Advanced Commentary
Texts -- Matthew 8:28-34 (NET)
Pericope
NET
- Mat 8:28-34 -- Healing the Gadarene Demoniacs
Bible Dictionary
-
Swine
[isbe] SWINE - swin (chazir; compare Arabic khinzir; hus, Septuagint and New Testament; compare Greek sus, and Latin sus; adjective hueios, as a substantive, the Septuagint; choiros, Septuagint and New Testament): In both ancient a...
[smith] (Heb. chazir). The flesh of swine was forbidden as food by the Levitical law, (Leviticus 11:7; 14:8) the abhorrence which the Jews as a nation had of it may be inferred from (Isaiah 65:4) and 2 Macc 6:18,19. No other reason f...
[nave] SWINE Forbidden as food, Lev. 11:7; Deut. 14:8. Used for food, Isa. 65:4; 66:17; for sacrifice, Isa. 66:3. Wild boar, Psa. 80:13. Jewels in the nose of, Prov. 11:22. Viciousness of, Matt. 7:6. Jesus sends devils into, M...
-
Gadarenes
[ebd] the inhabitants of Gadara, in Revised Version "Gerasenes" (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26, 37). In Matt. 8:28 they are called Gergesenes, Revised Version "Gadarenes."
[nave] GADARENES, called also Gergesenes. Jesus visits and works miracles among, but is rejected, Matt. 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-19.
-
Jesus, The Christ
[nave] JESUS, THE CHRIST. Index of Sub-topics History of; Miscellaneous Facts Concerning; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Ascension of; Atonement by; Attributes of; Compassion of; Confessing; Creator; Death of; Design of His...
-
Demons
[nave] DEMONS Worship of, Lev. 17:7; Deut. 32:17; 2 Chr. 11:15; Psa. 106:37; Matt. 4:9; Luke 4:7; 1 Cor. 10:20, 21; 1 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 13:4. Worship of, forbidden, Lev. 17:7; Zech. 13:2; Rev. 9:20. Possession by, instances of: Saul...
-
Miracles
[nave] MIRACLES. Index of Sub-topics Catalog of, and Supernatural Events, Of Jesus, in Chronological Order, Of the Disciples of Jesus; Convincing Effect of; Design of; Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Spirit; Miscellany of Minor Sub-...
-
JESUS CHRIST, 4C1
[isbe] JESUS CHRIST, 4C1 - C. THE GALILEAN MINISTRY AND VISITS TO THE FEASTS 1. The Scene: Galilee was divided into upper Galilee and lower Galilee. It has already been remarked that upper Galilee was inhabited by a mixed populatio...
-
Matthew, Gospel according to
[ebd] The author of this book was beyond a doubt the Matthew, an apostle of our Lord, whose name it bears. He wrote the Gospel of Christ according to his own plans and aims, and from his own point of view, as did also the other "e...
-
Galilee
[nave] GALILEE 1. The northern district of Palestine. A city of refuge in, Josh. 20:7; 21:32; 1 Chr. 6:76. Cities in, given to Hiram, 1 Kin. 9:11, 12. Taken by king of Assyria, 2 Kin. 15:29. Prophecy concerning, Isa. 9:1; Matt. ...
-
DEMONIACS
[smith] This word is frequently used in the New Testament, and applied to persons suffering under the possession of a demon or evil spirit, such possession generally showing itself visibly in bodily disease or mental derangement. It ...
-
GO
[isbe] GO - (halakh, yalakh, bo', yatsa'; ago, hupago, anabaino, erchomi, aperchomai, poreuomai): "Go" ("went," etc.) occurs very frequently in the English Bible, and is the translation of a great many different Hebrew and Greek te...
-
Daemoniac
[ebd] one "possessed with a devil." In the days of our Lord and his apostles, evil spirits, "daemons," were mysteriously permitted by God to exercise an influence both over the souls and bodies of men, inflicting dumbness (Matt. 9...
-
Animals
[nave] ANIMALS Creation of, Gen. 1:24, 25; 2:19; Jer. 27:5. Food of, Gen. 1:30. Named, Gen. 2:20. Ordained as food for mankind, Gen. 9:2, 3; Lev. 11:3, 9, 21, 22; Deut. 14:4-6, 9, 11, 20. God's care of, Gen. 9:9, 10; Deut. 25:4...
-
Burial
[nave] BURIAL Rites of, Jer. 34:5. Soon after death, Deut. 21:23; Josh. 8:29; John 19:38-42; Acts 5:9, 10. With spices, 2 Chr. 16:14; Mark 16:1; Luke 23:56. Bier used at, 2 Sam. 3:31; Luke 7:14. Attended by relatives and friend...
-
Superstition
[nave] SUPERSTITION, Acts 25:19. Instances of Israelites, supposing that their defeat in battle with the Philistines was due to their not having brought with them the ark of the covenant, 1 Sam. 4:3, with vs. 10,11. Philistines,...
-
Judgment
[nave] JUDGMENT. The General 1 Chr. 16:33; Job 14:17; Job 21:30; Job 31:13-15; Psa. 9:7; Psa. 50:3-6; Psa. 96:13 Psa. 98:9. Eccl. 3:17; Eccl. 11:9; Eccl. 12:14; Ezek. 18:20-28; Dan. 7:9, 10; Amos 4:12; Matt. 3:12 Luke 3:17. Matt....
-
TRINITY, 1
[isbe] TRINITY, 1 - trin'-i-ti 1. The Term "Trinity" 2. Purely a Revealed Doctrine 3. No Rational Proof of It 4. Finds Support in Reason 5. Not Clearly Revealed in the Old Testament 6. Prepared for in the Old Testament 7. Presuppos...
-
GALILEE, SEA OF
[isbe] GALILEE, SEA OF - (he thalassa tes Galilaias): 1. The Name: This is the name 5 times given in the New Testament (Mt 4:18; 15:29; Mk 1:16; 7:31; Jn 6:1) to the sheet of water which is elsewhere called "the sea of Tiberias" (J...
-
GADARA
[isbe] GADARA - gad'-a-ra (Gadara): 1. Country of the Gadarenes: This city is not named in Scripture, but the territory belonging to it is spoken of as chora ton Gadarenon, "country of the Gadarenes" (Mt 8:28). In the parallel pass...
-
DEMON; DEMONIAC; DEMONOLOGY
[isbe] DEMON; DEMONIAC; DEMONOLOGY - dem'-mon, de-mo'-ni-ak, de-mon-ol'-o-ji (daimonion, earlier form daimon = pneuma akatharton, poneron, "demon," "unclean or evil spirit," incorrectly rendered "devil" in the King James Version): ...
-
GERGESENES
[isbe] GERGESENES - gur'-ge-senz, gur-ge-senz': A false reading of "Gadarenes" retained in the King James Version of Mt 8:28. See GADARA.
Arts
Questions
- I think our safest and most reliable course of action is to see how the term is used and understood in the New Testament. Here are the references to "Son of God" in the NT: Matt. 4:3; 4:6; 8:29; 26:63; 27:40; 27:43; 27:54 ...
- Mark says it at the outset of his gospel (1:1). The angel told Mary her child would be the Son of God (Luke 1:35). John the Baptist said the same thing (John 1:34). Nathanael said it (John 1:49). Martha believed it (John ...
Sermon Illustrations
Resources/Books
Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)
-
The writer cited four times when the Israelites cried out to God for deliverance and He saved them (vv. 6, 13, 19, 28; cf. Judg. 2:18; Joel 2:32; Acts. 2:21; Rom. 10:13). These situations were answers to the prayer Solomon pr...
-
Isaiah hinted at the coming of a great future King in his oracles against Philistia and Edom (14:29-30, 32; 21:11-12). Now he revealed more.24:21 When Yahweh brings universal judgment on the world again, He will sovereignly p...
-
Matthew often grouped his material into sections so that three, five, six, or seven events, miracles, sayings, or parables appear together.27Jewish writers typically did this to help their readers remember what they had writt...
-
I. The introduction of the King 1:1-4:11A. The King's genealogy 1:1-17B. The King's birth 1:18-25C. The King's childhood 2:1-231. The prophecy about Bethlehem 2:1-122. The prophecies about Egypt 2:13-183. The prophecies about...
-
Matthew continued to stress God's predictions about and His protection of His Messiah to help his readers recognize Jesus as the promised King.2:13 For the second time in two chapters we read that an angel from the Lord appea...
-
Comparison of John's Gospel and Matthew's shows that Jesus ministered for about a year before John the Baptist's arrest. John had criticized Herod Antipas for having an adulterous relationship with his brother Philip's wife (...
-
This brief resumé (cf. 9:35-38) stresses the varied activities and the geographical and ethnic extent of Jesus' ministry then. It sets the stage for the discourse to follow (chs. 5-7) implying that this is but a sample o...
-
"Matthew has laid the foundational structure for his argument in chapters one through seven. The genealogy and birth have attested to the legal qualifications of the Messiah as they are stated in the Old Testament. Not only s...
-
Matthew described Jesus' ministry as consisting of teaching, preaching, and healing in 4:23. Chapters 5-7 record what He taught His disciples. We have the essence of His preaching ministry in 4:17. Now in 8:1-9:34 we see His ...
-
Matthew's first group of miracles (vv. 1-17) demonstrated that Jesus possessed the messianic power to heal physical ailments. His second group (8:23-9:8) shows even greater powers in other realms: disaster, demons, and diseas...
-
The central theme of this incident is Jesus' authority over evil spirits.8:28 Gadara was the regional capital of the Decapolis area that lay southeast of the Sea of Galilee. Its population was strongly Gentile. This may accou...
-
The incident that follows occurred before the one in 8:28-34. Matthew placed it in his Gospel here for thematic reasons. It is another evidence of Jesus' supernatural power but in a different realm.9:1 Jesus arrived back in C...
-
The two groups of miracles that Matthew presented so far demonstrated Jesus' ability to heal (8:1-17) and to perform miracles with supernatural power (8:23-9:8). This last cluster demonstrates His ability to restore. These mi...
-
9:32-33 The Greek word translated "dumb"(NASB, kophos) refers to deaf people, mutes, and people who were both deaf and dumb. This man's condition was the result of demonic influence, though that was not the cause in all such ...
-
Here is another of Matthew's formulas that ended a discourse (cf. 7:28-29; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). Matthew had no concern for recording what happened when the Twelve went out having received Jesus' instructions. He passed over th...
-
As previously, opposition led Jesus to withdraw to train His disciples (cf. 14:13-33). The response of the woman in this story to Jesus contrasts with that of the Pharisees and scribes in the preceding pericope. She was a Gen...
-
16:18 "I say to you"(cf. 5:18, 20, 22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44; 8:10) may imply that Jesus would continue the revelation the Father had begun. However the phrase occurs elsewhere where that contrast is not in view. Undoubtedly it ...
-
The Triumphal Entry happened on Monday. The cursing of the fig tree took place on Tuesday, and the disciples' mention of its withering followed on Wednesday (cf. Mark 11:1-14).78021:18-19 Jesus passed the lone fig tree somewh...
-
Abbott-Smith, G. A. A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1937.Albright, W. F. and Mann, C. S. Matthew. The Anchor Bible series. Garden City: Doubleday, 1971.Alford, Henry. The Greek Testa...
-
Even though Mark had already reported that Jesus had exorcized many demons, this case was extraordinary.5:1 Mark and Luke called this area the country of the Gerasenes, but Matthew called it the country of the Gadarenes. Gerg...
-
The raging of this demoniac was even worse than the raging of the waters of Galilee (cf. Ps. 65:7). Demonic power was evident in the Hellenistic world of Luke's original readers. The fact that this incident happened in predom...
-
The first miracle that Jesus performed, in His public ministry and in John's Gospel, was semi-public. Apparently only Jesus' disciples, the servants present, and Jesus' mother understood what had happened.2:1 The third day ev...
-
Having explained before how Christians should conduct themselves in the world, Peter next gave directions about how Christian wives and husbands should behave. He did this to help his readers identify appropriate conduct in f...
Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)
-
Matthew 1-8
-
And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him: 2. And He opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of hea...
-
And when He was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 29. And, behold, they cried...
-
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 17. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synago...
-
At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the corn; and His disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. 2. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto Him. Behold, Thy disciples do t...