposed
The well-known narrative which we have now read, is carefully recorded by all of the first three Gospel-writers. It is a striking instance of our Lord's complete dominion over the evil prince of this world. We see the great enemy of our souls for once completely vanquished — the "strong man" foiled by One stronger than he — and the lion spoiled of his prey. Let us mark, first, in this passage — the miserable condition of those over whom the devil reigns. The picture brought before us is a frightful one. We are told that when our Lord arrived in the country of the Gadarenes, "He was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house — but had lived in the tombs." We are also told that although he had been "bound with chains and in fetters — he broke the chains, and was driven by the devil into the wilderness." In short, the case seems to have been one of the most aggravated forms of demon possession. The unhappy sufferer was under the complete dominion of Satan — both in body and soul. As long as he continued in this state — he must have been a burden and a trouble to all around him. His mental faculties were under the control of a "legion" of demons. His bodily strength was only employed for his own injury and shame. It is difficult to conceive of a more pitiable state for mortal man to be in! Cases of bodily possession by Satan, like this, are, to say the least, very rarely met with in modern times. Yet we must not, on this account, forget that the devil is continually exercising a fearful power over many hearts and souls. He still urges many, in whose hearts he reigns, into self-dishonoring and self-destroying habits of life. He still rules many with a rod of iron. He goads them on from vice to vice, and from profligacy to profligacy.
The words behind it
11 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| παρεκάλουν | parekaloun | they were begging | G3870 → | 108 times |
| αὐτὸν | auton | Him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ἵνα | ina | that | G2443 → | 668 times |
| μὴ | me | not | G3361 → | 1066 times |
| ἐπιτάξῃ | epitaxe | he would command | G2004 → | 10 times |
| αὐτοῖς | autois | to them | G846 → | 5565 times |
| εἰς | eis | into | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| τὴν | ten | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἄβυσσον | abusson | abyss | G12 → | |
| ἀπελθεῖν. | apelthein | to go away. | G565 → | 115 times |
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
παρεκάλουνthey were begging
parekalounG3870 →108 times
αὐτὸνHim
autonG846 →5565 times
ἵναthat
inaG2443 →668 times
μὴnot
meG3361 →1066 times
ἐπιτάξῃhe would command
epitaxeG2004 →10 times
αὐτοῖςto them
autoisG846 →5565 times
εἰςinto
eisG1519 →1755 times
τὴνthe
tenG3588 →19766 times
ἄβυσσονabyss
abussonG12 →
ἀπελθεῖν.to go away.
apeltheinG565 →115 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 25:41Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
it leads to
- 2 Peter 2:4
For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them deep into hell, placing them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jude 1:6–7
And the angels who did not stay within their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling—these He has kept in eternal chains under darkness, bound for judgment on that great day.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:9
They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might,
- Matthew 13:42
And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
- Revelation 20:10–15
And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day…
- 2 Peter 2:4
Through
Revelation 19:20But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and…
it leads to
- Revelation 20:10
And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day…
- Revelation 21:8
But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This…
- Revelation 20:10
Through
Revelation 11:7When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them.
it leads to
- Revelation 13:7
Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.
- Revelation 13:7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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About Luke

This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, On the Gospel of Luke; Bonaventure, Commentary on Luke, Chapter 8; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Maximus the Confessor, Catena Aurea by Aquinas and Prudentius, SCENES FROM SACRED HISTORY 36.
