Question 1

In v. 8, what does Mark indicate Jesus has already been doing before the conversation continues?

Accepted Answer

Verse 8 explains that Jesus is already addressing the spirit directly with a command: “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit.” That means the later dialogue (name, pleas, and requests) happens in the context of an ongoing expulsion, not before Jesus acts. Mark’s order highlights initiative and authority: Jesus speaks first, and the spirits respond to his action. The verse also keeps the focus on the man as the one being freed (“out of the man”), even though the conversation is with the spirit that is afflicting him.

Question 2

What is the immediate purpose of Jesus’ question “What is your name?” in v. 9, based on the reply?

Accepted Answer

The reply interprets itself: “My name is Legion, for we are many.” Whatever “Legion” suggests beyond that, Mark explicitly uses it to reveal number. The naming moment exposes that this is not a single spirit but a crowd, which helps explain the intensity and persistence of the man’s oppression in the wider story. It also sets up why the next requests use plural language (“them,” “us,” “we may enter”), matching the claim that the spirits are many rather than one.

Question 3

How does the passage show the spirits’ view of Jesus’ authority in vv. 10–12?

Accepted Answer

The spirits “beg” repeatedly and frame their requests around Jesus’ decision: not to send them away out of the region (v. 10), and to send them into the pigs (v. 12). They do not describe escaping on their own terms; they ask for permitted movement. The repeated begging suggests urgency and dependence: Jesus has the capacity to expel or relocate them, and they treat his word as determinative. Even their proposed plan (entering the pigs) is presented as something that must be granted, not taken.

Question 4

What details in vv. 11–13 make the transfer to the pigs a visible, checkable event rather than a private claim?

Accepted Answer

Mark anchors the event in specific, observable details: a “great herd of pigs” is nearby on the mountainside (v. 11); the demons request entry into that herd (v. 12); Jesus gives permission; the spirits enter the pigs; and then “about two thousand” animals rush down a steep bank into the sea and drown (v. 13). The location (hillside, steep bank, sea) and the large number function like public markers: bystanders could see the herd’s movement and disappearance.

Question 5

What does v. 10 (“not send them away out of the country/region”) contribute to the story’s meaning?

Accepted Answer

Verse 10 adds a new dimension to the conflict: it is not only about leaving the man but also about where the spirits will end up. The spirits fear being sent away from the region, which implies Jesus can do more than detach them from their victim—he can determine their destination. This turns the scene into a negotiation over location under Jesus’ authority. It also anticipates the request in v. 12, where they propose an alternative destination (the pigs) that still keeps them nearby rather than “away.”

Question 6

What is the narrative effect of Jesus “giving permission” in v. 13 rather than forcing a result without any dialogue?

Accepted Answer

The wording “Jesus gave them permission” keeps the focus on authority and limits. The spirits do not simply relocate; they move only with allowance. At the same time, Mark’s sequence shows that permission does not equal approval of what follows; it describes who controls the decision. Narratively, it also links cause and effect: request → permission → transfer → stampede and drowning. That chain makes the outcome (the pigs’ death) function as evidence that the spirits really left the man, because their movement has an immediate, dramatic, external result.

Question 7

How does the number “about two thousand” (v. 13) function in the passage even if it is not exact?

Accepted Answer

Whether the figure is exact or rounded, it signals scale. The loss is not a small, ambiguous incident but a massive, unmistakable event. That strengthens the story’s claim that the spirits are “many” (v. 9) and that their departure is decisive rather than partial. The number also intensifies the public dimension: a herd of that size rushing into the sea would be hard to miss and hard to explain as a minor mishap. Mark uses it to underline the magnitude of what is happening around Jesus’ command.

Mark 5:8-13

Scripture