Bible Commentaries
Wesley's Explanatory Notes
Mark 5
There met him a man with an unclean spirit - St. Matthew mentions two. Probably this, so particularly spoken of here, was the most remarkably fierce and ungovernable.
My name is Legion! for we are many - But all these seem to have been under one commander, who accordingly speaks all along, both for them and himself.
And they were afraid - It is not improbable they might otherwise have offered some rudeness, if not violence.
Tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee - This was peculiarly needful there, where Christ did not go in person.
He published in Decapolis - Not only at home, but in all that country where Jesus himself did not come.
One of the rulers of the synagogue - To regulate the affairs of every synagogue, there was a council of grave men. Over these was a president, who was termed the ruler of the synagogue. Sometimes there was no more than one ruler in a synagogue. Matthew 9:18 ; Luke 8:41 .
John, the brother of James - When St. Mark wrote, not long after our Lord's ascension, the memory of St. James, lately beheaded, was so fresh, that his name was more known than that of John himself.
He charged them that no man should know it - That he might avoid every appearance of vain glory, might prevent too great a concourse of people, and might not farther enrage the scribes and Pharisees against him; the time for his death, and for the full manifestation of his glory, being not yet come. He commanded something should be given her to eat - So that when either natural or spiritual life is restored, even by immediate miracle, all proper means are to be used in order to preserve it.
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