The Meaning of Matthew 8:32 Explained

Matthew 8:32

KJV: And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.

YLT: and he saith to them, 'Go.' And having come forth, they went to the herd of the swine, and lo, the whole herd of the swine rushed down the steep, to the sea, and died in the waters,

Darby: And he said to them, Go. And they, going out, departed into the herd of swine; and lo, the whole herd of swine rushed down the steep slope into the sea, and died in the waters.

ASV: And he said unto them, Go. And they came out, and went into the swine: and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep into the sea, and perished in the waters.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  he said  unto them,  Go.  And  when they were come out,  they went  into  the herd  of swine:  and,  behold,  the whole  herd  of swine  ran violently  down  a steep place  into  the sea,  and  perished  in  the waters. 

What does Matthew 8:32 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 8:28-34 - An Unwelcome Visitor
The demon spirit seems still to tenant the lives of human beings. To what else can we attribute the paroxysms of passion, the awful cruelties and inhumanities of men? There is only one devil, but many demons; only one prince of the power of darkness, but many emissaries. Take heed, lest you open the door of your nature to the spirit of evil and he possess you. Watch and pray, and trust the keeping of your soul to the hands of Christ. He is stronger than the strong man.
Notice that the demon is set upon destruction. If he may not destroy the souls of men, he will destroy swine. This is the mark of evil. It is always destructive; whereas the Spirit of God is constructive and builds up from the ruins of Satan's work a new heaven and a new earth, both in the soul and in the universe.
All the city besought Jesus to depart, because men count their gains more valuable than His presence. The same spirit rules in the commercial world of today. Let us beware. What shall it profit to gain the world, if we lose our souls? [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 8

1  Jesus cleanses the leper;
5  heals the centurion's servant,
14  Peter's mother in law,
16  and many others;
18  shows the cost of following him;
23  stills the storm on the sea;
28  drives the demons out of two men possessed;
31  and tells them to go into the pigs

Greek Commentary for Matthew 8:32

Rushed down the steep [ωρμησεν κατα του κρημνου]
Down from the cliff (ablative case) into the sea. Constative aorist tense. The influence of mind on matter is now understood better than formerly, but we have the mastery of the mind of the Master on the minds of the maniacs, the power of Christ over the demons, over the herd of hogs. Difficulties in plenty exist for those who see only folk-lore and legend, but plain enough if we take Jesus to be really Lord and Saviour. The incidental destruction of the hogs need not trouble us when we are so familiar with nature‘s tragedies which we cannot comprehend. [source]
A steep place [τοῦ κρημνοῦ]
Much better the steep (Rev.). Not an overhanging precipice, but a steep, almost perpendicular declivity, between the base of which and the water was a narrow margin of ground, in which there was not room for the swine to recover from their headlong rush. Dr. Thomson (“Land and Book”) says: “Farther south the plain becomes so broad that the herd might have recovered and recoiled from the lake.” The article localizes the steep as in the vicinity of the pasture. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 8:32

Mark 5:13 And he gave them leave [και επετρεπσεν αυτοις]
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 note on Matthew 8:32 for “rushed down the steep.” [source]
Mark 5:13 They were choked [epnigonto)]
Imperfect tense picturing graphically the disappearance of pig after pig in the sea. Luke 8:33 has apegnigē choked off, constative second aorist passive indicative, treated as a whole, Matthew 8:32 merely has “perished” (επνιγοντο — apethanon died). [source]
Mark 5:13 choked off []
, constative second aorist passive indicative, treated as a whole, Matthew 8:32 merely has “perished” (επνιγοντο — apethanon died). [source]
Luke 8:33 A steep place []
See on Matthew 8:32. [source]
Luke 8:33 Rushed down the steep [ωρμησεν κατα του κρημνου]
Ablative with κατα — kata as in Mark 5:13; Matthew 8:32 and the same vivid verb in each account, to hurl impetuously, to rush. [source]
John 7:4 In secret [εν κρυπτωι]
See Matthew 6:4, Matthew 6:6 for this phrase. Openly “In public” See Matthew 8:32. Common in John (John 7:13, John 7:26; John 10:24; John 16:25, John 16:29; John 18:20; here again contrasted with en kruptōi). It is wise advice in the abstract that a public teacher must allow inspection of his deeds, but the motive is evil. They might get Jesus into trouble. εν κρυπτωι — If thou doest these things This condition of the first class assumes the reality of the deeds of Jesus, but the use of the condition at all throws doubt on it all as in Matthew 4:3, Matthew 4:6. Manifest thyself First aorist active imperative of πανερωσον σεαυτον — phaneroō To the world Not just to “thy disciples,” but to the public at large as at the feast of tabernacles. See John 8:26; John 14:22 for this use of τωι κοσμωι — kosmos f0). [source]
Revelation 18:21 Took up [ηρεν]
First aorist active indicative of αιρω — airō it were a great millstone Late adjective, in inscriptions, here only in N.T., made of millstone Second aorist active of βαλλω — ballō to hurl.With a mighty fall Instrumental case (manner) of ορμημα — hormēma a rush, old word from ορμαω — hormaō to rush (Matthew 8:32), here only in N.T.Shall be cast down (βλετησεται — blethēsetai). Future (first) passive of βαλλω — ballō the same verb (εβαλεν — ebalen), effective punctiliar future. Like a boulder hurled into the sea.Shall be found no more at all Double negative with first aorist passive subjunctive of ευρισκω — heuriskō See Revelation 9:6 for ου μη — ou mē with the active voice of ευρισκω — heuriskō Already the old Babylon was a desert waste (Strabo, XVI. 1073). [source]
Revelation 18:21 With a mighty fall [ορμηματι]
Instrumental case (manner) of ορμημα — hormēma a rush, old word from ορμαω — hormaō to rush (Matthew 8:32), here only in N.T.Shall be cast down (βλετησεται — blethēsetai). Future (first) passive of βαλλω — ballō the same verb (εβαλεν — ebalen), effective punctiliar future. Like a boulder hurled into the sea.Shall be found no more at all Double negative with first aorist passive subjunctive of ευρισκω — heuriskō See Revelation 9:6 for ου μη — ou mē with the active voice of ευρισκω — heuriskō Already the old Babylon was a desert waste (Strabo, XVI. 1073). [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 8:32 mean?

And He said to them Go - And having gone out they went away into the pigs behold rushed all the herd down the steep bank the sea perished in the waters
Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ὑπάγετε οἱ δὲ ἐξελθόντες ἀπῆλθον εἰς τοὺς χοίρους ἰδοὺ ὥρμησεν πᾶσα ἀγέλη κατὰ τοῦ κρημνοῦ τὴν θάλασσαν ἀπέθανον ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν

εἶπεν  He  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
αὐτοῖς  to  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Ὑπάγετε  Go 
Parse: Verb, Present Imperative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: ὑπάγω  
Sense: to lead under, bring under.
οἱ  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἐξελθόντες  having  gone  out 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ἐξέρχομαι 
Sense: to go or come forth of.
ἀπῆλθον  they  went  away 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἀπέρχομαι  
Sense: to go away, depart.
εἰς  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
χοίρους  pigs 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: χοῖρος  
Sense: a swine.
ἰδοὺ  behold 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ἰδού  
Sense: behold, see, lo.
ὥρμησεν  rushed 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ὁρμάω  
Sense: to set in rapid motion, stir up, incite, urge on.
ἀγέλη  herd 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: ἀγέλη  
Sense: herd or oxen or cattle, a herd or company.
κατὰ  down 
Parse: Preposition
Root: κατά 
Sense: down from, through out.
κρημνοῦ  steep  bank 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: κρημνός  
Sense: a steep place, a precipice.
θάλασσαν  sea 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: θάλασσα  
Sense: the sea.
ἀπέθανον  perished 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἀποθνῄσκω  
Sense: to die.
ὕδασιν  waters 
Parse: Noun, Dative Neuter Plural
Root: ὕδωρ  
Sense: water.