Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
Parallel translations
- WEB He lived in the tombs. Nobody could bind him any more, not even 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 65:4Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
- Luke 8:29(For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)
- Dan 4:32–33And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
- Mark 9:18–22And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.
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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