Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.
Parallel translations
- WEB Behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged that he would depart from their borders.
- KJV And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.
- BSB Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region.
- NKJV And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.
- NASB And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they pleaded with Him to leave their region.
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 whole town comes out and begs Jesus to leave their region. They prefer their comfort and livelihood over the presence of the One who delivers.
Overview
Rather than rejoicing at the men's freedom, the townspeople, perhaps fearing further loss like the pigs, ask Jesus to depart. Their reaction is a sobering picture of hearts that value earthly things above the Savior. It warns that the right response to Christ's power is worship and welcome, not rejection.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Acts 16:39and they came and begged them. When they had brought them out, they asked them to depart from the city.
- Luke 5:8But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord.”
- Luke 8:37–39All the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked him to depart from them, for they were very much afraid. He entered into the boat, and returned.
- Job 21:14They tell God, ‘Depart from us, for we don’t want to know about your ways.
- Mark 5:17–18They began to beg him to depart from their region.
- Job 22:17who said to God, ‘Depart from us;’ and, ‘What can the Almighty do for us?’
- 1 Kgs 17:18She said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, you man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to memory, and to kill my son!”
- 1 Sam 16:4Samuel did that which Yahweh spoke, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?”
- Matt 8:29Behold, they cried out, saying, “What do we have to do with you, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
- Luke 8:28When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, “What do I have to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torment me!”
- Deut 5:25Now therefore why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear Yahweh our God’s voice any more, then we shall die.
- 1 Kgs 18:17When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”
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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 8:34 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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