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As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, He was met by a man with an unclean spirit, who was coming from the tombs.
Mark 5:2 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB When he had come out of the boat, immediately a man with an unclean spirit met him out of the tombs.
  • KJV And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
  • NKJV And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
  • NASB When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him.
  • NLT When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the tombs to meet him.

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 man controlled by an unclean spirit immediately meets Jesus among the tombs.

Overview

Mark portrays the man's desperate condition, dwelling among the dead and dominated by an evil spirit. The unclean spirit recognizes Jesus at once, as the powers of darkness always do. This encounter sets up a striking display of Christ's authority to deliver the most hopeless captive.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 9

  • Mark 1:23Suddenly a man with an unclean spirit cried out in the synagogue:
  • Isa 65:4sitting among the graves, spending nights in secret places, eating the meat of pigs and polluted broth from their bowls.
  • Mark 5:8For Jesus had already declared, “Come out of this man, you unclean spirit!”
  • Luke 9:42Even while the boy was approaching, the demon slammed him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
  • Mark 3:30Jesus made this statement because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
  • Mark 4:1Once again Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the shore.
  • Mark 1:26At this, the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and came out with a loud shriek.
  • Luke 8:27When Jesus stepped ashore, He was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothing or lived in a house, but he stayed in the tombs.
  • Mark 7:25Instead, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit soon heard about Jesus, and she came and fell at His feet.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

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 5:2YouTube · 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 5:2 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.