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Mark 5:20

in Mark 5

So the man went away and began to proclaim throughout the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV

ASV

And he went his way, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men marvelled.

KJV

And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

This verse in Mark 5

Commentary

11 notes on this verse

This site's exposition

that he might be with him

on Mark 5:18-20

That he might be with him is the healed man's one request, and it is the only recorded prayer in the chapter that Jesus refuses. Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee: the man who is elsewhere commanded to silence is here commissioned to speak, and the bench resolves the reversal by geography, for in Gentile Decapolis there is no messianic-secret pressure and no crowd to misread a political Christ. He publishes through the ten cities and all men marvel; when Jesus returns to this shore at 7:31 to 8:9, four thousand are waiting, and the commentators read this man as the region's first evangelist.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers2 voices

A commentator

Prudentius

A HYMN ON THE TRINITY · Written before 410.

proposed

Behold, a legion hurls headlong the swine Of Gerasenes, and once enchained in tombs, It loudly grunts with pain. From lips possessed It had cried out: "O Jesus, Son of God, Offspring of David's royal line, we know Who you are and why you have …

A commentator

John Chrysostom

Catena Aurea by Aquinas · Written in the 5th century.

proposed

(non occ.) But although he bade others, whom he healed, to tell it to no one, he nevertheless fitly bids this one proclaim it, since all that region, being possessed by devils, remained without God.

The Medieval Church3 voices

A commentator

Theophylact of Ohrid

Catena Aurea by Aquinas · Written before 1107.

proposed

He therefore began to proclaim it, and all wonder, which is that which follows: And he began to publish.
But the man who is healed preached in Decapolis, where the Jews, who hang on the letter of the Decalogue, are being turned away from the Roman rule.

A commentator

Theophylact of Ohrid

Commentary on Mark · Written before 1107.

proposed

Therefore he began to preach, and all marveled. But see how the Savior is free from boasting! He did not say, "Tell what I have done for you," but, "what the Lord has done for you." So you also, when you do something good, ascribe …
5 more voices on this verse

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Many that cannot but wonder at the works of Christ, yet do not, as they ought, wonder after him. The Healing of the Bloody Issue. 21 And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-run:25w-of-50

And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis,....

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

(See on Mt 4:25). how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel--Throughout that considerable region did this monument of mercy proclaim his new-found Lord; and some, it is to be hoped, did more than "marvel." Mr 5:21-43. THE DAUGHTER OF JAIRUS RAISED TO LIFE--THE WOMAN WITH AN ISSUE OF BLOOD HEALED. ( = Mt 9:18-26;

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

The after-conduct of those whom our Lord Jesus Christ healed and cured when upon earth, is a thing which is not often related in the Gospels. The story often describes the miraculous cure, and then leaves the after history of the person cured in obscurity, and passes on to other things. But there are some deeply interesting cases, in which the after-conduct of persons cured is described; and the man from whom the devil was cast out in the country of the Gadarenes is one. The verses before us tell the story.
The after-conduct of those whom our Lord Jesus Christ healed and cured when upon earth, is a thing which is not often related in the Gospels. The story often describes the miraculous cure, and then leaves the after history of the person cured in obscurity, and passes on to other things. But there are some deeply interesting cases, in which the after-conduct of persons cured is described; and the man from whom the devil was cast out in the country of the Gadarenes is one. The verses before us tell the story. Few as they are, they are full of precious instruction. We learn from these verses that the Lord Jesus knows better than His people what is the right position for them to be in. We are told that when our Lord was on the point of leaving the country of the Gadarenes, the man "that had been possessed with the devil, begged Him that he might go with Him." We can well understand that request. He felt grateful for the blessed change that had taken place in himself. He felt full of love towards his Deliverer. He thought he could not do better than follow our Lord, and go with Him as his companion and disciple. He was ready to give up home and country, and go after Christ. And yet, strange as it appears at first sight, the request was refused. "Jesus did not let him." Our Lord had other work for him to do. Our Lord saw better than he did in what way he could glorify God most. "Go home to your friends," He says, "and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how he has had compassion on you." There are lessons of profound wisdom in these words. The place that Christians wish to be in, is not always the place which is best for their souls. The position that they would choose, if they could have their own way, is not always that which Jesus would have them occupy. There are none who need this lesson so much as believers newly converted to God.

The words behind it

16 Greek words

Every 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.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Mark 7:31

    Then Jesus left the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.

    it leads to

    • Matthew 15:29–31

      Moving on from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee. Then He went up on a mountain and sat down.

    • Matthew 4:25

      The large crowds that followed Him came from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

    • Mark 7:24

      Jesus left that place and went to the region of Tyre. Not wanting anyone to know He was there, He entered a house, but was unable to escape their notice.

    • Matthew 4:18

      As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

    • Matthew 11:21

      “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

  • Through

    Matthew 4:25

    The large crowds that followed Him came from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

    it leads to

    • Luke 6:17

      Then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of His disciples was there, along with a great number of people from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and the…

    • Mark 7:31

      Then Jesus left the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.

    • Mark 3:7–8

      So Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, accompanied by a large crowd from Galilee, Judea,

Where this verse is studied

About Mark

Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt, 1633. Public domain.
Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt, 1633. Public domain.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on 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; Prudentius, A HYMN ON THE TRINITY; Pseudo-Jerome, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Theophylact of Ohrid, Catena Aurea by Aquinas and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Mark.