Luke 8:29

8:29 evil (literally unclean) spirit: Unclean things are unfit for God’s presence (see also study note on 4:33).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Luk 8:29. Γὰρ, for) This assigns the cause of the expulsion, and of the greater suffering which was conjoined with it.—ἠλαύνετο, was driven) with the utmost violence; comp. Luk 8:33; and without his being able to exercise Ins reason, Luk 8:35.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Luk 8:29 . παρήγγελλεν γὰρ : the command caused the cry of fear, and the fear is explained in the clause following, introduced by a second γὰρ . πολλοῖς χρόνοις , answers to πολλάκις in Mar 5:4 , therefore presumably used in the sense: oftentimes, frequently. So Erasmus and Grotius, and most recent commentators. Meyer and others take it = during a long time. Schanz combines the two senses. The disease was of an intermittent character, there were paroxysms of acute mania, and intervals of comparative quiet and rationality. When the paroxysms came on, the demon (one in Luk 8:29 ) was supposed to seize him ( συνηρπάκει ). Then he had to be bound in chains and fetters, and kept under guard ( φυλασσόμενος , cf. A. V [84] and R. V [85] here), but all to no purpose, the demoniac force bursting the bonds and driving the poor victim into the deserts. The madman feared the return of an attack, hence his alarmed cry.

[84] Authorised Version.

[85] Revised Version.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

By force and violence, as a horse when he is spurred.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(29) Driven of the devil . . .—Better, by the demon, to show that it is still the unclean spirit, and not the great Enemy, that is spoken of.

Into the wilderness.—The Greek word is plural, as in Luk_1:80; Luk_5:16. St. Luke, it may be noted, is the only writer who so uses it.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

29. he had commanded] Rather, He commanded.

oftentimes] Pollois chronois usually means “for a long time.”

he was kept bound with chains and in fetters] This rendering misses a curious point in the narrative, preserved by St Luke only,—namely, that “he was bound in chains and fetters, being under guard.”

into the wilderness] Rather, into the deserts,—regarded as a peculiar haunt of Azazel and other demons. Mat_12:43; Tob_8:3; see on Luk_4:1. (There are obvious allusions to the Gospel narrative of this demoniac and the demoniac boy in Lucian, Philopseudes, 16.)

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Jesus asked him, saying, what is thy name?.... This question was put, not out of ignorance in Christ, but for the sake of those that were with him; and partly, that the miserable condition of this man might be the more known; and partly, that his own power might be the more manifest in the dispossession:

and he said, legion, because many devils were entered into him; See Gill on Mar 5:9.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.

29 (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)

Ver. 29. And was driven of the devil] As a horse is by his rider (so the word ηλαυνετο signifieth) or a ship with oars. All wicked men are acted and agitated by the devil, Eph 2:2, persecutors especially. Quod si videris aliquando persecutorem tuum nimis saevientem, scito quia ab ascensore sue diabolo perurgetur. If persecutors sometimes be more moderate, it is because the devil spurs not so hard. (Bernard.)

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For many times it had caught him - Therefore our compassionate Lord made the more haste to cast him out.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

29. παρήγγελλεν. ‘He commanded.’

πολλοῖς χρόνοις usually means ‘for a long time.’ Comp. Plut. Thess. VI. πολλοῖς χρόνοις ὕστερον, ‘long afterwards.’

Φυλασσόμενος. ‘Being kept under guard.’ The A. V[180] misses this curious point in the narrative, preserved by St Luke only,—namely, that ‘he was bound in manacles and fetters, being under guard.’ The omission is corrected in the R. V[181], comp. Luk 4:10.

[180] A. V. Authorised Version.

[181] R. V. Revised Version.

ὑπὸ τοῦ δαιμονίου. The other reading δαίμονος (of A and other MSS.) is very remarkable, for it is the only place in the Gospel in which δαίμων occurs, and δαίμονες only in the parallel places (Mat 8:31; Mar 5:12). On the other δαιμόνιον occurs 45 times, and πνεῦμα 27 times.

εἰς τὰς ἐρήμους. ‘Into the deserts,’—regarded as a peculiar haunt of Azazel and other demons. Mat 12:43; Tob 8:3; see on Luk 4:1. (There are obvious allusions to the Gospel narrative of this demoniac and the demoniac boy in Lucian, Philopseudes, 16.)

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

29.] παρήγγελλεν, He was ordering, imperf.: in the midst of this ordering, and as a consequence of it, the possessed man cried out, as in last verse. On πολ. χρόνοις see reff. Plutarch, Thes. 6, uses χρόνοις πολλοῖς ὕστερον:—not ‘for many years,’ still less, ‘oftentimes,’ E. V., Grot.;—but during a long time.

συνηρπ., it had seized him and carried him: see reff.

ἐδεσμ.] Notice the imperfect, giving the sense, it was attempted to bind him.

διαρ. τ. δ.] The unnatural increase of muscular strength is also observed in cases of raving madness (as indeed also in those of any strong concentration of the will): see Trench as above.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

29. παρήγγελλεν γὰρ τῷ πνεύματι. Authorities are very evenly divided between the imperf. and the aor. If παρήγγειλεν be right, it almost means “He had ordered.” Burton., § 29, 48. We should have expected τοῖς πνεύμασιν, for both in ver. 27 and ver. 30 we have δαιμόνια. But the interchange of personality between the man and the demons is so rapid, that it becomes natural to speak of the demons in the sing. Note that while Lk. has his characteristic ἐξελθῖν ἀπό (vv. 33, 38, 4:35, 41, 5:8, etc.), Mk. has the more usual ἐξελθεῖν ἐκ.

πολλοῖς γὰρ χρόνοις συνηρπάκει αὐτόν. “Many times,” i.e. on many occasions, multis temporibus (Vulg.), “it had seized him,” or “carried him away”: comb. Act 27:15. Mk. has πόλλακις. Others explain “within a long time.” See Win. 31:9, p. 273. The verb is quite class., but in N.T. peculiar to Lk. (Act 6:12, Act 19:29, Act 26:15). Hobart counts it as medical (p. 244). In LXX, Pro 6:25; Pro_2 Mac. 3:27, 4:41,

ἀύσεσιν καὶ πέδαις. Both Lk. and Mk. use these two words to distinguish the “handcuffs and fetters,” manicæ et pedicæ, with which he was bound. See Lft. Phil. p. 8. The former is used of the chain by which the hand of a prisoner was fastened to the soldier who had charge of him. Like “chains,” ἁλύσεις are of metal, whereas πέδαι might be ropes or withes. Both ἀλύσεις and πέδαι are included in τὰ δεσμά. The imperfects tell of what usually took place. During the calmer intervals precautions were taken to prevent the demons “carrying him away with” them; but these precautions always proved futile.

εἰς τὰς ἐρήμους. In order to take the man away from humane influences. But the wilderness is regarded as the home of evil spirits. See on 11:24; and for the plural see on 1:80.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He had commanded [παρηγγελλεν] . Imperfect tense. Rev. does not improve by reading he commanded. The imperfect expresses the simultaneousness of the exorcism and the cry torment me not. Better, for he was commanding. So the Am. Rev.

It had seized [συνηρπακει] . Used by Luke only. See Act 6:12; Act 27:15. The verb literally means to snatch and carry away with [συν] .

He was kept bound [εδεσμευετο φυλασσομενος] . Lit., he was bound, being guarded. Rev., was kept under guard and bound. The A. V. does not sufficiently bring out the vigilance with which he was attended.

Chains and fetters. See on Mr 5:4.

Breaking [διαρρησσων] . Compare Mr 4:4, and see note there.

Was driven, etc. Peculiar to Luke.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.