And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered into him.
- BSB “What is your name?” Jesus asked. “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him.
- NKJV Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him.
- NASB And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; because many demons had entered him.
- NLT Jesus demanded, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, for he was filled with many demons.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Asked his name, the man answers 'Legion,' because many demons possessed him. The scale of the bondage magnifies the rescue to come.
Overview
When Jesus asks the man's name, the answer reveals a multitude of demons, a 'legion,' inhabiting him. The detail shows the overwhelming power arrayed against this one man. Against such odds, Jesus' authority remains absolute and unchallenged.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Matt 26:53Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
- Luke 8:2And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
- Matt 8:29And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
- Mark 16:9Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
- Mark 5:9And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 8:30 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.