Luke 8:26-39 - "great Things" For One In Great Need
The victim. In referring to but one demoniac the evangelist would probably concentrate attention on the more prominent of the two mentioned by Matthew. There must have been some collusion between the elements of the storm and the demons in this man. Everything seemed to oppose the Lord's assertion of His right to be obeyed. If demons could possess a man with such power, what might not Christ do if we yielded ourselves absolutely to Him! There must have been some secret yielding on this man's part, or his heart had never become a garrison of demons. He mistook Christ's identity, confusing it with that of the demons. Naked; vile; mighty to destroy! What a terrible combination!
His masters. The evil one dreads to be unclothed and would prefer to be in a pig than in the abyss-that word means "without bottom." Once begin to fall, where will it end? The Jews had no right to keep swine, whatever price the Romans were prepared to pay, Leviticus 11:7. Christ left Gadara, but left a preacher there. We are not taken out of the world, but sent to witness to it and against it. [source]
Chapter Summary: Luke 8
1Women minister unto Jesus of their own means 4Jesus, after he had preached from place to place, 9explains the parable of the sower, 16and the candle; 19declares who are his mother, and brothers; 22rebukes the winds; 26casts the legion of demons out of the man into the herd of pigs; 37is rejected by the Gadarenes; 43heals the woman of her bleeding; 49and raises Jairus's daughter from death
Command them [] The plural, referring to the legion. [source]
The deep [ἄβυσσον] Lit., the bottomless. Transcribed into ourabyss, as Rev. Mark has a quite different request, that he would not send them out of the country (Mark 5:10). In Romans 10:7, used of Hades, to which Christ descended; and in Revelation always of the bottomless pit. The demons refer to their place of abode and torment. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 8:31
Luke 8:38Besought [ἐδέετο] Imperfect: was beseeching. See on prayers, Luke 5:33. Rev., prayed. Beseech is used to render παρακαλέω (Mark 5:10). See on consolation, Luke 6:24. Παρακαλέω , beseech, is used of prayer to God in only one instance, 2 Corinthians 12:8, where Paul besought the Lord to remove the thorn in the flesh. Frequently or requests to Christ while on earth. Δεομαι , to pray, often of prayer to God (Matthew 9:38; Luke 10:2; Acts 8:22). It is noticeable that in Luke 8:28, where the demons address Christ as the Son of the highest God, they say δέομαι , I pray. In Luke 8:31,Luke 8:32, where they ask not to be sent away, and to be allowed to enter into the swine, they say παρακαλέω , I beseech. The restored man, recognizing Jesus' divine power, prayed ( ἐδεῖτο ) to be with him. The distinction, however, must not be closely pressed. The two words seem to be often used interchangeably in the New Testament. [source]
Romans 10:7Descend into the deep [] Rev., abyss. Septuagint, Who shall pass through to beyond the sea? See on Luke 8:31. Paul changes the phrase in order to adapt it to the descent of Christ into Hades. The two ideas may be reconciled in the fact that the Jew conceived the sea as the abyss of waters on which the earth rested. Compare Exodus 20:4. Thus the ideas beyond the sea and beneath the earth coincide in designating the realm of the dead. Compare Homer's picture of the region of the dead beyond the Ocean-stream:“As soon as thou shalt cross.Oceanus, and come to the low shore And groves of Proserpine, the lofty groups-DIVIDER-
Of poplars, and the willows that let fall-DIVIDER-
Their withered fruit, moor thou thy galley there-DIVIDER-
In the deep eddies of Oceanus,-DIVIDER-
And pass to Pluto's comfortless abode.”“Odyssey,” x. 508-513.“Our barkReached the far confines of Oceanus. There lies the land and there the people dwell-DIVIDER-
Of the Cimmerians, in eternal cloud-DIVIDER-
And darkness.”“Odyssey,” xi. 13-15. [source]
Romans 10:7Into the abyss [εις την αβυσσον] See note on Luke 8:31 for this old Greek word (α a privative and βυσσος bussos) bottomless like sea (Psalm 106:26), our abyss. In Revelation 9:1 it is the place of torment. Paul seems to refer to Hades or Sheol (Acts 2:27,Acts 2:31), the other world to which Christ went after death. [source]
Revelation 20:3Into the abyss [εις την αβυσσον] The one in Revelation 9:1. and the one spoken of by the legion of demons in Luke 8:31 under the charge of the angel of the abyss (Apollyon, Revelation 9:11) who is either Satan himself or a kindred power. “Already he has been cast out of Heaven (Revelation 12:9), now he is cast out of the earth, and returns to his own place” (Swete). [source]
Revelation 9:1Fallen [πεπτωκοτα] Perfect active participle of πιπτω piptō already down. In Luke 10:18 note πεσοντα pesonta (constative aorist active, like a flash of lightning) after ετεωρουν etheōroun and in Revelation 7:2 note αναβαινοντα anabainonta (present active and linear, coming up, picturing the process) after ειδον eidon the pit of the abyss Αβυσσος Abussos is an old adjective (alpha privative and βυτος buthos depth, without depth), but η αβυσσος hē abussos (supply χωρα chōra place), the bottomless place. It occurs in Romans 10:7 for the common receptacle of the dead for Hades (Sheol), but in Luke 8:31 a lower depth is sounded (Swete), for the abode of demons, and in this sense it occurs in Revelation 9:1,Revelation 9:2,Revelation 9:11; Revelation 11:7; Revelation 17:8; Revelation 20:1,Revelation 20:3. Πρεαρ Phrear is an old word for well or cistern (Luke 14:5; John 4:11.) and it occurs in Revelation 9:1. for the mouth of the abyss which is pictured as a cistern with a narrow orifice at the entrance and this fifth angel holds the key to it. [source]
What do the individual words in Luke 8:31 mean?
Andthey were beggingHimthatnothe would commandthemintotheAbyssto go away
Greek Commentary for Luke 8:31
Rare old word common in lxx from α a privative and βατς bathūs (deep). So bottomless place (supply χωρα chōra). The deep sea in Genesis 1:2; Genesis 7:11. The common receptacle of the dead in Romans 10:7 and especially the abode of demons as here and Revelation 9:1-11; Revelation 11:7; Revelation 17:8; Revelation 20:1, Revelation 20:3. [source]
The plural, referring to the legion. [source]
Lit., the bottomless. Transcribed into ourabyss, as Rev. Mark has a quite different request, that he would not send them out of the country (Mark 5:10). In Romans 10:7, used of Hades, to which Christ descended; and in Revelation always of the bottomless pit. The demons refer to their place of abode and torment. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 8:31
Imperfect: was beseeching. See on prayers, Luke 5:33. Rev., prayed. Beseech is used to render παρακαλέω (Mark 5:10). See on consolation, Luke 6:24. Παρακαλέω , beseech, is used of prayer to God in only one instance, 2 Corinthians 12:8, where Paul besought the Lord to remove the thorn in the flesh. Frequently or requests to Christ while on earth. Δεομαι , to pray, often of prayer to God (Matthew 9:38; Luke 10:2; Acts 8:22). It is noticeable that in Luke 8:28, where the demons address Christ as the Son of the highest God, they say δέομαι , I pray. In Luke 8:31, Luke 8:32, where they ask not to be sent away, and to be allowed to enter into the swine, they say παρακαλέω , I beseech. The restored man, recognizing Jesus' divine power, prayed ( ἐδεῖτο ) to be with him. The distinction, however, must not be closely pressed. The two words seem to be often used interchangeably in the New Testament. [source]
Rev., abyss. Septuagint, Who shall pass through to beyond the sea? See on Luke 8:31. Paul changes the phrase in order to adapt it to the descent of Christ into Hades. The two ideas may be reconciled in the fact that the Jew conceived the sea as the abyss of waters on which the earth rested. Compare Exodus 20:4. Thus the ideas beyond the sea and beneath the earth coincide in designating the realm of the dead. Compare Homer's picture of the region of the dead beyond the Ocean-stream:“As soon as thou shalt cross.Oceanus, and come to the low shore And groves of Proserpine, the lofty groups-DIVIDER- Of poplars, and the willows that let fall-DIVIDER- Their withered fruit, moor thou thy galley there-DIVIDER- In the deep eddies of Oceanus,-DIVIDER- And pass to Pluto's comfortless abode.”“Odyssey,” x. 508-513.“Our barkReached the far confines of Oceanus. There lies the land and there the people dwell-DIVIDER- Of the Cimmerians, in eternal cloud-DIVIDER- And darkness.”“Odyssey,” xi. 13-15. [source]
See note on Luke 8:31 for this old Greek word (α a privative and βυσσος bussos) bottomless like sea (Psalm 106:26), our abyss. In Revelation 9:1 it is the place of torment. Paul seems to refer to Hades or Sheol (Acts 2:27, Acts 2:31), the other world to which Christ went after death. [source]
The one in Revelation 9:1. and the one spoken of by the legion of demons in Luke 8:31 under the charge of the angel of the abyss (Apollyon, Revelation 9:11) who is either Satan himself or a kindred power. “Already he has been cast out of Heaven (Revelation 12:9), now he is cast out of the earth, and returns to his own place” (Swete). [source]
Perfect active participle of πιπτω piptō already down. In Luke 10:18 note πεσοντα pesonta (constative aorist active, like a flash of lightning) after ετεωρουν etheōroun and in Revelation 7:2 note αναβαινοντα anabainonta (present active and linear, coming up, picturing the process) after ειδον eidon the pit of the abyss Αβυσσος Abussos is an old adjective (alpha privative and βυτος buthos depth, without depth), but η αβυσσος hē abussos (supply χωρα chōra place), the bottomless place. It occurs in Romans 10:7 for the common receptacle of the dead for Hades (Sheol), but in Luke 8:31 a lower depth is sounded (Swete), for the abode of demons, and in this sense it occurs in Revelation 9:1, Revelation 9:2, Revelation 9:11; Revelation 11:7; Revelation 17:8; Revelation 20:1, Revelation 20:3. Πρεαρ Phrear is an old word for well or cistern (Luke 14:5; John 4:11.) and it occurs in Revelation 9:1. for the mouth of the abyss which is pictured as a cistern with a narrow orifice at the entrance and this fifth angel holds the key to it. [source]