So the demons begged Jesus, “If You drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
Parallel translations
- WEB The demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of pigs.”
- KJV So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.
- NKJV So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.”
- NASB And the demons begged Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
- NLT So the demons begged, “If you cast us out, send us into that herd of pigs.”
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 let them enter the pigs rather than be cast out into nothing. They are utterly subject to his command.
Overview
Unable to resist Jesus, the demons can only make a request, showing they act solely by his permission. Their desire to inhabit the pigs reveals their compulsion to destroy whatever they touch. The exchange confirms Christ's total sovereignty over the spiritual realm, even over the enemies of God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Rev 20:1–2Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain.
- Rev 12:12Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea; with great fury the devil has come down to you, knowing he has only a short time.”
- Luke 8:30–33“What is your name?” Jesus asked. “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him.
- Mark 5:12So the demons begged Jesus, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.”
- Mark 5:7And he shouted in a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God not to torture me!”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 8:31 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.