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And the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us into the pigs so that we may enter them.”
Mark 5:12 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB All the demons begged him, saying, “Send us into the pigs, that we may enter into them.”
  • KJV And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
  • BSB So the demons begged Jesus, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.”
  • NKJV So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.”
  • NLT “Send us into those pigs,” the spirits begged. “Let us enter them.”

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

The demons beg Jesus to send them into the pigs.

Overview

Even in defeat the demons seek an outlet, asking permission to enter the herd. Their request shows they can do nothing without Christ's allowance. The scene reinforces that Jesus holds complete authority over the destiny of the evil spirits.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 5

  • Luke 22:31–32The Lord said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat,
  • Job 1:10–12Haven’t you made a hedge around him, and around his house, and around all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
  • 2 Cor 2:11that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
  • 1 Pet 5:8Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
  • Job 2:5But stretch out your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce you to your face.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Mark videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Mark 5:12YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on MarkMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 5:12 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.