The Meaning of Luke 8:37 Explained

Luke 8:37

KJV: Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again.

YLT: And the whole multitude of the region of the Gadarenes round about asked him to go away from them, because with great fear they were pressed, and he having entered into the boat, did turn back.

Darby: And all the multitude of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked him to depart from them, for they were possessed with great fear; and he, entering into the ship, returned.

ASV: And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes round about asked him to depart from them, for they were holden with great fear: and he entered into a boat, and returned.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then  the whole  multitude  of the country  of the Gadarenes  round about  besought  him  to depart  from  them;  for  they were taken  with great  fear:  and  he  went up  into  the ship,  and returned back again. 

What does Luke 8:37 Mean?

Study Notes

besought
Unconscious of their own need, the Gadarenes beseech the Lord to depart -- His power terrifies and condemns them; whilst he whose need has been met beseeches Him that he may follow Him.

Context Summary

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

1  Women minister unto Jesus of their own means
4  Jesus, after he had preached from place to place,
9  explains the parable of the sower,
16  and the candle;
19  declares who are his mother, and brothers;
22  rebukes the winds;
26  casts the legion of demons out of the man into the herd of pigs;
37  is rejected by the Gadarenes;
43  heals the woman of her bleeding;
49  and raises Jairus's daughter from death

Greek Commentary for Luke 8:37

Were holden with great fear [ποβωι μεγαλωι συνειχοντο]
Imperfect passive of συνεχω — sunechō with the instrumental case of ποβος — phobos See a similar use of this vigorous verb in Luke 12:50 of Jesus and in Philemon 1:23 of Paul. [source]
They were taken [συνείχοντο]
See on Luke 4:38. The same word as of the fever. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 8:37

Luke 8:45 Throng and press [συνέχουσιν - ἀποθλίβουσιν]
On the former word, see Luke 8:37, and Luke 4:38. Rev. renders the latter, which occurs here only, more literally, crush. It means to squeeze out, as wine from grapes. See on tribulation, Matthew 13:21. [source]
Luke 12:50 And how I am straitened [και πως συνεχομαι]
See this same vivid verb συνεχομαι — sunechomai in Luke 8:37; Acts 18:5; Philemon 1:23 where Paul uses it of his desire for death just as Jesus does here. The urge of the Cross is upon Jesus at the moment of these words. We catch a glimpse of the tremendous passion in his soul that drove him on.Till it be accomplished (εως οτου τελεστηι — heōs hotou telesthēi). First aorist passive subjunctive of τελεω — teleō with εως οτου — heōs hotou (until which time), the common construction for the future with this conjunction. [source]
Luke 4:38 Into the house of Simon [εις την οικιαν Σιμωνος]
“Peter‘s house” (Matthew 8:14). “The house of Simon and Andrew” (Mark 1:29). Paul‘s reference to Peter‘s wife (1 Corinthians 9:5) is pertinent. They lived together in Capernaum. This house came also to be the Capernaum home of Jesus.Simon‘s wife‘s mother (πεντερα του Σιμωνος — penthera tou Simōnos). The word πεντερα — penthera for mother-in-law is old and well established in usage. Besides the parallel passages (Mark 1:30; Matthew 8:14; Luke 4:38) it occurs in the N.T. only in Luke 12:53. The corresponding word πεντερος — pentheros father-in-law, occurs in John 18:13 alone in the N.T.Was holden with a great fever Periphrastic imperfect passive, the analytical tense accenting the continuous fever, perhaps chronic and certainly severe. Luke employs this verb nine times and only three others in the N.T. (Matthew 4:24 passive with diseases here; 2 Corinthians 5:14 active; Philemon 1:23 passive). In Acts 28:8 the passive “with dysentery” is like the construction here and is a common one in Greek medical writers as in Greek literature generally. Luke uses the passive with “fear,” Luke 8:37, the active for holding the hands over the ears (Acts 7:57) and for pressing one or holding together (Luke 8:45; Luke 19:43; Luke 22:63), the direct middle for holding oneself to preaching (Acts 18:5). It is followed here by the instrumental case. Hobart (Medical Language of Luke, p. 3) quotes Galen as dividing fevers into “great” (μεγαλοι — megaloi) and “small” (σμικροι — smikroi). [source]
Luke 4:38 Was holden with a great fever [ην συνεχομενη πυρετωι μεγαλωι]
Periphrastic imperfect passive, the analytical tense accenting the continuous fever, perhaps chronic and certainly severe. Luke employs this verb nine times and only three others in the N.T. (Matthew 4:24 passive with diseases here; 2 Corinthians 5:14 active; Philemon 1:23 passive). In Acts 28:8 the passive “with dysentery” is like the construction here and is a common one in Greek medical writers as in Greek literature generally. Luke uses the passive with “fear,” Luke 8:37, the active for holding the hands over the ears (Acts 7:57) and for pressing one or holding together (Luke 8:45; Luke 19:43; Luke 22:63), the direct middle for holding oneself to preaching (Acts 18:5). It is followed here by the instrumental case. Hobart (Medical Language of Luke, p. 3) quotes Galen as dividing fevers into “great” (μεγαλοι — megaloi) and “small” (σμικροι — smikroi). [source]
Luke 8:45 Press thee and crush thee [συνεχουσιν σε και αποτλιβουσιν]
Hold thee together, hold thee in (συνεχω — sunechō see Luke 8:37). [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 8:37 mean?

And asked Him all the multitude of the surrounding region of the Gerasenes to depart from them because with fear great they were seized He now having entered into the boat turned back
Καὶ ἠρώτησεν αὐτὸν ἅπαν τὸ πλῆθος τῆς περιχώρου τῶν Γερασηνῶν ἀπελθεῖν ἀπ’ αὐτῶν ὅτι φόβῳ μεγάλῳ συνείχοντο αὐτὸς δὲ ἐμβὰς εἰς πλοῖον ὑπέστρεψεν

ἠρώτησεν  asked 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἐρωτάω  
Sense: to question.
πλῆθος  multitude 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: πλῆθος  
Sense: a multitude.
τῆς  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
περιχώρου  surrounding  region 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: περίχωρος  
Sense: lying round about, neighbouring.
τῶν  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Γερασηνῶν  Gerasenes 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: Γερασηνός 
Sense: also called Gadarenes, is assumed to have been located on the eastern shore of Lake Gennesaret.
ἀπελθεῖν  to  depart 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active
Root: ἀπέρχομαι  
Sense: to go away, depart.
ὅτι  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
φόβῳ  with  fear 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: φόβος  
Sense: fear, dread, terror.
μεγάλῳ  great 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: μέγας  
Sense: great.
συνείχοντο  they  were  seized 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Plural
Root: συνέχω  
Sense: to hold together.
δὲ  now 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
ἐμβὰς  having  entered 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἐμβαίνω  
Sense: to go into, step into.
εἰς  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
πλοῖον  the  boat 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: πλοῖον  
Sense: a ship.
ὑπέστρεψεν  turned  back 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ὑποστρέφω  
Sense: to turn back.