Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 5:14
And they that fed the swine fled, and told [it] in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.
Verse 14. The swine] Instead of , BCDL, three others, Syriac, Coptic, AEthiopic, Vulgate, and Itala, read , them-And they that fed THEM fled. Griesbach has adopted this reading.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
14. And they that fed the swinefled, and told it“told everything, and what was befallento the possessed of the devils” (Mt8:33).
in the city, and in thecountry. And they went out to see what it was that was doneThushad they the evidence, both of the herdsmen and of their own senses,to the reality of both miracles.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And they that fed the swine,…. Not the owners, but the keepers of them, the swine herds, “fled”; being astonished at the power of Christ, affrighted at the noise of the devils, and terrified at the sight and loss of the swine:
and told it in the city and country; or “in the fields”: they went into the city of Gadara, and told the story of the dispossession of the devils out of the man, that had been for some time troublesome in those parts; and of their entrance into the swine, and the destruction of them: and they went into the fields, or country adjacent; they went to the “villages” thereabout, as the Syriac and Ethiopic versions render the word; or to those houses that were in the fields, scattered about, here, and there one, and where perhaps the owners of the herd lived: and they not only hasted away to the owners of the swine, to acquaint them with what had happened, in order to remove all blame from themselves, and any suspicion of negligence in them; to make it appear that it was not their fault, or owing to any carelessness of theirs the swine perished; as that they suffered them to go too near the sea side, and did not keep a good lookout, and were not, as they should have been, between them and the sea, to have prevented such an accident: this they not only did, but the affair, in all its circumstances, being such an amazing one; as the dispossession of the devils out of the man; the health, the calmness, and happy condition the dispossessed was in; the entrance of the devils into the swine; their madness, and precipitant running into the sea, and suffocation there; that they told it to every body they met with, whether in the fields belonging to Gadara, or in the city itself; which drew out a large concourse of people to see what was done to the man that had been possessed, and to the swine, and also to see the person who had done all this; and which made the miracle the more notorious; city and country rung of it: so that, as Matthew says, “the whole city came out to meet Jesus”, Mt 8:34; and Luke observes, that “the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart”, c. Lu 8:37. So we sometimes read, in the Jewish writings, of the men, or inhabitants of the field, as opposed to the men, or inhabitants of the city, who differed both in their clothes and diet.
“The garments, , “of the children”, or “inhabitants of the city”, who live deliciously, and do no work, are broad, like women’s but the garments,
, “of the children of the field”; such as do business in the field, are short i:”
and so of their food, it is observed k, that the bread, , “of the men of the field”, which the gloss explains by , “the children”, or “inhabitants of a village”, is what they put much flour into; but the bread, , “of a city”, which the gloss interprets of , “the children”, or “inhabitants of a walled town”, or “city”, is what they do not put much flour into.
And they went out to see what it was that was done: that is, the inhabitants of the city of Gadara, and those that dwelt in the villages, and in lone houses in the fields, went forth to the places where the possessed man used to be, and where Jesus and he now were, and where the swine used to feed, to see with their own eyes, and satisfy themselves of the truth of the narration the swineherds gave them.
i Bab. Sabbat, fol. 12. 1. & Gloss. in ib. k T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 37. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
And in the country ( ). Mark adds this to “the city.” In the fields and in the city as the excited men ran they told the tale of the destruction of the hogs. They came to see ( ). All the city came out (Matthew), they went out to see (Luke).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “And they that fed the swine fled,” (kai hoiboskontes autous ephugon) “And those who were feeding the herd of the pigs fled,” ran like wild for fear of the wild stampede actions of the pigs that had drowned themselves in the sea, Mar 5:13. It was this lowly kind of business in which the prodigal son engaged when he came near starvation, Luk 15:11-24.
2) ”And told it in the city,” (kai apengeilan eis ten polin kai eis tous agrous) “And reported (recounted) it in the city, and in the fields, in swine-herd huts, or in the countryside nearby,” perhaps in panic, not too certain themselves of what had occurred.
3) “And they went out to see what it was that was done. (kai elthon edem ti estin to gegonos) ”And they of the city of Gadara, and the countryside, came of their own accord to observe (examine) or evaluate, to investigate the report of the thing that had occurred,” relating to:
1 . First, the demon possessed man of their community, and
2. Second, their large herd of swine that had drowned in an “un-kosher” manner in the Sea of Galilee.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
‘And they that fed them fled and told it in the city and in the country, and they came to see what it was that had happened. And they come to Jesus and see the one who was possessed with devils sitting, clothed and in his right mind, even he who had the legion, and they were afraid. And those who saw it declared to them how it befell him who was possessed with devils and concerning the pigs. And they began to beg him to depart from their borders.’
We can compare this with John 4 when the Samaritans were in a similar position. Someone arrived telling them strange things about this man. But what a contrast in response. They too went out to see for themselves. But the Samaritans had welcomed Him with open arms. They had pleaded with Him to stay.
But when these heard the strange story, and came to find what had happened, they saw the infamous madman, of whom they were probably in some awe, sitting there wholly well and in his right mind and they were afraid. Who was this Jewish prophet who could do such things? Possibly they actually believed what the Doctors of the Law had pretended to believe, that He must be satanically possessed (for they had no Scriptures to show them otherwise). For clearly He had strange unearthly powers, and He might well use them to their harm. They knew that Jews had no love for the Gentiles, especially Jewish religious teachers.
Then they learned what had happened, and how the pigs had been destroyed. This was surely proof that He meant them no good. So they pleaded with Him to leave them alone and go. They wanted no Jewish exorcists here, especially those who used their gifts to destroy their livelihood. It was a mixture of suspicion and fear, tinged with anger and upset at what they had lost.
We commentators can easily write off the loss for it was not ours. But for the man or community who lost the pigs it was a grave loss, and an expensive one. In theory one man might be said to be worth a few thousand pigs, (although in those days that might have been questionable), but practise was a different matter. Yet they did not dare do anything for they were not sure what else Jesus could do. That is why, in the end, they wanted Him to go. They could not risk the consequences of Him staying. But nor dare they use violence against Him. Thus they pleaded with Him instead. And so for the sake of a herd of pigs they lost their chance of the word of life.
The large number of pigs suggests either that their owner was very wealthy or that the herd was a joint one having a number of different owners. It may even have been one being maintained so as to provision the Roman soldiers in the area. We may presume that Jesus knew that its loss would not devastate lives.
‘Clothed and in his right mind.’ This may mean ‘decently clothed’ rather than in dirty rags, or it may even mean he had gone about almost naked (compare Luk 8:27, and see above).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The effect of the miracle:
v. 14. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.
v. 15. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
v. 16. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.
v. 17. And they began to pray Him to depart out of their coasts. A sad sequel: pigs held in higher esteem than man. Note the pithy, vivid narration of the evangelist. The swine herders fled and announced to the owners in the city and the vicinity the fate of their property, and these came to verify the report, probably with some resentment against the man that had deprived them, even if only indirectly, of their swine. Their way led directly to Jesus, and they could now gain the conviction that the former demoniac was thoroughly healed. He that had formerly run through the hills with loud cries now sat at the feet of Jesus as quietly as anyone else might have done; he that had formerly discarded all clothing was now fully clothed; he that had formerly raved in madness now had the full use of his mind and senses. It was a sight which might well fill them with fear. And as they were standing around, the witnesses of the miracle related the entire story, the cure and the subsequent catastrophe, which had resulted in the loss of the swine. Jesus, by this miracle, had again proved Himself the mighty Deliverer from the power of Satan. This much must be evident to all. It was a visitation of mercy upon these people that the great Prophet from Galilee had come into their midst. But here it proved to be true what experience testifies to in a thousand cases: the power of the devil over the heart of man is more insidious and terrible than that over the members. The eyes of these people were not opened. They began, all of them, to urge Him to leave the country. “They took heart to desire Christ’s departure, in a conflict of fear and anger, of fawning and obstinacy. ” They spurned the time of their visitation. The Lord often tries people whom He would make His own, by sending them some form of misfortune to cause them to turn from the service of earthly things to Him. But they do not know the things that belong to their peace, they are hidden from their eyes. They feel resentment against the Lord, they refuse to accept His mercy, and choose for themselves the path that leads to destruction.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.
Ver. 14. See Trapp on “ Mat 8:33 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Mar 5:14-20 . Sequel of the story .
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Mar 5:14 . , etc.: the herds of course ran in breathless panic-stricken haste to report the tragedy in the city and in the neighbouring farms ( ). , etc.: and the people in town and country as naturally went to see what had happened. Their road brings them straight to Jesus (Mar 5:15 ), and they see there a sight which astonishes them, the well-known and dreaded demoniac completely altered in manner and aspect: sitting ( ) quiet, not restless; clothed ( here and in Luk 8:35 ), implying previous nakedness, which is expressly noted by Lk. (Luk 8:27 ), sane ( ), implying previous madness. For this sense of the verb vide 2Co 5:13 . Some take the second and third participle as subordinate to the first, but they may be viewed as co-ordinate, denoting three distinct, equally outstanding, characteristics: “sedentem, vestitum, sanae mentis, cum antea fuisset sine quiete, vestibus, rationis usu” (Bengel) all this had happened to the man who had had the Legion! ( . . ) , perfect in sense of pluperfect. Burton, 156. : they were afraid, of the sane man, as much as they had been of the insane, i.e. , of the power which had produced the change.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mar 5:14-20
14Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. 15They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the “legion”; and they became frightened. 16Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. 17And they began to implore Him to leave their region. 18As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. 19And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” 20And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.
Mar 5:14 “And the people came to see what it was that had happened” Curiosity and fear motivates the town’s people to come, even at night.
Mar 5:15 “sitting down” This is the first in a series of conditions which describe this man’s new peace and composure.
“clothed” This implies he was normally unclothed (cf. Luk 8:27).
“in his right mind” Demonic possession manifests itself in many ways
1. cannot speak (Mar 9:17; Mar 9:25; Mat 9:32)
2. cannot speak or see (Mat 12:22)
3. epilepsy (Mat 17:15; Mat 17:18)
4. great strength (Mar 5:3-4)
5. convulsions (Mar 1:26; Mar 9:20)
6. paralysis (Act 8:17)
However, not all physical problems are of demonic origin. In the Gospels illness and possession are often differentiated (cf. Mar 1:32; Mar 1:34; Mar 6:13; Mat 4:24; Mat 10:8; Luk 4:40-41; Luk 9:1; Luk 13:32).
Mar 5:17 “they began to implore Him to leave their region” This is an aorist middle indicative and a present active infinitive. This rejection was one possible reason the demons wanted to enter the hogs! The townspeople wanted the One who calmed the man that none of them could calm to leave. How different is the village of John 4. Apparently economic concerns outweighed this man’s restoration.
Mar 5:19 “Go home to your people” This is a present active imperative. Jesus was telling him to go back home. Jesus knew the presence of an apparently Gentile follower would alienate some Jewish people. By staying Jesus now had a witness in this Gentile area. He still cared for these materialists!
“and report to them” This is an aorist active imperative. Share with your people what God has done for you. Apparently he did this well (cf. Mar 5:20). This shows Jesus’ care for Gentiles.
Mar 5:20 “Decapolis” This Greek word means “ten cities.” It was a confederacy going back to Alexander the Great. This region was north of Perea and east of the Sea of Galilee. It was a haven of Hellenistic culture.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
in = to. Greek eis. App-104.
and = as well as.
done = come to pass.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Mar 5:14. , announced it) to those to whom the swine had belonged, in the city and in the fields [the country].
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Mat 8:33, Luk 8:34
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
4
The feeders saw what the swine did, but the text does not state if they knew what caused it. What happened when the people came out afterward, however, shows that they understood that Jesus had something to do with it.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.
[Told it in the country.] Told it in the fields. But to whom? To them that laboured, or that travelled in the fields? So Mar 6:36; That they may go away into the ‘fields’ round about, and buy themselves bread. From whom, I pray, should they buy in the fields? And Mar 5:56; And wheresoever they entered into towns or ‘fields,’ they laid the sick in the streets; or markets. What streets or markets are there in the fields?
“Rabba saith, That food made of meal, of those that dwell in the fields, in which they mingle much meal; over it they give thanks.” Dwellers in the field; saith the Gloss, are inhabitants of the villages. And the Aruch saith, “private men who dwell in the fields”: that is, in houses scattered here and there, and not built together in one place, as it is in towns and cities.
Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels
Mar 5:14. In the country, lit., in the fields, i.e., the villages and houses by which they passed. So Luke; Matthew is less minute.
They, i.e., the people who heard the report Matthew: the whole city.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
The town in view was probably Gergesa. The demonic had formerly been a restless raving maniac, but now he was sitting peacefully. He had been shamelessly naked (Luk 8:27), but now he clothed himself. He had been out of control, but now he controlled his senses and himself. The people’s fear arose partially from anticipating what Jesus might do with the great power that He obviously possessed.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
CHAPTER 5:14-20 (Mar 5:14-20)
THE MEN OF GADARA
“And they that fed them fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they came to see what it was that had come to pass. And they come to Jesus, and behold him that was possessed with devils sitting, clothed and in his right mind, even him that had the legion: and they were afraid. And they that saw it declared unto them how it befell him that was possessed with devils, and concerning the swine. And they began to beseech Him to depart from their borders. And as He was entering into the boat, he that had been possessed with devils besought Him that he might be with Him. And He suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go to thy house unto thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and how He had mercy on thee. And he went his way, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.” Mar 5:14-20 (R.V.)
THE expulsion of the demons from the possessed, their entrance into the herd, and the destruction of the two thousand swine, were virtually one transaction, and must have impressed the swineherds in its totality. They saw on the one hand the restoration of a dangerous and raging madman, known to be actuated by evil spirits, the removal of a standing peril which had already made one tract of country impassable, and (if they considered such a thing at all) the calming of a human soul, and its advent within the reach of all sacred influences. On the other side what was there? The loss of two thousand swine; and the consciousness that the kingdom of God was come nigh unto them. This was always an alarming discovery. Isaiah said, Woe is me! when his eyes beheld God high and lifted up. And Peter said, Depart from me, when he learned by the miraculous draught of fish that the Lord was there. But Isaiah’s concern was because he was a man of unclean lips, and Peter’s was because he was a sinful man. Their alarm was that of an awakened conscience, and therefore they became the heralds of Him Whom they feared. But these men were simply scared at what they instinctively felt to be dangerous; and so they took refuge in a crowd, that frequent resort of the frivolous and conscience-stricken, and told in the city what they had seen. And when the inhabitants came forth, a sight met them which might have won the sternest, the man sitting, clothed (a nice coincidence, since St. Mark had not mentioned that he “ware no clothes,”) and in his right mind, even him that had the legion, as the narrative emphatically adds. And doubtless the much debated incident of the swine had greatly helped to reassure this afflicted soul; the demons were palpably gone, visibly enough they were overmastered. But the citizens, like the swineherds, were merely terrified, neither grateful nor sympathetic; uninspired with hope of pure teaching, of rescue from other influences of the evil one, or of any unearthly kingdom. Their formidable visitant was one to treat with all respect, but to remove with all speed, “and they began to beseech Him to depart from their borders.” They began, for it did not require long entreaty; the gospel which was free to all was not to be forced upon any. But how much did they blindly fling away, who refused the presence of the meek and lowly Giver of rest unto souls; and chose to be denied, as strangers whom He never knew, in the day when every eye shall see Him.
With how sad a heart must Jesus have turned away. Yet one soul at least was won, for as He was entering into the boat, the man who owed all to Him prayed Him that he might be with Him. Why was the prayer refused? Doubtless it sprang chiefly from gratitude and love, thinking it hard to lose so soon the wondrous benefactor, the Man at whose feet he had sat down, Who alone had looked with pitiful and helpful eyes on one whom others only sought to “tame.” Such feelings are admirable, but they must be disciplined so as to seek, not their own indulgence, but their Mater’s real service. Now a reclaimed demoniac would have been a suspected companion for One who was accused of league with the Prince of the devils. There is no reason to suppose that he had any fitness whatever to enter the immediate circle of our Lord’s intimate disciples. His special testimony would lose all its force when he left the district where he was known; but there, on the contrary, the miracle could not fail to be impressive, as its extent and permanence were seen. This man was perhaps the only missionary who could reckon upon a hearing from those who banished Jesus from their coasts. And Christ’s loving and unresentful heart would give this testimony to them in its fullness. It should begin at his own house and among his friends, who would surely listen. They should be told how great things the Lord had done for him, and Jesus expressly added, how He had mercy upon thee, that so they might learn their mistake, who feared and shrank from such a kindly visitant. Here is a lesson for these modern days, when the conversion of any noted profligate is sure to be followed by attempts to push him into a vagrant publicity, not only full of peril in itself, but also removing him from the familiar sphere in which his consistent life would be more convincing than all sermons, and where no suspicion of self-interest could overcloud the brightness of his testimony.
Possibly there was yet another reason for leaving him in his home. He may have desired to remain close to Jesus, lest, when the Savior was absent, the evil spirits should resume their sway. In that case it would be necessary to exercise his faith and convince him that the words of Jesus were far-reaching and effectual, even when he was Himself remote. If so, he learned the lesson well, and became an evangelist through all the region of Decapolis. And where all did marvel, we may hope that some were won. What a revelation of mastery over the darkest and most dreadful forces of evil, and of respect for the human will (which Jesus never once coerced by miracle, even when it rejected Him), what unwearied care for the rebellious, and what a sense of sacredness in lowly duties, better for the demoniac than the physical nearness of his Lord, are combined in this astonishing narrative, which to invent in the second century would itself have required miraculous powers.