All the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked him to depart from them, for they were very much afraid. He entered into the boat, and returned.
Parallel translations
- 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.
- BSB Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, because great fear had taken hold of them. So He got into the boat and started back.
- NKJV Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.
- NASB And all the people of the territory of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region asked Him to leave them, because they were overwhelmed by great fear; and He got into a boat and returned.
- NLT And all the people in the region of the Gerasenes begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone, for a great wave of fear swept over them. So Jesus returned to the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake.
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
Overcome with fear, the people ask Jesus to leave, and He departs by boat. They prize their comfort and pigs over His presence.
Overview
Rather than welcoming the One who delivered the man, the people, gripped by fear, ask Jesus to go. Their request is a sobering picture of preferring the familiar to the Savior. Jesus honors their wish and withdraws, though not without leaving a witness behind.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Acts 16:39and they came and begged them. When they had brought them out, they asked them to depart from the city.
- Luke 5:8But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord.”
- 1 Kgs 17:18She said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, you man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to memory, and to kill my son!”
- Job 21:14–15They tell God, ‘Depart from us, for we don’t want to know about your ways.
- Mark 5:17They began to beg him to depart from their region.
- Luke 9:5As many as don’t receive you, when you depart from that city, shake off even the dust from your feet for a testimony against them.”
- Luke 8:28When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, “What do I have to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torment me!”
- Luke 9:56For the Son of Man didn’t come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” They went to another village.
- Luke 10:16Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me. Whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
- Luke 10:10–11But into whatever city you enter, and they don’t receive you, go out into its streets and say,
- Matt 8:34Behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged that he would depart from their borders.
- 1 Sam 6:20The men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God? To whom shall he go up from us?”
- Deut 5:25Now therefore why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear Yahweh our God’s voice any more, then we shall die.
- 2 Sam 6:8–9David was displeased, because Yahweh had broken out against Uzzah; and he called that place Perez Uzzah, to this day.
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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 8:37 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.