Mark 5:12

Christian Standard Bible ®

The demons begged him, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.”

Parallel Translations

King James Version (1611)
And all the deuils besought him, saying, Send vs into the swine, that we may enter into them.

King James Version
And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

English Standard Version
and they begged him, saying, "Send us to the pigs; let us enter them."

New American Standard Bible
And the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us into the pigs so that we may enter them."

New Century Version
The demons begged Jesus, "Send us into the pigs; let us go into them."

Amplified Bible
And the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the pigs so that we may go into them!"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The demons implored Him, saying, "Send us into the swine so that we may enter them."

Legacy Standard Bible
And the demons pleaded with Him, saying, "Send us into the swine so that we may enter them."

Berean Standard Bible
So the demons begged Jesus, "Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them."

Contemporary English Version
So the evil spirits begged Jesus, "Send us into those pigs! Let us go into them."

Complete Jewish Bible
and the unclean spirits begged him, "Send us to the pigs, so we can go into them."

Darby Translation
and they besought him, saying, Send us into the swine that we may enter into them.

Easy-to-Read Version
The evil spirits begged Jesus, "Send us to the pigs. Let us go into them."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And all ye deuils besought him, saying, Send vs into the swine, that we may enter into them.

George Lamsa Translation
And the lunatics begged him saying, Send us to the swine, that we may attack * them.

Good News Translation
So the spirits begged Jesus, "Send us to the pigs, and let us go into them."

Lexham English Bible
and they implored him, saying, "Send us to the pigs so that we may enter into them."

Literal Translation
And all the demons begged Him, saying, Send us into the pigs, that we may enter into them.

American Standard Version
And they besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

Bible in Basic English
And they said to him, Send us into the pigs, so that we may go into them.

Hebrew Names Version
All the demons begged him, saying, "Send us into the pigs, that we may enter into them."

International Standard Version
So the demonsthey">[fn] begged him, "Send us among the pigs, so that we can go into them!"

Etheridge Translation
And the devils besought him, saying, Send us into those swine, that into them we may enter.

Murdock Translation
And the demons besought him, and said: Send us upon those swine, that we may enter them.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And all the deuyls besought hym, saying: sende vs into the swyne, that we may enter into them.

English Revised Version
And they besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

World English Bible
All the demons begged him, saying, "Send us into the pigs, that we may enter into them."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us to the swine, that we may go into them.

Weymouth's New Testament
So they besought Jesus. "Send us to the swine," they said, "so that we may enter into them."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the spiritis preieden Jhesu, and seiden, Sende vs into the swyn, that we entre in to hem.

Update Bible Version
And they implored him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

Webster's Bible Translation
And all the demons besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

New English Translation
And the demonic spirits begged him, "Send us into the pigs. Let us enter them."

New King James Version
So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."

New Living Translation
"Send us into those pigs," the spirits begged. "Let us enter them."

New Life Bible
The demons asked Him saying, "Send us to the pigs that we may go into them."

New Revised Standard
and the unclean spirits begged him, "Send us into the swine; let us enter them."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and they besought him, saying - Send us into the swine, that, into them, we may enter;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the spirits besought him, saying: Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

Revised Standard Version
and they begged him, "Send us to the swine, let us enter them."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
and all the devyls besought him sayinge: sende vs into the heerde of swyne yt we maye enter in to them.

Young's Literal Translation
and all the demons did call upon him, saying, `Send us to the swine, that into them we may enter;'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and all the deuyls praied him, and sayde: Let vs departe in to the swyne.

Mace New Testament (1729)
and all the demons intreated him, saying, "send us to the swine, that we may enter into them."

Simplified Cowboy Version
There was a herd of pigs grazing nearby and the demonic spirits asked to be sent into the pigs.

Contextual Overview

¹They came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes. ²As soon as he got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met him. ³He lived in the tombs, and no one was able to restrain him anymore—not even with a chain— ⁴because he often had been bound with shackles and chains, but had torn the chains apart and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains, he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. ⁶When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before him. ⁷And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you before God, don’t torment me!” ⁸For he had told him, “Come out of the man, you unclean ⁹“What is your name?” ¹⁰And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the region.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Job 1:10-12, Job 2:5, Luke 22:31, Luke 22:32, 2 Corinthians 2:11, 1 Peter 5:8

Reciprocal: Matthew 8:31 - General

Cross-References

Luke 3:37
son of Methuselah,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And all the devils besought him,.... The whole legion of them, not only their chief, in the name of the rest, but all of them earnestly entreated him; they were all humble supplicants, not from love, but fear, and with a view to do mischief: though the word "all" is omitted in some copies, as it is in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Persic versions; neither has the Ethiopic the word devils, but both are retained in the Arabic version:

saying, send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. The Persic version renders it, "seeing thou drivest us from the man, give leave that we may enter into the swine": which is rather a paraphrase than a version, and expresses the sense very well. They chose to be any where, rather than depart the country; and especially than to be sent into the deep, the abyss, or bottomless pit; and they chose to be sent into the swine, as being impure creatures like themselves; and no doubt with a view to destroy them, that they might satisfy themselves as much as they could with doing mischief; though not to that degree they would, nor to those persons they were desirous of; and so bring as much odium and reproach upon Christ as they could, who gave them leave. The devils are unwearied in doing mischief, they cannot rest unless they are about it; and they choose to be concerned in doing it in a lesser way, if they are not allowed to do it as largely as they would; if they are not suffered to touch the lives of men, or ruin their souls, it, is some satisfaction to them to be suffered to hurt their bodies; and if that is no longer permitted, rather than be doing nothing, they are desirous of doing injury to irrational creatures, the property of men; all which shows the malice and wickedness of these evil spirits: :-.

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 5:12. ALL the devils — παντες, all, is omitted by many MSS. and versions; Griesbach leaves it out of the text. οι δαιμονες is omitted also by several: Griesbach leaves it doubtful. Probably it should be read thus, And they besought him, saying.