Now there was a large herd of pigs feeding nearby on the mountain.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now on the mountainside there was a great herd of pigs feeding.
- KJV Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
- BSB There on the nearby hillside a large herd of pigs was feeding.
- NKJV Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.
- NLT There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby.
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
A large herd of pigs was feeding nearby on the mountainside.
Overview
Mark notes the herd of pigs, fitting the Gentile setting where such animals were raised. Their presence becomes the means by which the reality of the deliverance is publicly demonstrated. The detail prepares for the dramatic outcome that follows.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Lev 11:7–8The pig, because he has a split hoof, and is cloven-footed, but doesn’t chew the cud, he is unclean to you.
- Isa 65:4who sit among the graves, and spend nights in secret places; who eat pig’s meat, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
- Isa 66:3He who kills an ox is as he who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, as he who breaks a dog’s neck; he who offers an offering, as he who offers pig’s blood; he who burns frankincense, as he who blesses an idol. Yes, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations:
- Deut 14:8The pig, because it has a split hoof but doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you. You shall not eat their meat, and you shall not touch their carcasses.
- Luke 8:32Now there was there a herd of many pigs feeding on the mountain, and they begged him that he would allow them to enter into those. He allowed them.
- Matt 8:30Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding far away from them.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 5:11 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.