CHAPTER V.

Several Miracles of Jesus.

AND they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the 2 country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the

ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an 3 unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no 4 man could bind him, no, not with chains: because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: 5 neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was.in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting 6 himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran 7 and worshipped him, and cried with a loud voice, and said, What

have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? 8 I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. (For he said 9 unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.), And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My 10 name is Legion: for we are many. And he besought him much

if the earth was fixed and immovable; which every one skilled in mathematics now knows to be absolutely false. The sacred writers contented themselves, to speak according to appearances and the vulgar conceptions. Hence, from the language made use of, we have no reason to conclude that devils possessed men; or that demons, or the souls of departed men, occasioned madness or the like disorders."

3-13. These verses contain a perfect and vivid delineation of raging insanity, which was caused, probably, as madness is now, by sickness or injury, but which was attributed, in the superstitious opinions of the people, to possession by evil spirits; in which hallucination the maniac himself naturally participated. Legion.

A Roman division of about six thousand. The furious madman seized upon this tremendous name, as representing the number of spirits which he believed haunted him.

that he would not send them away out of the country. Now 11 there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into 12 the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus 13 gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand,) and were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the 14 city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was 15 possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. And they that 16 saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray 17 him to depart out of their coasts. And when he was come into 18 the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but 19 saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how 20 great things Jesus had done for him. And all men did marvel.

And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other 21 side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the

Nothing was ever more real or natural, as descriptive of derangement, than the whole account. -All the devils. Demons. This, with other similar expressions, is Oriental. The unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine. i. e. The madness was transferred from the man to the swine by the miraculous power of Jesus. - Two thousand. Round numbers. These were probably owned by Jews in violation of the laws of Moses. 15. Sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind. Three phrases showing that he was in the possession of his reason, of which he had before been deprived.

18, 19. Prayed him that he might be with him. From an impulse of gratitude, or through fear of a return

of his malady. Go home to thy friends, and tell, &c. There was no apprehension of a popular sedition or tumult on this side of the lake, for Jesus was soon to leave it, and he therefore commands the man to spread the news of his restoration, token as it was of the divine compassion.

20, 21. Parallel to Luke viii. 39, 40.- Decapolis. See note on Mat. iv. 25.-All men did marvel. The miracles of Jesus accomplished a great moral result. They rolled off the dead weight of indifference from the minds of his hearers, and opened the fountains of wonder, awe, interest, and curiosity. Men listened to the words of one whose deeds were more than human. He was nigh unto the sea. The words signify that

22 sea.

And behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, 23 and besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that 24 she may be healed; and she shall live. And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. 25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent

all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and 28 touched his garment: for she said, If I may touch but his clothes, 29 I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of 30 that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and 31 said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him,

Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who 32 touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had 33 done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and 34 told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy 35 plague. While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: 36 why troublest thou the Master any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the 37 synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. And he suffered no man

to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of 38 James. And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the syna

gogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed 39 greatly. And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why

he continued near the sea. Various reasons might be assigned. One was, that, while in the neighborhood of the lake, he could at any time escape by water from the vast multitudes attracted around him, in case of tumult or sedition.

22-43. See notes on Mat. ix. 18-26.

30. That virtue had gone out of him. A popular mode of speaking, populare loquendi genus. By virtue is here understood miraculous power, which Jesus had knowingly exerted to cure the woman when she touched his garments.

34. Plague, i. e. her disease, not the malady called the plague.

make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But, when he had put 40 them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto 41 her, Talitha cumi: which is, being interpreted, Damsel, (I say unto thee,) arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; 42 for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. And he charged them straitly 43 that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

CHAPTER VI.

Continuation of the Ministry of Jesus, with his Teachings and Miracles, and the Death of John the Baptist.

AND he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. And when the Sabbath day was 2 come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this 3 the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses,

40. Them that were with him, i. e. Peter, James, and John, ver. 37; Luke viii. 51. These, with the parents, were sufficient as witnesses.

41. Talitha cumi. Syriac words. In the language of Furness, "If the girl instantly came to life at the command of Jesus, we see how natural it was that the very words uttered by him, and the utterance of which was followed by such startling effects, should have instantly appeared to the bystanders to be possessed of supernatural and untranslatable significance." He applies the same remark to Ephphatha. Mark vii. 34.

43. That no man should know it. Lest a tumult might be raised. Difference of situation dictated a different direction from that in ver. 19.

Something should be given her to eat.

This command evinced the admirable self-possession of our Lord, in the most trying scenes, and his thoughtful kindness. Her life had been miraculously restored, but it was now to be sustained by the common means. The direction of Jesus showed, that she was not only restored to life, but to perfect health, so as to be able to partake of her usual food.

CHAPTER VI.

1-6. See notes, Mat. xiii. 5358.

1. His own country, i. e. Nazareth, where he had been brought up.

3. Is not this the carpenter? Joseph was a carpenter, Mat. xii. 55, and it was natural that Jesus should pursue the same calling. For labor is

and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? 4 And they were offended at him. But Jesus said unto them,

A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and 5 among his own kin, and in his own house. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick 6 folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief.

7 And he went round about the villages, teaching. And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and 8 two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; and command

ed them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a 9 staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: but be 10 shod with sandals; and not put on two coats. And he said unto

them, In what place soever ye enter into a house, there abide till 11 ye depart from that place. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet, for a testimony against them. Verily, I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day 12 of judgment, than for that city. And they went out, and 13 preached that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

14

And King Herod heard of him, (for his name was spread abroad,) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in 15 him. Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is