OET interlinear LUKE 8:29

8:29a

For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man: This verse describes what happened just before the man’s plea in 8:28. It explains the reason why the demons begged Jesus not to trouble or torment them. The BSB indicates this by using the connector For and the verb form had commanded. Use a natural way in your language to indicate that 8:29 explains what happened in 8:28. Other ways to do this in English are:

He said this because Jesus had already told the evil spirit to go out of him. (CEV)

For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man just before this.

See also the General Comment on 8:28a–29a below for a suggested way to reorder these verses.

In some languages, it may be more natural to give Jesus’ command in direct speech. For example:

Jesus told/commanded the evil spirit: “Come out of the man!”

unclean spirit: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates literally as unclean spirit is another way to describe a demon like those mentioned in 8:27b. Luke used the terms “demon,” “evil spirit” and “unclean spirit” to refer to the same beings. See the note on “a demon-possessed man” in 8:27b and the note on “the spirit of an unclean demon” at 4:33a.

Luke used the singular word for spirit here. In 8:27 the plural form was used, indicating that more than one unclean spirit was in the man. The unclean spirit here in 8:29 may have been the leader of the other demons or he may have represented them as the spokesman. It is good to use a singular form here. However, if this would not be natural in your language, you may consider using the plural form.

See demon in the Glossary for more information.

come out: When a demon controlled a person, the Jews thought of the demon as being in the person. So Jesus commanded the demon to come out. You may have a different expression that you naturally use to describe when a demon releases control of a person. Some other ways you could say this are:

Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to leave the man.

Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to release control of the man.

See how you translated similar expressions at 4:35a, 4:41a, and 8:2b.

8:29b–e

In 8:29b–e Luke gave some background information. He described events that had happened at a time before Jesus met the man who was controlled by the demons. Many languages will have a way to indicate that these actions happened before the actions of this story. Some examples are:

• Use specific verb forms or other forms to indicate this. For example:

  The evil spirit had controlled the man for a long time. People had kept him under guard. (GW)

• State explicitly that 8:29b–e describes something that happened in the past. For example:

  For many times in the past, the demon had seized him…

See the General Comment on 8:27–29 at the end of the notes on 8:29e for a suggestion about how to reorder these verses.

8:29b

Many times: Many times here means “on many previous occasions.”

it had seized him: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as it had seized him means that the demon had taken control of the man. It implies that it took control violently.

8:29c

and: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as and connects 8:29b to 8:29c. It introduces what people did to the man after and as a result of the demons seizing him. See the note on this connection in the General Comment on 8:29c–d at the end of the notes on 8:29d.

he was bound with chains and shackles: In this context, the word chains refers to metal chains that were placed on a person’s wrists to restrain his arms. The word shackles describes metal shackles or manacles that were placed around a person’s ankles and then chained together.

Other ways to translate this are:

he was chained hand and foot (NIV)

his wrists and his feet were put in chains

he was bound with chains and shackles: This clause is passive. In some languages it may be more natural to make it active and supply a general subject such as “people” or “men.” For example:

men had bound him with chains around his arms and shackles on his feet

people had tied his arms with chains and put his feet in shackles

The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as bound with…shackles also indicates that men had guarded the man so that he would not escape and hurt someone. The text does not say who had guarded him. If you must say who had guarded the man, try to use a general word such as “men” or “guards.” Here are some ways to express this idea:

he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard (NIV)

he was kept a prisoner, his hands and feet tied with chains (GNT)

8:29d

See General Comment on 8:29c–d below for suggestions on how to translate this connection.

he had broken the chains: The action had broken the chains is something that happened several times. Each time the man had been bound, the demons caused him to be so strong that he was able to break the chains.

the chains: The Greek word that the BSB translates as chains means “bonds.” It refers here to something that is used to bind or restrain a person. It is a general word that includes both the chains that bound the man’s hands and the shackles around his feet. The Greek text literally says “the bonds.” Refer to these bonds in a clear and natural way in your language.

8:29e

been driven by the demon into solitary places: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as been driven by the demon into solitary places means that the demon had forced the man to go and stay in wild, deserted places.

demon: The Greek word that the BSB translates as demon is the singular form of the same word as in 8:27b.

solitary places: The Greek word that the BSB translates as solitary places can also be translated as “desert” or “wilderness.” It refers to wild or desolate areas where few people lived. In this context the land was suitable for grazing pigs. See how you translated the same Greek word at 1:80b, 3:2b, 4:1b, 5:16, and 7:24b.