Mark 5:2
in Mark 5As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, He was met by a man with an unclean spirit, who was coming from the tombs.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And when he was come out of the boat, straightway there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
KJV
And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
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This verse in Mark 5
Commentary
14 notes on this verseThose who were in the ship enquired among themselves, What manner of man is this? and now it is made known Who He is by the testimony of His enemies. For the demoniac came up confessing that He was the Son of God. Proceeding to which circumstance the Evangelist says, And they came over unto the other side, &c.
This site's exposition
they arrived in the region of the Gerasenes
on Mark 5:1-5
Mark's portrait of the man runs five verses where Matthew gives one. He lived among the tombs and kept crying out and cutting himself with stones, and the tombs made him unclean under the law.
This site's exposition
coming from the tombs
Matthew 8:28 has two men; Mark and Luke name one. Augustine reads the one as the better known of the pair, whose condition troubled the whole country. John Chrysostom adds that Mark tells at length the case most worthy of pity.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
(de Con. Evan. 2. 24) Though Matthew says that there were two, Mark and Luke mention one, that you may understand that one of them was a more illustrious person, concerning whose state that country was much afflicted.
(Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc. et v. Chrys. Hom. in Matt. 28) Or else, Mark and Luke relate what was most worthy of compassion, and for this reason they put down more at length what had happened to this man; for there follows, no man could bind him, no, not with chains. They therefore simply said, a man possessed of a devil, without taking heed to the number; or else, that he might show the greater virtue in the Worker; for He who had cured one such, might cure many others. Nor is there any discrepancy shown here, for they did not say that there was one alone, for then they would have contradicted Matthew. Now devils dwelt in tombs, wishing to convey a false opinion to many, that the souls of the dead were changed to devils.
The Medieval Church3 voices
(ubi sup.) Who dwelt in the tombs, because they delighted in dead works, that is, in sins; who were ever raging night and day, because whether in prosperity or in adversity, they were never free from the service of malignant spirits: again, by the foulness of their works, they lay as it were in the tombs, in their lofty pride, they wandered over the mountains, by words of most hardened infidelity, they as it were cut themselves with stones. But he said, My name is Legion, because the Gentile people were enslaved to divers idolatrous forms of worship. Again, that the unclean spirits going out from man enter into swine, which they cast headlong into the sea, implies that now that the people of the Gentiles are freed from the empire of demons, they who have not chosen to believe in Christ, work sacrilegious rites in hidden places.
And when he had come out of the ship, immediately a man with an unclean spirit met him from the tombs, who had his dwelling among the tombs. This man, who was vexed by an unclean spirit and was mad to the Lord but soon …
Here again the demoniac is the people of the Gentiles, in a most hopeless case, bound neither by the law of nature, nor of God, nor by human fear. Or they are choked in hell without any touch of mercy by the rushing on of an early death; which evils many persons thus avoid, for by the scourging of the fool, the wise is made more prudent.
6 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church1 voice
Matthew says that there were two demoniacs (Mt. 8:32), while Mark and Luke (Lk. 8:26–33) speak of one. These latter chose the more fierce of them and narrate about him. The demoniac goes and confesses Christ as the Son of God. Since those who were …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And when he was come out of the ship,.... As soon as he was landed, immediately there met him out of the tombs, a man with an unclean spirit.
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
And when he was come out of the ship, immediately--(see Mr 5:6). there met him a man with an unclean spirit--"which had devils [demons] long time" (Lu 8:27).
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1857)
proposed
These verses describe one of those mysterious miracles which the Gospels frequently record — the casting out of a devil. Of all the cases of this kind in the New Testament, none is so fully described as this one. Of all the three evangelists who relate the history, none gives it so fully and minutely as Mark. We see, in the first place, in these verses, that the possession of a man's body by the devil, was a real and true thing in the time of our Lord's earthly ministry . It is a painful fact, that there are never lacking professing Christians who try to explain away our Lord's miracles. They endeavor to account for them by natural causes, and to show that they were not worked by any extraordinary power. Of all miracles, there are none which they assault so strenuously as the casting out of devils. They do not scruple to deny Satanic possession entirely. They tell us that it was nothing more than lunacy, or frenzy, or epilepsy, and that the idea of the devil inhabiting a man's body is absurd. The best and simplest answer to such skeptical objections, is a reference to the plain narratives of the Gospels, and especially to the one before us at this moment. The facts here detailed are utterly inexplicable, if we do not believe Satanic possession. It is notorious that lunacy, and frenzy, and epilepsy are not infectious complaints, and at any rate cannot be communicated to a herd of swine! And yet men ask us to believe, that as soon as this man was healed, two thousand swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, from a sudden impulse, without any apparent cause to account for their so doing! Such reasoning is the height of credulity. When men can satisfy themselves with such explanations, they are in a pitiable state of mind. Let us beware of a skeptical and incredulous spirit in all matters relating to the devil.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1857)
proposed
These verses describe one of those mysterious miracles which the Gospels frequently record — the casting out of a devil. Of all the cases of this kind in the New Testament, none is so fully described as this one. Of all the three evangelists who relate the history, none gives it so fully and minutely as Mark. We see, in the first place, in these verses, that the possession of a man's body by the devil, was a real and true thing in the time of our Lord's earthly ministry .
A man with an unclean spirit - There are two mentioned by Matthew, who are termed demoniacs. See on Mar 1:23 (note).
The words behind it
16 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 |
| ἐξελθόντος | exelthontos | when was exiting | G1831 → | 216 times |
| αὐτοῦ | autou | He | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ἐκ | ek | out of | G1537 → | 911 times |
| τοῦ | tou | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πλοίου | ploiou | boat | G4143 → | 67 times |
| εὐθὺς | euthus | immediately | G2112 → | 87 times |
| ὑπήντησεν | hupentesen | met with | G5221 → | |
| αὐτῷ | auto | Him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ἐκ | ek | out of | G1537 → | 911 times |
| τῶν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| μνημείων | mnemeion | tombs | G3419 → | 40 times |
| ἄνθρωπος | anthropos | a man | G444 → | 549 times |
| ἐν | en | with | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| πνεύματι | pneumati | a spirit | G4151 → | 378 times |
| ἀκαθάρτῳ | akatharto | unclean | G169 → | 32 times |
ΚαὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἐξελθόντοςwhen was exiting
exelthontosG1831 →216 times
αὐτοῦHe
autouG846 →5565 times
ἐκout of
ekG1537 →911 times
τοῦthe
touG3588 →19766 times
πλοίουboat
ploiouG4143 →67 times
εὐθὺςimmediately
euthusG2112 →87 times
ὑπήντησενmet with
hupentesenG5221 →
αὐτῷHim
autoG846 →5565 times
ἐκout of
ekG1537 →911 times
τῶνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
μνημείωνtombs
mnemeionG3419 →40 times
ἄνθρωποςa man
anthroposG444 →549 times
ἐνwith
enG1722 →2738 times
πνεύματιa spirit
pneumatiG4151 →378 times
ἀκαθάρτῳunclean
akathartoG169 →32 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
Isaiah 65:4sitting among the graves, spending nights in secret places, eating the meat of pigs and polluted broth from their bowls.
it leads to
- Isaiah 66:17
“Those who consecrate and purify themselves to enter the groves—to follow one in the center of those who eat the flesh of swine and vermin and rats—will perish together,” declares the LORD.
- Leviticus 11:7
And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.
- Isaiah 66:3
Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who slays a man; whoever sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever presents a grain offering is like one who offers pig’s…
- Deuteronomy 14:8
Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof. They are unclean for you, as well as the pig; though it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud.…
- Isaiah 66:17
Through
Mark 5:8For Jesus had already declared, “Come out of this man, you unclean spirit!”
it leads to
- Acts 16:18
She continued this for many days. Eventually Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” And…
- Mark 1:25
But Jesus rebuked the spirit. “Be silent!” He said. “Come out of him!”
- Mark 9:25–26
When Jesus saw that a crowd had come running, He rebuked the unclean spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” He said, “I command you to come out and never enter him again.”
- Acts 16:18
Through
Mark 3:30Jesus made this statement because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
it leads to
- John 10:20
Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and insane. Why would you listen to Him?”
- John 10:20
Where this verse is studied
About Mark
This page draws on 13 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Augustine of Hippo, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bede, On the Gospel of Mark; J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, Mark; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Pseudo-Jerome, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Theophylact of Ohrid, Catena Aurea by Aquinas and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Mark.