So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.
Parallel translations
- WEB The demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of pigs.”
- BSB So the demons begged Jesus, “If You drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
- 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 20:1–2And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
- Rev 12:12Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
- Luke 8:30–33And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.
- Mark 5:12And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
- Mark 5:7And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
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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.