Matthew 8:34
in Matthew 8Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart from their borders.
KJV
And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.
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This verse in Matthew 8
Commentary
14 notes on this verse(Verse 34) And behold, the whole city went out to meet Jesus, and when they saw Him, they begged Him to pass through their borders. They ask Him to pass through their borders, not out of pride as some think, but out of humility by which they judged themselves unworthy of the Lord's presence, just as Peter, falling to the knees of the Savior in the catch of fish, said: Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man (Luke 5:8).
This site's exposition
an herd of many swine
on Matthew 8:30-34
An herd of many swine feeding a good way off marks the country as Gentile or lawless, and the demons beg passage into it; his answer is one word, Go. The herd's violent run into the sea is the scene's testimony, the destruction the man had carried made visible, and the bench declines to moralize the swine beyond what the text gives. The keepers flee, the city comes out, and the chapter closes on its bleakest response to Jesus yet: they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts, valuing the herd above the healed. Matthew, in restraint, does not even record the healed men's state; he lets the city's request stand as the counterweight to the centurion's, the chapter bracketed by a Gentile who begged him to speak and a Gentile city that begged him to leave.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
Or; The town is a type of the Jewish nation, which having heard of Christ's works goes forth to meet its Lord, to forbid Him to approach their country and town; for they have not received the Gospel.
The town from which they came to meet the Lord, asking him to leave their district, represents the synagogue, which did not want to receive the Lord and Savior of the human race even after witnessing his divine power. He therefore returned to his own …
Otherwise; This request may have proceeded from humility as well as pride; like Peter, they may have held themselves unworthy of the Lord's presence, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. (Luke 5:8.)
A commentator
John ChrysostomHomily on the Gospel of Matthew 28 · Written in the 5th century.
proposed
And mark also His meekness together with His power. For when the inhabitants of that country, after having received such benefits, were driving Him away, He resisted not, but retired, and left those who had shown themselves unworthy of His teaching, having given them for teachers them that had been freed from the demons, and the swine-herds, that they might of them learn all that had happened; whilst Himself retiring leaves the fear vigorous in them. For the greatness withal of the loss was spreading the fame of what had been done, and the event penetrated their mind. And from many quarters were wafted sounds, proclaiming the strangeness of the miracle; from the cured, and from the drowned, from the owners of the swine, from the men that were feeding them.
A commentator
John ChrysostomHomily on the Gospel of Matthew 28 · Written in the 5th century.
proposed
Now, should any one say, "And wherefore did Christ fulfill the devils' request, suffering them to depart into the herd of swine?" this would be our reply, that He did so, not as yielding to them, but as providing for many objects thereby. One, to teach them that are delivered from those wicked tyrants, how great the malice of their insidious enemies; another, that all might learn, how not even against swine are they bold, except He allow them; a third, that they would have treated those men more grievously than the swine, unless even in their calamity they had enjoyed much of God's providential care. For that they hate us more than the brutes is surely evident to every man. So then they that spared not the swine, but in one moment of time cast them all down the precipice, much more would they have done so to the men whom they possessed, leading them towards the desert, and carrying them away, unless even in their very tyranny the guardian care of God had abounded, to curb and check the excess of their violence. Whence it is manifest that there is no one, who doth not enjoy the benefit of God's providence. […]
7 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church3 voices
The inhabitants of the city begged Jesus to leave because they were grieved and thought that they would suffer something worse thereafter. You, O reader, learn that where there is swinish life, it is not Christ Who dwells there, but demons.
(in Luc. 8.) When struck with terror, they entreat Him to depart from them, they signify a great number who, well satisfied with their ancient life, show themselves willing to honour the Christian law, while they declare themselves unable to perform it.
Then he mentions the amazement of the entire populace, and the whole city went out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood. But why? Because he had caused them a great loss. Therefore, they feared that if …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And behold, the whole city,.... The inhabitants of it, not every individual person, but the greater number of them, or, at least, a very great number of them.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
The whole city came out - Probably with the intention to destroy Jesus for having destroyed their swine; but, having seen him, they were awed by his presence; and only besought him to depart from their borders. Many rather chose to lose Jesus Christ than those temporal goods by which they gratify their passions at the expense of their souls. They love even their swine better than their salvation.
The subject of these seven verses is deep and mysterious. The casting out of a devil is here described with special fulness. It is one of those passages which throw strong light on a dark and difficult point. Let us settle it firmly in our minds that there is such a being as the devil. It is an awful truth, and one too much overlooked. There is an unseen spirit ever near us, of mighty power and full of endless malice against our souls. From the beginning of creation he has labored to injure man.
The subject of these seven verses is deep and mysterious. The casting out of a devil is here described with special fulness. It is one of those passages which throw strong light on a dark and difficult point. Let us settle it firmly in our minds that there is such a being as the devil. It is an awful truth, and one too much overlooked. There is an unseen spirit ever near us, of mighty power and full of endless malice against our souls. From the beginning of creation he has labored to injure man. Until the Lord comes the second time and binds him, he will never cease to tempt, and practicing mischief. In the days when our Lord was upon earth, it is clear that he had peculiar power over the bodies of certain men and women, as well as over their souls. Even in our own times there may be more of this bodily possession than some suppose, though confessedly in a far less degree than when Christ came in the flesh. But that the devil is ever near us, and ever ready to ply our hearts with temptations, ought never to be forgotten. Let us in the next place settle it firmly in our minds that the power of the devil is limited.Mighty as he is, there is one mightier still. Keenly as his will is set on doing harm in the world, he can only work by permission. These verses show us that the evil spirits know they can only go to and fro and ravage the earth until the time allowed them by the Lord of lords. “Art thou come to torment us,” they say, “before the time?” Their very petition shows us that they could not even hurt one of the swine of the Gadarenes unless Jesus the Son of God suffered them. “Suffer us they say to go into herd of swine. Let us in next place settle it in our minds that our Lord Jesus Christ is man’s great deliverer from the power of the devil. He can redeem us not only from all iniquity, and this present evil world, but from the devil.
The words behind it
20 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 |
| ἰδοὺ | idou | behold | G2400 → | 200 times |
| πᾶσα | pasa | all | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| ἡ | he | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πόλις | polis | city | G4172 → | 163 times |
| ἐξῆλθεν | exelthen | went out | G1831 → | 216 times |
| εἰς | eis | to | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| ὑπάντησιν | hupantesin | meet | G5222 → | |
| τῷ | to | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| Ἰησοῦ, | iesou | Jesus, | G2424 → | 908 times |
| καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἰδόντες | idontes | having seen | G1492 → | 374 times |
| αὐτὸν | auton | Him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| παρεκάλεσαν | parekalesan | they begged [Him] | G3870 → | 108 times |
| ὅπως | hopos | that | G3704 → | 52 times |
| μεταβῇ | metabea | He may depart | G3327 → | 12 times |
| ἀπὸ | apo | from | G575 → | 640 times |
| τῶν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ὁρίων | horion | region | G3725 → | 12 times |
| αὐτῶν.¶ | auton | of them. | G846 → | 5565 times |
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἰδοὺbehold
idouG2400 →200 times
πᾶσαall
pasaG3956 →1235 times
ἡthe
heG3588 →19766 times
πόλιςcity
polisG4172 →163 times
ἐξῆλθενwent out
exelthenG1831 →216 times
εἰςto
eisG1519 →1755 times
ὑπάντησινmeet
hupantesinG5222 →
τῷ<the>
toG3588 →19766 times
Ἰησοῦ,Jesus,
iesouG2424 →908 times
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἰδόντεςhaving seen
idontesG1492 →374 times
αὐτὸνHim
autonG846 →5565 times
παρεκάλεσανthey begged [Him]
parekalesanG3870 →108 times
ὅπωςthat
hoposG3704 →52 times
μεταβῇHe may depart
metabeaG3327 →12 times
ἀπὸfrom
apoG575 →640 times
τῶνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
ὁρίωνregion
horionG3725 →12 times
αὐτῶν.¶of them.
autonG846 →5565 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
Luke 5:8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.”
it leads to
- Isaiah 6:5
Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD…
- Job 42:5–6
My ears had heard of You, but now my eyes have seen You.
- Revelation 1:17
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,
- Judges 13:22
“We are going to die,” he said to his wife, “for we have seen God!”
- Job 40:4
“Behold, I am insignificant. How can I reply to You? I place my hand over my mouth.
- Isaiah 6:5
Through
Job 21:14Yet they say to God: ‘Leave us alone! For we have no desire to know Your ways.
it leads to
- Job 22:17
They said to God, ‘Depart from us. What can the Almighty do to us?’
- Romans 8:7
because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.
- Psalms 10:4
In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his schemes there is no God.
- Job 22:17
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Matthew
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Chromatius of Aquileia, TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 43.7.13; Hilary of Poitiers, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew; Jerome, Commentary on Matthew; Jerome, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 28; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Matthew and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Matthew.