Bible Heaven/Bible Heaven.iso/robertsn/rwp-mr/mr5.rwp

Text File | 1993-03-13 | 20KB | 370 lines

5:1 {The Gerasenes} (\tôn Gerasênôn\). Like #Lu 8:26| while #Mt
8:28| has "the Gadarenes." The ruins of the village Khersa
(Gerasa) probably point to this site which is in the district of
Gadara some six miles southeastward, not to the city of Gerasa
some thirty miles away.

5:2 {Out of the boat} (\ek tou ploiou\). Straightway (\euthus\)
Mark says, using the genitive absolute (\exelthontos autou\) and
then repeating \autôi\ associative instrumental after
\apêntêsen\. The demoniac greeted Jesus at once. Mark and #Lu
9:27| mention only one man while Matthew notes two demoniacs,
perhaps one more violent than the other. Each of the Gospels has
a different phrase. Mark has "a man with an unclean spirit" (\en
pneumati akathartôi\), #Mt 8:28| "two possessed with demons"
(\duo daimonizomenoi\), #Lu 8:27| "one having demons" (\tis echôn
daimonia\). Mark has many touches about this miracle not retained
in Matthew and Luke. See on »Mt 8:28|.

5:3 {No man could any more bind him, no, not with a chain} (\oude
halusei oudeis edunato auton dêsai\). Instrumental case
\halusei\, a handcuff (\a\ privative and \luô\, to loosen). But
this demoniac snapped a handcuff as if a string.

5:4 {Often bound} (\pollakis dedesthai\). Perfect passive
infinitive, state of completion. With fetters (\pedais\, from
\peza\, foot, instep) and chains, bound hand and foot, but all to
no purpose. The English plural of foot is feet (Anglo-Saxon
_fot_, _fet_) and fetter is _feeter_. {Rent asunder}
(\diespâsthai\). Drawn (\spaô\) in two (\dia-\ same root as
\duo\, two). Perfect passive infinitive. {Broken in pieces}
(\suntetriphthai\.) Perfect passive infinitive again, from
\suntribô\, to rub together. Rubbed together, crushed together.
Perhaps the neighbours who told the story could point to broken
fragments of chains and fetters. The fetters may have been cords,
or even wooden stocks and not chains. {No man had strength to
tame him} (\oudeis ischuen auton damasai\). Imperfect tense. He
roamed at will like a lion in the jungle.

5:5 {He was crying out, and cutting himself with stones} (\ên
krazôn kai katakoptôn heauton lithois\). Further vivid details by
Mark. Night and day his loud scream or screech could be heard
like other demoniacs (cf. #1:26; 3:11; 9:26|). The verb for
cutting himself occurs here only in the N.T., though an old verb.
It means to _cut down_ (perfective use of \kata-\). We say _cut
up_, gash, hack to pieces. Perhaps he was scarred all over with
such gashes during his moments of wild frenzy night and day in
the tombs and on the mountains. Periphrastic imperfect active
with \ên\ and the participles.

5:6 {Ran and worshipped} (\edramen kai prosekunêsen\). "At first
perhaps with hostile intentions. The onrush of the naked yelling
maniac must have tried the newly recovered confidence of the
Twelve. We can imagine their surprise when, on approaching, he
threw himself on his knees" (Swete).

5:7 {I adjure thee by God} (\horkizô se ton theon\). The demoniac
puts Jesus on oath (two accusatives) after the startled outcry
just like the one in #1:24|, which see. He calls Jesus here "son
of the Most High God" (\huie tou theou tou hupsistou\) as in #Lu
8:28| (cf. #Ge 14:18f.|). {Torment me not} (\mê me basanisêis\).
Prohibition with \mê\ and the ingressive aorist subjunctive. The
word means to test metals and then to test one by torture (cf.
our "third degree"). Same word in all three Gospels.

5:8 {For he said} (\elegen gar\). For he had been saying
(progressive imperfect). Jesus had already repeatedly ordered the
demon to come out of the man whereat the demon made his outcry to
Jesus and protested. #Mt 8:29| had "before the time" (\pro
kairou\) and #8:31| shows that the demons did not want to go back
to the abyss (\tên abusson\) right now. That was their real home,
but they did not wish to return to the place of torment just now.

5:9 {My name is Legion} (\Legiôn onoma moi\). So #Lu 8:30|, but
not Matthew. Latin word (_legio_). A full Roman legion had 6,826
men. See on »Mt 26:53|. This may not have been a full legion, for
#Mr 5:13| notes that the number of hogs was "about two thousand."
Of course, a stickler for words might say that each hog had
several demons.

5:13 {And he gave them leave} (\kai epetrepsen autois\). These
words present the crucial difficulty for interpreters as to why
Jesus allowed the demons to enter the hogs and destroy them
instead of sending them back to the abyss. Certainly it was
better for hogs to perish than men, but this loss of property
raises a difficulty of its own akin to the problem of tornadoes
and earthquakes. The question of one man containing so many
demons is difficult also, but not much more so than how one demon
can dwell in a man and make his home there. One is reminded of
the man out of whom a demon was cast, but the demon came back
with seven other demons and took possession. Gould thinks that
this man with a legion of demons merely makes a historical
exaggeration. "I feel as if I were possessed by a thousand
devils." That is too easy an explanation. See on »Mt 8:32| for
"rushed down the steep." {They were choked} (\epnigonto\).
Imperfect tense picturing graphically the disappearance of pig
after pig in the sea. #Lu 8:33| has \apegnigê\, {choked off},
constative second aorist passive indicative, treated as a whole,
#Mt 8:32| merely has "perished" (\apethanon\; died).

5:14 {And in the country} (\kai eis tous agrous\). 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 (\êlthon idein\). All the city came out (Matthew), they
went out to see (Luke).

5:15 {They come to Jesus} (\erchontai pros ton Iêsoun\). Vivid
present. To Jesus as the cause of it all, "to meet Jesus" (\eis
hupantêsin Iêsou\, #Mt 8:34|). {And behold} (\theôrousin\).
Present tense again. {And they were afraid} (\kai ephobêthêsan\).
They became afraid. Mark drops back to the ingressive aorist
tense (passive voice). They had all been afraid of the man, but
there he was "sitting clothed and in his right mind,"
(\kathêmenon himatismenon kai sôphronounta\. Note the
participles). "At the feet of Jesus," Luke adds (#Lu 8:35|). For
a long time he had worn no clothes (#Lu 8:17|). Here was the
healing of the wild man and the destruction of the hogs all by
this same Jesus.

5:17 {To depart from their borders} (\apelthein apo tôn horiôn\).
Once before the people of Nazareth had driven Jesus out of the
city (#Lu 4:16-31|). Soon they will do it again on his return
there (#Mr 6:1-6; Mt 13:54-58|). Here in Decapolis pagan
influence was strong and the owners of the hogs cared more for
the loss of their property than for the healing of the wild
demoniac. In the clash between business and spiritual welfare
business came first with them as often today. All three Gospels
tell of the request for Jesus to leave. They feared the power of
Jesus and wanted no further interference with their business
affairs.

5:18 {As he was entering} (\embainontos autou\). The man began to
beseech him (\parekalei\) before it was too late.

5:19 {Go to thy house unto thy friends} (\Hupage eis ton oikon
sou pros tous sous\). "To thy own folks" rather than "thy
friends." Certainly no people needed the message about Christ
more than these people who were begging Jesus to leave. Jesus had
greatly blessed this man and so gave him the hardest task of all,
to go home and witness there for Christ. In Galilee Jesus had
several times forbidden the healed to tell what he had done for
them because of the undue excitement and misunderstanding. But
here it was different. There was no danger of too much enthusiasm
for Christ in this environment.

5:20 {He went his way} (\apêlthen\). He went off and did as Jesus
told him. He heralded (\kêrussein\) or published the story till
all over Decapolis men marvelled (\ethaumazon\) at what Jesus
did, kept on marvelling (imperfect tense). The man had a greater
opportunity for Christ right in his home land than anywhere else.
They all knew this once wild demoniac who now was a new man in
Christ Jesus. Thousands of like cases of conversion under
Christ's power have happened in rescue missions in our cities.

5:23 {My little daughter} (\to thugatrion mou\). Diminutive of
\thugatêr\ (#Mt 9:18|). "This little endearing touch in the use
of the diminutive is peculiar to Mark" (Vincent). "Is at the
point of death" (\eschatôs echei\). Has it in the last stages.
#Mt 9:18| has: "has just died" (\arti eteleusen\), Luke "she lay
a dying" (\apethnêsken\, imperfect, she was dying). It was a
tragic moment for Jairus. {I pray thee}, not in the Greek. This
ellipsis before \hina\ not uncommon, a sort of imperative use of
\hina\ and the subjunctive in the _Koiné_ (Robertson, _Grammar_,
p. 943).

5:24 {He went with him} (\apêlthen\). Aorist tense. Went off with
him promptly, but a great multitude followed him (\êkolouthei\),
was following, kept following (imperfect tense). {They thronged
him} (\sunethlibon auton\). Imperfect tense again. Only example
of (here and in verse #31|) this compound verb in the N.T.,
common in old Greek. Were pressing Jesus so that he could hardly
move because of the jam, or even to breathe (\sunepnigon\, #Lu
8:42|).

5:26 {Had suffered many things of many physicians} (\polla
pathousa hupo pollôn iatrôn\). A pathetic picture of a woman with
a chronic case who had tried doctor after doctor. {Had spent all
that she had} (\dapanêsasa ta par' autês panta\). Having spent
the all from herself, all her resources. For the idiom with
\para\ see #Lu 10:7; Php 4:18|. The tragedy of it was that she
"was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse" (\mêden
ôphelêtheisa alla mâllon eis to cheiron elthousa\). Her money was
gone, her disease was gaining on her, her one chance came now
with Jesus. Matthew says nothing about her experience with the
doctors and #Lu 8:43| merely says that she "had spent all her
living upon physicians and could not be healed of any," a plain
chronic case. Luke the physician neatly takes care of the
physicians. But they were not to blame. She had a disease that
they did not know how to cure. Vincent quotes a prescription for
an issue of blood as given in the Talmud which gives one a most
grateful feeling that he is not under the care of doctors of that
nature. The only parallel today is Chinese medicine of the old
sort before modern medical schools came.

5:28 {If I touch but his garments} (\Ean hapsômai k'an tôn
himatiôn autou\). She was timid and shy from her disease and did
not wish to attract attention. So she crept up in the crowd and
touched the hem or border of his garment (\kraspedon\) according
to #Mt 9:20| and #Lu 8:44|.

5:29 {She felt in her body} (\egnô tôi sômati\). She knew, the
verb means. She said to herself, {I am healed} (\iâmai\). \Iâtai\
retains the perfect passive in the indirect discourse. It was a
vivid moment of joy for her. The plague (\mastigos\) or scourge
was a whip used in flagellations as on Paul to find out his guilt
(#Ac 22:24|, cf. #Heb 11:26|). It is an old word that was used
for afflictions regarded as a scourge from God. See already on
»Mr 3:10|.

5:30 {Perceiving in himself} (\epignous en heautôi\). She
thought, perhaps, that the touch of Christ's garment would cure
her without his knowing it, a foolish fancy, no doubt, but one
due to her excessive timidity. Jesus felt in his own
consciousness. The Greek idiom more exactly means: "Jesus
perceiving in himself the power from him go out" (\tên ex autou
dunamin exelthousan\). The aorist participle here is punctiliar
simply and timeless and can be illustrated by #Lu 10:18|: "I was
beholding Satan fall" (\etheôroun ton Satanân pesonta\), where
\pesonta\ does not mean _fallen_ (\peptôkota\) as in #Re 9:1| nor
falling (\piptonta\) but simply the constative aorist {fall}
(Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 684). So here Jesus means to say: "I
felt in myself the power from me go." Scholars argue whether in
this instance Jesus healed the woman by conscious will or by
unconscious response to her appeal. Some even argue that the
actual healing took place after Jesus became aware of the woman's
reaching for help by touching his garment. What we do know is
that Jesus was conscious of the going out of power from himself.
#Lu 8:46| uses \egnôn\ (personal knowledge), but Mark has
\epignous\ (personal and additional, clear knowledge). One may
remark that no real good can be done without the outgoing of
power. That is true of mother, preacher, teacher, doctor. {Who
touched my garments?} (\Tis mou hêpsato tôn himatiôn;\). More
exactly, {Who touched me on my clothes}; The Greek verb uses two
genitives, of the person and the thing. It was a dramatic moment
for Jesus and for the timid woman. Later it was a common practice
for the crowds to touch the hem of Christ's garments and be
healed (#Mr 6:56|). But here Jesus chose to single out this case
for examination. There was no magic in the garments of Jesus.
Perhaps there was superstition in the woman's mind, but Jesus
honoured her darkened faith as in the case of Peter's shadow and
Paul's handkerchief.

5:31 {Thronging thee} (\sunthlibonta se\). See verse #24|. The
disciples were amazed at the sensitiveness of Jesus to the touch
of the crowd. They little understood the drain on Jesus from all
this healing that pulled at his heart-strings and exhausted his
nervous energy even though the Son of God. He had the utmost
human sympathy.

5:32 {And he looked round about} (\kai perieblepeto\). Imperfect
middle indicative. He kept looking around to find out. The answer
of Jesus to the protest of the disciples was this scrutinizing
gaze (see already #3:5,34|). Jesus knew the difference between
touch and touch (Bruce).

5:33 {Fearing and trembling, knowing} (\phobêtheisa kai tremousa,
eiduia\). These participles vividly portray this woman who had
tried to hide in the crowd. She had heard Christ's question and
felt his gaze. She had to come and confess, for something "has
happened" (\gegonen\, second perfect active indicative, still
true) to her. {Fell down before him} (\prosepesen autôi\). That
was the only proper attitude now. {All the truth} (\pâsan tên
alêtheian\). Secrecy was no longer possible. She told "the
pitiful tale of chronic misery" (Bruce).

5:34 {Go in peace} (\Hupage eis eirênên\). She found sympathy,
healing, and pardon for her sins, apparently. Peace here may have
more the idea of the Hebrew _shalôm_, health of body and soul. So
Jesus adds: "Be whole of thy plague" (\isthi hugiês apo tês
mastigos sou\). Continue whole and well.

5:35 {While he yet spake} (\Eti autou lalountos\). Genitive
absolute. Another vivid touch in Mark and #Lu 8:49|. The phrase
is in #Ge 29:9|. Nowhere does Mark preserve better the lifelike
traits of an eyewitness like Peter than in these incidents in
chapter 5. The arrival of the messengers from Jairus was
opportune for the woman just healed of the issue of blood (\en
husei haimatos\) for it diverted attention from her. Now the
ruler's daughter has died (\apethane\). {Why troublest thou the
master any further?} (\Ti eti skulleis ton didaskalon;\). It was
all over, so they felt. Jesus had raised from the dead the son of
the widow of Nain (#Lu 7:11-17|), but people in general did not
expect him to raise the dead. The word \skullô\, from \skulon\
(_skin, pelt, spoils_), means to skin, to flay, in Aeschylus.
Then it comes to mean to vex, annoy, distress as in #Mt 9:36|,
which see. The middle is common in the papyri for bother, worry,
as in #Lu 7:6|. There was no further use in troubling the Teacher
about the girl.

5:36 {Not heeding} (\parakousas\). This is the sense in #Mt
18:17| and uniformly so in the LXX. But here the other sense of
hearing aside, overhearing what was not spoken directly to him,
probably exists also. "Jesus might overhear what was said and
disregard its import" (Bruce). Certainly he ignored the
conclusion of the messengers. The present participle \laloumenon\
suits best the idea of overhearing. Both Mark and #Lu 8:50| have
"Fear not, only believe" (\mê phobou, monon pisteue\). This to
the ruler of the synagogue (\tôi archisunagôgôi\) who had
remained and to whom the messenger had spoken.

5:37 {Save Peter, and James, and John} (\ei mê Petron kai lakôbon
kai Iôanên\). Probably the house was too small for the other
disciples to come in with the family. The first instance of this
inner circle of three seen again on the Mount of Transfiguration
and in the Garden of Gethsemane. The one article in the Greek
treats the group as a unit.

5:38 {Wailing greatly} (\alalazontas polla\). An onomatopoetic
word from Pindar down. The soldiers on entering battle cried
\Alâla\. Used of clanging cymbals (#1Co 13:1|). Like \ololuzô\ in
#Jas 5:1|. It is used here of the monotonous wail of the hired
mourners.

5:39 {Make a tumult} (\thorubeisthe\). Middle voice. Jesus had
dismissed one crowd (verse #37|), but finds the house occupied by
the hired mourners making bedlam (\thorubos\) as if that showed
grief with their ostentatious noise. #Mt 9:23| spoke of
flute-players (\aulêtas\) and the hubbub of the excited throng
(\thoruboumenon\. Cf. #Mr 14:2; Ac 20:1,21,34|). Mark, Matthew,
and Luke all quote Jesus as saying that "the child is not dead,
but sleepeth." Jesus undoubtedly meant that she was not dead to
stay dead, though some hold that the child was not really dead.
It is a beautiful word (she is {sleeping}, \katheudei\) that
Jesus uses of death.

5:40 {And they laughed him to scorn} (\kai kategelôn\). "They
jeered at him" (Weymouth). Note imperfect tense. They kept it up.
And note also \kat-\ (perfective use). Exactly the same words in
#Mt 9:24| and #Lu 8:53|. The loud laughter was ill suited to the
solemn occasion. But Jesus on his part (\autos de\) took charge
of the situation. {Taketh the father of the child and her mother
and them that were with him} (\paralambanei ton patera tou
paidiou kai tên mêtera kai tous met' autou\). Having put out
(\ekbalôn\) the rest by a stern assertion of authority as if he
were master of the house, Jesus takes along with him these five
and enters the chamber of death "where the child was" (\hopou ên
to paidion\). He had to use pressure to make the hired mourners
leave. The presence of some people will ruin the atmosphere for
spiritual work.

5:41 {Talitha cumi}. These precious Aramaic words, spoken by
Jesus to the child, Peter heard and remembered so that Mark gives
them to us. Mark interprets the simple words into Greek for those
who did not know Aramaic (\to korasion, egeire\), that is,
{Damsel, arise}. Mark uses the diminutive \korasiôn\, a little
girl, from \korê\, girl. _Braid Scots_ has it: "Lassie, wauken."
#Lu 8:5-9| has it \Hê pais, egeire\, {Maiden, arise}. All three
Gospels mention the fact that Jesus took her by the hand, a touch
of life (\kratêsas tês cheiros\), giving confidence and help.

5:42 {Rose up, and walked} (\anestê kai periepatei\). Aorist
tense (single act) followed by the imperfect ({the walking went
on}). {For she was twelve years old} (\ên gar etôn dôdeka\). The
age mentioned by Mark alone and here as explanation that she was
old enough to walk. {Amazed} (\exestêsan\). We have had this word
before in #Mt 12:23| and #Mr 2:12|, which see. Here the word is
repeated in the substantive in the associative instrumental case
(\ekstasei megalêi\), with a great ecstasy, especially on the
part of the parents (#Lu 8:56|), and no wonder.

5:43 {That no one should know this} (\hina mêdeis gnoi touto\).
Second aorist active subjunctive, \gnoi\. But would they keep
still about it? There was the girl besides. Both Mark and Luke
note that Jesus ordered that food be given to the child {given
her to eat}, (\dothênai autêi phagein\), a natural care of the
Great Physician. Two infinitives here (first aorist passive and
second aorist active). "She could walk and eat; not only alive,
but well" (Bruce).