He asked him, “What is your name?” He said to him, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”
He begged him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
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Mark 5:9-10 sits inside this longer paragraph.
He asked him, “What is your name?” He said to him, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”
He begged him much that he would not send them away out of the country. Now on the mountainside there was a great herd of pigs feeding. All the demons begged him, saying, “Send us into the pigs, that we may enter into them.”
Parallel Translations
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He asked him, “What is your name?” He said to him, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”
He begged him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
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And he axed him: what is thy name? And he answered sayinge: my name is Legion for we are many.
And he prayd him instantly that he wolde not sende the awaye out of the countre.
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And he asked him, What is thy name? and hee answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
And hee prayed him instantly, that hee would not send them away out of the countrey.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (7)
- Luke 8:30 (v9) Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered into him.
- Mark 5:15 (v9) They came to Jesus, and saw him who had been possessed by demons sitting, clothed, and in his right mind, even him who had the legion; and…
- Matthew 26:53 (v9) Or do you think that I couldn’t ask my Father, and he would even now send me more than twelve legions of angels?
- Matthew 12:45 (v9) Then he goes, and takes with himself seven other spirits more evil than he is, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that…
- Mark 3:22 (v10) The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons he casts out the demons.”
Show all 7 cross-references
- Luke 11:21-26 (v9) “When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own dwelling, his goods are safe. But when someone stronger attacks him and overcomes him, he…
- Mark 5:13 (v10) At once Jesus gave them permission. The unclean spirits came out and entered into the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (15 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v10 That devil that played the messenger for his fellows.
That devil that played the messenger for his fellows.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv9–10 9 And he asked him, What is thy name?…
9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
Ver. 9. My name is Legion] That is, a multitude. A legion was commonly among the Romans, saith Isidore, 6000 armed soldiers: 6666, saith Hesychius. So many devils were gotten in one poor man. Let us in him see what the best of us have deserved; and, since we have escaped, offer a passover each for himself.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv9–10 And he asked him, what is thy name?.... Which…
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,
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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, , "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, , "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, Rev 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.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v9 My name is Legion! for we are many -…
My name is Legion! for we are many - But all these seem to have been under one commander, who accordingly speaks all along, both for them and himself.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv9–10 Verse 9. Legion: for we are many.] Could a…
Verse 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, Lu 8:30, where the inspired writer himself observes, that the demoniac was called Legion, because many demons had entered into him.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v9 My name is Legion. Spirits have no names, only…
My name is Legion. Spirits have no names, only with respect to our language. These devils say their name is Legion, because they are many. (Witham)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv9–10 9. Asked… What is thy name? — Christ asked…
9. Asked… What is thy name? — Christ asked the man (not the demon) his name, in order to call out his personal consciousness, and aid in restoring him to himself. My name is Legion — The demon snatches the man’s organs and answers the question for himself, giving his own name. He is a host by nature and by name. A Legion in the Roman army was a division embracing six thousand men. The demon, perhaps, assumes that name for this whole number, as being their leader. That Legion is a name for a commander of a legion among the Jews, appears from the Talmudical writings. It is not indeed to be supposed that either angels or devils wear in the invisible world the names that men give to their visible manifestations; and hence the same dark personality may enact the oracular Python or Apollo among the Greeks, the Belial, perhaps, among the Hebrews, and the Beelzebub among the Canaanites.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv9–10 9. My name is Legion] “He had seen the…
9. My name is Legion] “He had seen the thick and serried ranks of a Roman legion, that fearful instrument of oppression, that sign of terror and fear to the conquered nations.” Even such, terrible in their strength, inexorable in their hostility, were the “lords many,” which had dominion over him. Compare (i) the “seven demons,” by whom Mary Magdalene was possessed (Luk_8:2), (ii) the “seven other spirits” “worse than the first,” which our Lord describes as taking up their abode in a man (Mat_12:45).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v10 (10) He besought him much that he would not…
(10) He besought him much that he would not send them.—The words are singularly significant of the state of the demoniac as half-conscious of his own personal being, and half-identifying himself with the disturbing demoniac forces which were tormenting him, and yet in so doing were leading him to look on the great Healer as his tormentor.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv9–10 Vers. 9, 10. Satanic possession a destruction of personal…
Vers. 9, 10. Satanic possession a destruction of personal identity.
I INSTANCES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.
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II IMPORTANCE OF PERSONALITY FOR TRUE RELIGIOUS AND MORAL LIFE.
III THE RESTORATION OF THIS THE GREAT WORK OF CHRIST. M.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v9 My name is Legion.
Mar_5:9
My name is Legion.
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The legion of sin
Truly the name of sin is Legion. It is anger, malice, intemperance, murder, impurity, unfaithfulness, dishonesty, equivocation, dissimulation, falsehood, hypocrisy, ingratitude, disobedience, impatience, discontentment, envy, covetousness; it is profanity, formality, superstition, idolatry, blasphemy, and atheism. It is a repudiation of the authority, a defiance of the power, a slight to the wisdom, a contempt of the holiness, and unthankfulness for the goodness of God. It is the cause of all the error, conflict, cruelty, suffering, weeping, and woe that exist in this world. Like a foul demon, it has poisoned and polluted, blighted and cursed everything it has touched. It has caused man, the noblest work of God, to become the destroyer of his own soul, the murderer of his brother, the enemy of his God. (Arthur Thompson.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On v10 10. Besought … that he would not send them…
10. Besought … that he would not send them out of the country. In other words, “Do not send us back to the place of perdition from whence we came.” They confess the power of Christ.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v9 See, Mar 16:9; Mat 7:22 (See Scofield "Mat 7:22")
many
See, Mar 16:9; Mat 7:22 (See Scofield "Mat 7:22")
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v9 He asked him
He asked him
"And Jesus asked the unclean spirit"
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He answered him, "My name is Legion, for we are many."
One spirit was speaking for many here. He spoke of them as if they were a legion, a Roman army unit of about 6,000 soldiers. AT: "And the spirit said to him, 'Call us an army, for many of us are inside the man.'" (See: Metaphor)
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv9–10 5:9 A legion was a Roman military unit of…
5:9 A legion was a Roman military unit of 5,000–6,000 men. Here it describes the presence of many evil spirits.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.