Mark 5:9

Contemporary English Version

Jesus asked, "What is your name?" The man answered, "My name is Lots, because I have ‘lots' of evil spirits."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“What is your name?”

King James Version (1611)
And he asked him, What is thy name? And hee answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

King James Version
And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

English Standard Version
And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many."

New American Standard Bible
And He was asking him, "What is your name?" And he said to Him, "My name is Legion, for we are many."

New Century Version
Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He answered, "My name is Legion, because we are many spirits."

Amplified Bible
He was asking him, "What is your name?" And he replied, "My name is Legion; for we are many."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And He was asking him, "What is your name?" And he said to Him, "My name is Legion; for we are many."

Legacy Standard Bible
And He was asking him, "What is your name?" And he *said to Him, "My name is Legion; for we are many."

Berean Standard Bible
"What is your name?" Jesus asked. "My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many."

Complete Jewish Bible
Yeshua asked him, "What's your name?" "My name is Legion," he answered, "there are so many of us";

Darby Translation
And he asked him, What is thy name? And he says to him, Legion is my name, because we are many.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then Jesus asked the man, "What is your name?" The man answered, "My name is Legion, because there are many spirits inside me."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And he asked him, What is thy name? and hee answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

George Lamsa Translation
And he asked him, What is your name? And he said to him, Our name is Legion, because we are many.

Good News Translation
So Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" The man answered, "My name is ‘Mob'—there are so many of us!"

Lexham English Bible
And he was asking him "What is your name?" And he said to him, "My name is Legion, because we are many."

Literal Translation
And He asked him, What is your name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion, because we are many.

American Standard Version
And he asked him, What is thy name? And he saith unto him, My name is Legion; for we are many.

Bible in Basic English
And Jesus said, What is your name? And he made answer, My name is Legion, because there are a great number of us.

Hebrew Names Version
He asked him, "What is your name?" He said to him, "My name is Legion, for we are many."

International Standard Version
Then Jesushe">[fn] asked him, "What's your name?" He said to him, "My name is Legion,[fn] because there are many of us."

Etheridge Translation
And he questioned him, How is thy name? And he said to him, Legion is our name, because we are many.

Murdock Translation
And he demanded of him: What is thy name? And he replied to him: Our name is Legion; for we are many.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he asked hym, what is thy name? And he aunswered and sayd vnto hym: my name is legion, for we are many.

English Revised Version
And he asked him, What is thy name? And he saith unto him, My name is Legion; for we are many.

World English Bible
He asked him, "What is your name?" He said to him, "My name is Legion, for we are many."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered saying, My name is Legion; for we are many.

Weymouth's New Testament
Jesus also questioned him. "What is your name?" He said. "Legion," he replied, "for there are a host of us."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Jhesus axide hym, What is thi name? And he seith to hym, A legioun is my name; for we ben many.

Update Bible Version
And he asked him, What is your name? And he says to him, My name is Legion; for we are many.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he asked him, What [is] thy name? And he answered, saying, My name [is] Legion: for we are many.

New English Translation
Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "My name is Legion, for we are many."

New King James Version
Then He asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."

New Living Translation
Then Jesus demanded, "What is your name?" And he replied, "My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man."

New Life Bible
Jesus asked the demon, "What is your name?" He said, "My name is Many, for there are many of us."

New Revised Standard
Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion; for we are many."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and he was questioning him - What is thy name? and he saith to him - Legion, is my name, because we are, many;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he asked him: What is thy name? And he saith to him: My name is Legion, for we are many.

Revised Standard Version
And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion; for we are many."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And he axed him: what is thy name? And he answered sayinge: my name is Legion for we are many.

Young's Literal Translation
and he was questioning him, `What [is] thy name?' and he answered, saying, `Legion [is] my name, because we are many;'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he axed him: What is thy name? And he answered and sayde: My name is Legion, for there be many of vs.

Mace New Testament (1729)
and Jesus asked him, what is thy name? my name is legion, answered he: for we are many.

THE MESSAGE
Jesus asked him, "Tell me your name." He replied, "My name is Mob. I'm a rioting mob." Then he desperately begged Jesus not to banish them from the country.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Jesus said, "What do they call you?"

Contextual Overview

¹ Jesus and his disciples crossed Lake Galilee and came to shore near the town of Gerasa. ² When he was getting out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit quickly ran to him ³ from the graveyard where he had been living. No one was able to tie the man up anymore, not even with a chain. ⁴ He had often been put in chains and leg irons, but he broke the chains and smashed the leg irons. No one could control him. ⁵ Night and day he was in the graveyard or on the hills, yelling and cutting himself with stones. ⁶ When the man saw Jesus in the distance, he ran up to him and knelt down. ⁷ He shouted, "Jesus, Son of God in heaven, what do you want with me? Promise me in God's name that you won't torture me!" ⁸ The man said this because Jesus had already told the evil spirit to come out of him. ⁹ Jesus asked, "What is your name?" The man answered, "My name is Lots, because I have ‘lots' of evil spirits." ¹⁰ He then begged Jesus not to send them away.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

What: Luke 8:30, Luke 11:21-26

Legion: Matthew 12:45, Matthew 26:53

Reciprocal: Acts 19:15 - General

Cross-References

Luke 3:37
Methuselah, Enoch, Jared, Mahalaleel, Kenan,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he asked him, what is thy name?.... Which question Christ put, not for his own sake; for he was not ignorant of his name, nor of the number of the unclean spirits which were in the man; but partly, that it might be known what a miserable condition this poor man was in, being infested, and vexed with such a large company of devils; and partly, that his own pity and power in delivering him, might be more manifest;

and he answered, saying, my name is Legion: the Syriac version renders it, "our name is Legion"; the reason of which name is given,

for we are many: as a Roman legion did consist of many, though its number was not always alike: in the time of Romulus, a legion consisted of three thousand foot, and three hundred horse; afterwards, when the city was, increased, of six thousand foot, and six hundred horse; sometimes it was six thousand and two hundred foot, and three hundred horse; sometimes four thousand foot, and three hundred horse; sometimes five thousand foot, and three hundred horse x. Some make a legion to consist of six thousand six hundred sixty six; and others make it much larger, even twelve thousand five hundred: however, the number in a legion was many; hence the word is retained among the Jews, and is used for a large number, either of persons or things; as, לגיון אחד משל זיתים, "a legion of olives" y: that is, a large number of them; though sometimes it is used of a single person, who has others under him, as the general of an army: thus it is said z that one man should say to another,

"from whence art thou? he replies, from such a "legion" am I;--the man went to the legion--the legion heard, and was afraid--the man said, woe unto me! now will the legion slay me--the legion heard, c.''

And again a,

"a certain legion asked R. Abba, is it not written, c.''

Once more b,

"Lo! such a legion shall go with thee, to keep thee, &c.''

Upon which the gloss is, שר הצבא, "the general of an army" so called, because he had a legion, or a large number of soldiers under his command: and just so this unclean spirit is called by this name, because he had a great many more with him, and under him, in that man sometimes it is only used of a single person himself, as of a king's servant sent into a foreign country, to collect his c tax: a legion was reckoned by the Jews unclean and defiled, whatsoever place they entered into d; how much more unclean must this man be, that had a legion of unclean spirits in him! From hence it appears, that the devils are very numerous; for if there was a legion of them in one man, how many must there be in all the children of disobedience, to maintain their ground, and support their interest among them? As there is an innumerable company of holy angels to encamp about the saints, and do them all the service they can, and axe appointed to; so there is undoubtedly an innumerable company of devils, who do all the hurt they can, or are permitted to do, unto the sons of men: hence they are expressed by words, which signify number as well as power; as principalities and powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places, the power or posse of the air, the angels of Satan, the angels that sinned and left their habitations, c. As also that they are in a body, and in the form of an army with a general at the head of them, the prince of devils, and king of the bottomless pit: there are whole squadrons and regiments of them, yea, even legions; which are formed in battle array, and make war against Christ, the seed of the woman; as they did when he was in the garden, and hung upon the cross, which was the hour and power of darkness; and against his members; as they did in Rome pagan against the Christian church, and in Rome papal, against the same, Revelation 12:7, and what a mercy it is for the saints, that besides twelve legions of good angels and more, which are ready to assist and protect them, they have God on their side, and therefore it signifies not who is against them; and they have Christ with them, who has spoiled principalities and powers; and greater is the Holy Spirit that is in them, than he that is in the world.

x Alexander ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 1. c. 5. Liv. Hist. l. 8. c. 8. y Bereshit Rabba, sect. 20. fol. 17. 4. z Zohar in Gen. fol. 96. 4. & Ivare Binah in ib. a Ib. in Exod. fol. 50. 2. b Zohar in Exod. fol. 51. 4. c Vajikra Rabba, sect. 30. fol. 170. 4. & Mattanot Cehuna in ib. d T. Bab. Cholin, fol. 123. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See this account of the demoniacs fully explained in the notes at Matthew 8:28-34.

Mark 5:4

He had been often bound with fetters and chains - Efforts had been made to confine him, but his great strength - his strength increased by his malady - had prevented it. There often appears to be a great increase of strength produced by insanity, and what is here stated in regard to this maniac often occurs in Palestine and elsewhere now. Dr. Thomson (“The Land and the Book,” vol. i. p. 213) says respecting this case: “There are some very similar at the present day - furious and dangerous maniacs, who wander about the mountains, and sleep in tombs and caves. In their worst paroxysms they are quite unmanageable and prodigiously strong.” Luke 8:27 says of him that “he were no clothes,” or that he was naked, which is also implied in the account in Mark, who tells us that after he was healed he was found “clothed and in his right mind,” Mark 4:15. This is often a striking characteristic of insanity. Dr. Pritchard (on “Insanity,” p. 26) quotes from an Italian physician’s description of raving madness or mania: “A striking and characteristic circumstance is the propensity to go quite naked. The patient tears his clothes to tatters.” So Dr. Thomson (“The Land and the Book,” vol. i. p. 213) says: “It is one of the most common traits in this madness that the victims refuse to wear clothes. I have often seen them absolutely naked in the crowded streets of Beirut and Sidon. There are also cases in which they run wildly about the country and frighten the whole neighborhood. These poor wretches are held in the greatest reverence by Muslims, who, through some monstrous perversion of ideas, believe them to be inspired and peculiarly holy.”

Mark 5:5

Cutting himself with stones - These are all marks of a madman - a man bereft of reason, a wretched outcast, strong and dangerous. The inspired penman says that this madness was caused by an unclean spirit, or by his being under the influence of a devil. That this account is not irrational, see the notes at Matthew 4:24.

Mark 5:6

Worshipped him - Bowed down before him; rendered him homage. This was an acknowledgment of his power, and of his control over fallen spirits.

Mark 5:9

My name is Legion - See the notes at Matthew 8:29.

Mark 5:15

Sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind - There could be no doubt of the reality of this miracle. The man had been well known. He had long dwelt among the tombs, an object of terror and alarm. To see him all at once peaceful, calm, and rational, was proof that it was the power of God only that had done it.

They were afraid - They were awed, as in the presence of God. The word does not mean here that they feared that any evil would happen to them, but that they were affected with awe; they felt that God was there; they were struck with astonishment at what Jesus had done.

Mark 5:19

Jesus suffered him not - Various reasons have been conjectured why Jesus did not suffer this man to go with him. It might have been that he wished to leave him among the people as a conclusive evidence of his power to work miracles. Or it might have been that the man feared that if Jesus left him the devils would return, and that Jesus told him to remain to show to him that the cure was complete, and that he had power over the devils when absent as well as when present. But the probable reason is, that he desired to restore him to his family and friends. Jesus was unwilling to delay the joy of his friends, and to prolong their anxiety by suffering him to remain away from them.

Mark 5:20

In Decapolis - See the notes at Matthew 4:25.

How great things ... - This was the natural expression of right feeling at being cured of such a calamity. So the desire of sinners freed from sin is to honor Jesus, and to invite the world to participate in the same salvation, and to join them in doing honor to the Son of God. Compare Psalms 66:16.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Mark 5:9. Legion: for we are many. — Could a disease have spoken so? "No, there was no devil in the case; the man spoke according to the prejudice of his countrymen." And do you think that the Spirit of God could employ himself in retailing such ridiculous and nonsensical prejudices? "But the evangelist gives these as this madman's words, and it was necessary that, as a faithful historian, he should mention these circumstances." But this objection is destroyed by the parallel place in Luke, Luke 8:30, where the inspired writer himself observes, that the demoniac was called Legion, because many demons had entered into him.