Mark 5

Translator Notes

1. The SBLGNT reads Gerasēnōn ('Gerasenes') rather than the KJV's 'Gadarenes.' The 'other side' (to peran) is the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee — predominantly Gentile territory, as the presence of a pig herd will confirm. Jesus is crossing from Jewish to Gentile space, a significant boundary in Mark's narrative geography.

Translator Notes

1. The word euthys ('immediately') marks the instant confrontation — Jesus barely steps ashore before encountering the demoniac. The man comes 'from the tombs' (ek tōn mnēmeiōn), his dwelling place among the dead. Every detail accumulates uncleanness: Gentile territory, tombs, an unclean spirit. Jesus enters the most impure space imaginable.

Translator Notes

1. The triple negative (oude... ouketi... oudeis, 'not even... no longer... no one') emphasizes the absolute impossibility of human control over this man. The verb dēsai ('bind, tie up') echoes the 'binding the strong man' language of 3:27 — no one can bind this man because the strong man (Satan) controls him. Only the one who has already bound the strong man can free his captive.

Translator Notes

1. The distinction between pedais ('shackles' for the feet) and halysesin ('chains' for the hands/body) indicates repeated, thorough attempts at physical restraint. The verbs diespatsthai ('tore apart') and syntetriphthai ('crushed, smashed to pieces') convey superhuman strength. The verb damasai ('tame, subdue') is used for taming wild animals — the community has tried to treat this man as a beast. The perfect tenses indicate a history of failed attempts.

Translator Notes

1. The description is harrowing: constant screaming (krazōn) and self-mutilation (katakoptōn heauton lithois, 'cutting himself down with stones'). The phrase dia pantos ('continually, always') with nyktos kai hēmeras ('night and day') portrays unceasing torment. The man oscillates between tombs (death) and mountains (isolation), with no rest and no human community. Mark paints the most extreme portrait of demonic oppression in the Gospels.

Translator Notes

1. The verb prosekunēsen ('fell down before, prostrated himself, worshipped') can mean either worship or obeisance. Given the demonic context, this is likely involuntary submission to Jesus's authority rather than genuine worship. The man runs toward Jesus — not away. Despite the demons' hostility, something in the man is drawn to Jesus as his only hope.

Translator Notes

1. The demon uses the same defensive formula as in 1:24 — ti emoi kai soi ('what to me and to you?'). The title 'Son of the Most High God' (huie tou theou tou hypsistou) uses the Gentile designation for Israel's God (cf. Genesis 14:18-22), appropriate for the Gentile setting. The irony is profound: the demon adjures Jesus by God (horkizō se ton theon) — attempting to use divine authority against the divine Son. The verb basanisēs ('torment') refers to eschatological punishment — the demon fears Jesus has come to execute final judgment ahead of schedule.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Genesis 14:18-22. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.

Translator Notes

1. The imperfect elegen ('he was saying, had been saying') indicates that Jesus had already begun commanding the spirit before the exchange in verse 7. The demon's plea in verse 7 is a response to Jesus's initial exorcism command. Mark presents the encounter as a struggle, albeit one whose outcome is never in doubt.

Translator Notes

1. In ancient practice, knowing a spirit's name gave power over it. Jesus's question asserts authority. The answer legiōn is a Latin loanword — a Roman legion numbered approximately 5,000-6,000 soldiers. The name evokes both the overwhelming number of demons and, for Mark's Roman audience, the occupying military force. The shift between singular ('my name') and plural ('we are many') reflects the blurred identity of the possessed man and the possessing spirits.

Translator Notes

1. The imperfect parekalei ('kept begging') indicates persistent pleading. The demons' request not to be sent 'out of the region' (exō tēs chōras) is puzzling — perhaps they fear being sent to the abyss (cf. Luke 8:31) or prefer to remain in familiar territory. Their desperation and subservience to Jesus's authority is clear: they negotiate from a position of total weakness.

Translator Notes

1. The presence of pigs confirms the Gentile setting — pigs were unclean animals under Jewish law (Leviticus 11:7) and would not be raised in Jewish territory. The word agelē ('herd') is typically used for cattle; its use for pigs may reflect the unusually large number. The hillside (pros tō orei) near the sea sets up the dramatic plunge of verse 13.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Leviticus 11:7. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Translator Notes

1. The demons' request to enter the pigs rather than be cast into the abyss reveals their desperate desire to remain embodied and in the earthly realm. Their need to ask Jesus's permission demonstrates his absolute authority — they cannot act without his consent.

Translator Notes

1. The number 'about two thousand' (hōs dischilioi) reinforces the name 'Legion' and the scale of the oppression. The verb hōrmēsen ('rushed, stampeded') describes a headlong, uncontrollable charge. The verb epnigonto ('were drowning, suffocating') is imperfect, depicting the ongoing process. The sea, which in Jewish cosmology was associated with chaos and evil, swallows the unclean spirits along with the unclean animals — a symbolic victory over the forces of chaos.

Translator Notes

1. The herdsmen's flight (ephygon, 'fled') reflects terror at the supernatural event. Their report spreads to both urban (polis) and rural (agrous) areas. The phrase ti estin to gegonos ('what is the thing that has happened') uses the perfect participle — the accomplished event with ongoing implications.

Translator Notes

1. The transformation is described in three participles: kathēmenon ('sitting' — formerly restless), himatismenon ('clothed' — formerly naked, implied), and sōphronounta ('in his right mind' — formerly raving). The fear (ephobēthēsan) is not gratitude but dread — the power that could do this is as terrifying as the demoniac himself had been. The townspeople fear Jesus's power more than they appreciate the man's healing.

Translator Notes

1. The eyewitnesses (hoi idontes, 'those who saw') provide a detailed account (diēgēsanto, 'narrated, described'). The dual focus — what happened to the man and what happened to the pigs — reflects the community's twin concerns: the miraculous healing and the economic loss.

Translator Notes

1. The verb parakalein ('to beg, urge, implore') is the same word the demons used in verse 10. The community asks Jesus to leave — they prefer the familiar misery of a demoniac to the disruptive power of the healer. The economic loss of two thousand pigs may also motivate their request. This is one of the rare occasions where Jesus is rejected by an entire community.

Translator Notes

1. The verb parakalei ('was begging') appears for the third time in this passage — the demons begged (v. 10, 12), the townspeople begged (v. 17), and now the healed man begs. His request 'to be with him' (hina met' autou ē) echoes the purpose of the Twelve's appointment in 3:14 — he wants to become a disciple. In contrast to the community's rejection, the healed man is drawn to Jesus.

Translator Notes

1. This is the only case in Mark where Jesus commands someone to proclaim rather than to keep silent. The messianic secret does not apply in Gentile territory, where there is no risk of politicized messianic misunderstanding. The phrase ho kyrios ('the Lord') could refer to God or to Jesus — the ambiguity may be intentional. The verb ēleēsen ('had mercy') attributes the healing to divine compassion.

Translator Notes

1. The man exceeds his commission — Jesus said to tell 'your own people' what 'the Lord' had done; the man proclaims throughout the entire Decapolis (a league of ten Greco-Roman cities) what 'Jesus' had done. He identifies Jesus as the Lord. The Decapolis was predominantly Gentile territory, making this man effectively the first Gentile missionary in Mark. The imperfect ethaumazon ('were amazed, kept marveling') indicates an ongoing response.

Translator Notes

1. Jesus returns to the western (Jewish) shore. The recurring setting — 'beside the sea' (para tēn thalassan) — connects this to previous lakeside scenes. The crowd's immediate gathering indicates Jesus's continued popularity despite official opposition.

Translator Notes

1. The title archisunagōgos ('synagogue ruler/leader') denotes the person responsible for managing synagogue services and facilities — a position of considerable local prestige. That such a figure would prostrate himself publicly before an itinerant teacher indicates extreme desperation. The name Iairos is the Greek form of Hebrew Ya'ir ('he will enlighten/awaken'), which becomes poignant given the story's outcome.

Translator Notes

1. The diminutive thygatrion ('little daughter') conveys parental tenderness. The phrase eschatōs echei ('is at the last, at extremity') indicates she is near death. The verb sōthē ('may be saved') carries both physical healing and theological salvation in its range — Mark often uses sōzō with this double sense. Jairus's faith is expressed in his confidence that Jesus's touch will heal.

Translator Notes

1. The verb synethlilbon ('were pressing together against, crushing') recalls 3:9 where Jesus needed a boat to escape the crowd. The crushing crowd creates the condition for the next episode — the hemorrhaging woman can approach Jesus unnoticed because of the dense press of bodies.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase rhysis haimatos ('flow of blood') likely refers to chronic vaginal bleeding, which under Levitical law (Leviticus 15:25-30) rendered the woman perpetually ritually unclean and made anyone or anything she touched unclean as well. For twelve years she has been excluded from the temple, synagogue worship, and normal social contact. The twelve years will be paralleled by the twelve years of Jairus's daughter's life.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Leviticus 15:25-30 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.

Translator Notes

1. Mark's description is blunt about the medical profession: the woman suffered (pathousa, 'having endured much') under (hypo — from) the doctors, spent all her money (dapanēsasa ta par' autēs panta, 'having spent all that she had'), received no benefit (mēden ōphelētheisa), and actually deteriorated (eis to cheiron elthousa, 'having gone to the worse'). This frank assessment of ancient medicine is unique to Mark — Luke, the physician-evangelist, softens it considerably.

Translator Notes

1. Her approach from behind (opisthen) suggests both hope and fear — hope that Jesus can help, fear of public exposure of her condition. By touching his garment, she would technically transmit her ritual impurity to him. Her action is bold but covert, reflecting a woman who has been marginalized for twelve years and is reluctant to draw attention to herself.

Translator Notes

1. The imperfect elegen ('she was saying, kept saying to herself') suggests ongoing internal deliberation as she worked up courage. The verb sōthēsomai ('I will be saved/healed') again carries the dual sense of physical healing and spiritual wholeness. Her faith, though expressed through what might seem a superstitious mechanism (touching clothing), is directed toward Jesus personally.

Translator Notes

1. The healing is instantaneous (euthys) and physically perceptible. The word pēgē ('spring, fountain, source') for the bleeding is a medical term. The verb egnō tō sōmati ('she knew in her body') describes a somatic awareness — she could physically feel the change. The word mastigos ('affliction, scourge') is the same word used in 3:10 for diseases, viewing illness as a kind of divine whipping.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase epignous en heautō tēn ex autou dynamin exelthousan ('perceiving in himself the power having gone out from him') presents healing power as something that flows from Jesus and that he can detect. The word dynamis ('power') here is almost tangible — it has direction and movement. Jesus's question is not about information (he will identify the woman) but about relationship — he refuses to let the healing be anonymous.

Translator Notes

1. The disciples' response borders on exasperation — in a crushing crowd, everyone is touching him. They cannot distinguish between the incidental contact of the crowd and the deliberate, faith-driven touch of the woman. The imperfect elegon ('they were saying') suggests they pressed the point.

Translator Notes

1. The imperfect perieblepeto ('he was looking around') indicates a sustained, searching gaze. The feminine participle tēn touto poiēsasan ('the woman who had done this') reveals that Jesus already knew it was a woman. His searching look gives her the opportunity to come forward voluntarily rather than being exposed.

Translator Notes

1. Her fear (phobētheisa) and trembling (tremousa) may reflect fear of rebuke for transmitting impurity, fear of losing the healing, or awe at the divine power she has experienced. She tells 'the whole truth' (pasan tēn alētheian) — her twelve years of suffering, her desperate act, her healing. The public confession is both brave and necessary: Jesus will not allow healing to be separated from relationship.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The address 'Daughter' (thygatēr) restores her to family — she has been isolated for twelve years, and Jesus claims her as kin. The phrase hē pistis sou sesōken se ('your faith has saved you') uses the perfect tense — the salvation is accomplished and enduring. The verb sōzō again carries both physical and spiritual dimensions. 'Go in peace' (hypage eis eirēnēn) is the Hebrew shalom blessing — 'go into wholeness.' The command isthi hygiēs ('be healthy') confirms the healing as permanent.

Translator Notes

1. The timing is devastating — 'while he was still speaking' (eti autou lalountos), the worst news arrives. The delay caused by the hemorrhaging woman's interruption has cost Jairus his daughter. The verb skylleis ('trouble, bother, harass') suggests they view any further appeal as pointless. The message assumes death is the absolute limit of Jesus's power. Mark's intercalation technique creates maximum dramatic tension.

Translator Notes

1. The verb parakousas can mean either 'overhearing' or 'ignoring/disregarding.' Both readings work: Jesus either overhears the message meant for Jairus, or he deliberately disregards its hopeless conclusion. His response — mē phobou, monon pisteue ('do not fear, only believe') — calls Jairus to the same kind of faith the hemorrhaging woman demonstrated. The present imperative pisteue ('keep believing') demands sustained trust in the face of apparent impossibility.

Translator Notes

1. The inner circle of three — Peter, James, and John — appears here for the first time. They will also be present at the Transfiguration (9:2) and Gethsemane (14:33). This select group witnesses events too profound or intimate for the larger group. The exclusion of others creates privacy for the family and limits witnesses to the raising.

Translator Notes

1. The noun thorybos ('commotion, uproar, tumult') describes the scene of ritual mourning. Professional mourners would have been summoned quickly; Jewish custom required even the poorest family to hire at least two flute players and one wailing woman (Mishnah Ketubbot 4:4). The verb alalazontas ('wailing, shrieking') describes the loud, ritualized cries of formal lamentation.

Translator Notes

1. Jesus's statement 'the child is not dead but sleeping' (to paidion ouk apethanen alla katheudei) has been interpreted as either (1) a metaphor for death — the girl is dead but Jesus views death as temporary sleep, or (2) a literal claim that she is merely unconscious. Given the certainty of the death announcement (v. 35) and the mockery that follows, Mark appears to present an actual death that Jesus redefines as sleep because he intends to 'wake' her. The metaphor of death as sleep becomes standard Christian language (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).

Translator Notes

1. The verb kategelōn ('were laughing at, ridiculing, mocking') indicates contemptuous dismissal. Their laughter confirms the girl is genuinely dead — they know death when they see it. The verb ekbalōn ('having thrown out') is the same forceful word used for casting out demons. Jesus removes the scorners and creates an intimate space with only the parents and the three disciples.

Translator Notes

1. The preservation of the Aramaic talitha koum (or koumi in some manuscripts) is one of several instances where Mark retains Jesus's actual spoken words in Aramaic (cf. 7:34 ephphatha; 15:34 eloi eloi). Talitha means 'little girl' or 'lamb' (a term of endearment), and koum is the imperative 'arise, get up.' The tender address combined with the authoritative command creates a powerful contrast. Jesus touches a corpse, which would render him ritually unclean — but as with the leper, purity flows from Jesus rather than impurity flowing to him.

Translator Notes

1. The girl's response is immediate (euthys) and complete — she not only rises but walks. Her age — twelve years — creates a link with the hemorrhaging woman (twelve years of illness). The woman has been ill for the girl's entire lifetime. The phrase exestēsan ekstasei megalē ('they were astonished with a great astonishment') uses a cognate construction for emphasis — the witnesses are utterly overwhelmed.

Translator Notes

1. The messianic secret returns: diesteilato autois polla ('he ordered them repeatedly and emphatically'). Given that the mourners and crowd already know the girl died, keeping the raising secret seems impossible — yet Jesus commands it. The final detail — 'give her something to eat' — is profoundly human after the divine miracle. The command confirms the physical reality of her restoration: she is truly alive, with a living body that needs food. The juxtaposition of cosmic power and domestic tenderness is characteristically Markan.