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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Mark C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16
Mark 5 V1 V3 V5 V7 V9 V11 V15 V17 V19 V21 V23 V25 V27 V29 V31 V33 V35 V37 V39 V41 V43
OET (OET-LV) And he_permitted to_them.
And the the unclean spirits having_come_out, came_in into the pigs, and the herd about two_thousand rushed down the steep_bank into the sea and they_were_being_drowned in the sea.
OET (OET-RV) Yeshua agreed to that, so the ungodly spirits came out of the man, went into the pigs, and the entire herd of some two thousand pigs rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned.
After the storm, Jesus and his disciples arrived at the northeastern shore of Lake Galilee. This was a region where many Gentiles lived.
When Jesus and his disciples arrived, a man who was controlled by many evil spirits immediately came to Jesus. Jesus commanded the evil spirits to leave the man. When the evil spirits left, they went to control a large herd of pigs and destroyed those pigs.
“Uncleanness” is a theme in this story. The evil spirits that controlled the man were called “unclean” spirits. Tombs were “unclean.” Jews also considered pigs to be “unclean.” Jesus showed his power over evil spirits when he healed the man.
It is good if you translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
Jesus commanded many unclean spirits to leave a man
The deliverance of a man who was controlled by many unclean spirits
There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 8:28–34 and Luke 8:26–39.
He gave them permission,
He agreed that they could do this.
He said to them, “Yes, you may go.”
This verse tells how Jesus responded to the unclean spirits’ request in 5:12. Some English versions (such as the ESV, NLT, and NRSV) introduce Jesus’ response with the connector “So” to indicate that Jesus agreed to their appeal. This reflects the presence of a connecting word in Greek. Connect 5:13 to 5:12 in a way that is natural in your language for this context.
He gave them permission: Jesus gave the unclean spirits permission to go to the pigs and control them. If your language prefers direct speech in this context, you may use it here. For example:
He said to them, “You may.”
He said to them, “Go.”
See Matthew 8:32.
and the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs,
The evil spirits went out of the man and entered the pigs.
So the evil spirits left the man and took control of the pigs.
and: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as and connects 5:13a to 5:13b. It introduces what the unclean spirits did as a result of what Jesus had said to them in 5:13a. Other ways to express this connection in English are “so” (NLT96) or “with that” (NJB). Connect 5:13b to 5:13a in a way that is natural in your language.
the unclean spirits came out: The clause the unclean spirits came out indicates that the unclean spirits left the man and no longer controlled him. In some languages it may be necessary to include the man in this clause. For example, the GW says:
The evil spirits came out of the man
If it is not natural in your language to say that an unclean spirit is in a person, you may not want to say that he came out. Use the natural expression in your language to describe what happens when an unclean spirit stops controlling a person. For example:
the unclean spirits released the man
the unclean spirits left the man
Refer to how you translated this expression in 1:26b. See also evil spirit in the Glossary.
and the herd of about two thousand
There were about two thousand pigs in the herd.
The herd, which had about two thousand pigs,
the herd of about two thousand: See the General Comment on 5:13c–d after 5:13d for suggestions on where you might place the phrase of about two thousand.
rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the water.
They all stampeded down a steep slope/hill into the lake and died in the water.
ran violently over the cliff. They plunged into the water and drowned.
rushed: The Greek word that the BSB translates as rushed refers to fast movement. It implies movement that cannot easily be stopped after it has started. It could be translated simply as “ran.” However, if your language has a more intense term than “ran,” consider using it here.
the steep bank: The Greek word that the BSB translates as steep bank refers to a steep hill or cliff right at the edge of the lake. After the pigs started down this slope, it was impossible for them to stop.
drowned in the water: The word drowned indicates that the pigs died in the water.
Consider where it would be most natural in your language to say that there were about two thousand pigs in the herd. This may be as a separate sentence at the beginning or end of 5:13c–d. For example:
There were about two thousand pigs in the herd. They rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.
The herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. The number of the pigs was about two thousand.
Notice that the examples above use numerals to write the number of the pigs. Check whether people in your language prefer numerals or words here.
It is possible to move the comment about two thousand pigs to 5:11, where the herd was introduced. For example:
About two thousand pigs were feeding on the nearby hillside.
A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The number of the pigs was about two thousand.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἐπέτρεψεν αὐτοῖς
˱he˲_permitted ˱to˲_them
Here Mark implies that Jesus permitted the demons to enter into the pigs. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [he permitted them to enter into the pigs]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / quotations
ἐπέτρεψεν αὐτοῖς
˱he˲_permitted ˱to˲_them
It may be more natural in your language to have a direct quotation here. Alternate translation: [he told them, “You may do so,”]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἐξελθόντα
˓having˒_come_out
Here Mark implies that the demons came out of the man whom they had been controlling. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [having come out of the man whom they had been possessing]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / go
ἐξελθόντα
˓having˒_come_out
In a context such as this, your language might say “gone” instead of come. Alternate translation: [having gone out]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
εἰσῆλθον εἰς τοὺς χοίρους
came_in into (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἐπέτρεψεν αὐτοῖς Καί ἐξελθόντα τά πνεύματα τά ἀκάθαρτα εἰσῆλθον εἰς τούς χοίρους καί ὥρμησεν ἡ ἀγέλη κατά τοῦ κρημνοῦ εἰς τήν θάλασσαν ὡς δισχίλιοι καί ἐπνίγοντο ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ)
See how you translated the similar phrase in [5:12](../05/12.md). Alternate translation: [entered into the pigs and possessed them]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ὡς δισχίλιοι
about two_thousand
Here Mark indicates that the herd was made up of about 2,000 pigs. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [which was made up of about 2,000 pigs] or [about 2,000 pigs in all]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
ἐπνίγοντο
˱they˲_˓were_being˒_drowned
If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [died by drowning]
OET (OET-LV) And he_permitted to_them.
And the the unclean spirits having_come_out, came_in into the pigs, and the herd about two_thousand rushed down the steep_bank into the sea and they_were_being_drowned in the sea.
OET (OET-RV) Yeshua agreed to that, so the ungodly spirits came out of the man, went into the pigs, and the entire herd of some two thousand pigs rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.
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