He lived in the tombs. Nobody could bind him any more, not even with chains,
Parallel translations
- KJV Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
- BSB This man had been living in the tombs and could no longer be restrained, even with chains.
- NKJV who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains,
- NASB He lived among the tombs; and no one was able to bind him anymore, not even with a chain,
- NLT This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain.
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 man lived among the tombs and could not be restrained, even with chains.
Overview
His dwelling among the tombs pictures a life enslaved to death and uncleanness. No human strength could subdue him, underscoring the destructive power of demonic bondage. The hopelessness of his case magnifies the deliverance Jesus is about to accomplish.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 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;
- Luke 8:29For Jesus was commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For the unclean spirit had often seized the man. He was kept under guard, and bound with chains and fetters. Breaking the bands apart, he was driven by the demon into the desert.
- Dan 4:32–33You shall be driven from men; and your dwelling shall be with the animals of the field. You shall be made to eat grass as oxen. Seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he will.”
- Mark 9:18–22and wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth, and wastes away. I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they weren’t able.”
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 5:3 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
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