This man had been living in the tombs and could no longer be restrained, even with chains.
Parallel translations
- WEB He lived in the tombs. Nobody could bind him any more, not even with chains,
- KJV Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not 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 65:4sitting among the graves, spending nights in secret places, eating the meat of pigs and polluted broth from their bowls.
- Luke 8:29For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the chains and been driven by the demon into solitary places.
- Dan 4:32–33You will be driven away from mankind to live with the beasts of the field, and you will feed on grass like an ox. And seven times will pass you by, until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes.”
- Mark 9:18–22Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked Your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable.”
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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