Mark 5:11-13

5:11 There on the hillside, ¹  a great herd of pigs was feeding. 5:12 And the demonic spirits ²  begged him, “Send us into the pigs. Let us enter them.” 5:13 Jesus ³  gave them permission. ⁴  So ⁵  the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs. Then the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake, and about two thousand were drowned in the lake.

[5:11]  ¹ tn Grk “mountain,” but this might give the English reader the impression of a far higher summit.

[5:12]  ² tn Grk “they”; the referent (the demonic spirits) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:13]  ³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:13]  ⁴ sn Many have discussed why Jesus gave them permission, since the animals were destroyed. However, this is another example of a miracle that is a visual lesson. The demons are destructive: They were destroying the man. They destroyed the pigs. They destroy whatever they touch. The point was to take demonic influence seriously, as well as Jesus’ power over it as a picture of the larger battle for human souls. There would be no doubt how the man’s transformation had taken place.

[5:13]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate a conclusion and transition in the narrative.