Mark 5:4

Mark 5:4

2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an ^aunclean spirit,

3 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind¹ him, not even with chains,

4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.

5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.

6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.

7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I ^aimplore You by God that You do not torment me.”

8 For He said to him, ^a“Come out of the man, unclean spirit!”

9 Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.”

Commentaries:

Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)

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Often bound (pollakiv dedesqai). Perfect passive infinitive, state of completion. With fetters (pedaiv, 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 (diespasqai). Drawn (spaw) in two (dia- same root as duo, two). Perfect passive infinitive.

Broken in pieces (suntetrifqai.) Perfect passive infinitive again, from suntribw, 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 (oudeiv isxuen auton damasai). Imperfect tense. He roamed at will like a lion in the jungle.

**Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Mark 5:4:**

Luke 9:39
Acts 21:33
Acts 23:10
James 3:7

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Mark 5:5 >>

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