Translation commentary on Mark 5:11 – 5:12

Text:

Verse 12. After auton ‘him’ Textus Receptus adds pantes hoi daimones ‘all the demons’ which is omitted by all modern editions of the Greek text.

Exegesis:

ēn … boskomenē ‘it was … feeding’: according to Marcan usage, the two are to be taken together as a single verbal phrase (cf. ēn esthōn ‘he was eating’ in 1.6).

boskō (5.14) ‘graze,’ ‘feed’ (in the passive, of livestock); ‘tend,’ ‘feed,’ (in the active, of herdsmen – v. 14).

agelē (5.13) choirōn (5.13, 16) ‘a herd of pigs’ (this would be in Gentile territory, on the east side of the Lake of Galilee – cf. Lagrange).

kai parekalesan auton legontes ‘and they begged him saying’: the subject is neuter ‘the unclean spirits’ and the nominative masculine participle legontes ‘saying’ must be taken in a general way, the concordance not being precise.

parakaleō (cf. 1.40) ‘beg,’ ‘entreat,’ ‘implore.’

pempson hēmas eis tous choirous ‘send us to the hogs.’

pempō (only here in Mark) ‘send.’

eis ‘into’ (American Standard Version, Translator’s New Testament, Moffatt), ‘among’ (Manson), or ‘to’ (Revised Standard Version, The Modern Speech New Testament, Berkeley, O Novo Testamento de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo. Revisdo Autorizada, Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale). The translation of this eis will depend on the translation of the next clause; ‘to,’ however, seems preferable here.

hina eis autous eiselthōmen ‘so that we might enter (into) them’: if hina here be taken to denote purpose ‘in order that,’ ‘so that,’ it would seem that eis in the former clause (see above) means ‘to,’ since eis here is manifestly ‘into.’ It is possible, however, to take hina in the imperative sense (as it is often used in the N.T.) and understand this second clause simply as a repetition of the first clause, which is imperatival (pempson ‘send’): ‘Send us to (into, among) the hogs, let us enter them’ (so Goodspeed, Translator’s New Testament, Revised Standard Version).

Translation:

In some languages careful distinctions are made in words designating a ‘herd,’ depending upon what types of animals are involved. (Compare the English use of herd of cattle, flock of geese, swarm of bees, and covey of quails.)

Swine must be a domesticated variety, or the following portion of the story will be incomprehensible. Where pigs are not known, a borrowed word may be used with a classifier, e.g. ‘animals called pigs,’ or some descriptive expression, if possible one already employed by the people, e.g. ‘queer deer,’ a phrase in use among the Barrow Eskimo.

Note that though the man is the subject of the entreaty in verse 10, the unclean spirits are specifically identified as the subject of the begging in verse 12.

Let us is equivalent to ‘permit us’ or ‘allow us.’

Was feeding may be rendered in terms of ‘being pastured’ or ‘hunting for something to eat’ (Tabasco Chontal).

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 5:12

5:12a

So: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible here translates as So is a simple connector. It is often translated as “and” (as in the Revised Standard Version). This word connects 5:11 to 5:12. It introduces what the demons asked because of the herd of pigs that was nearby.

The Berean Standard Bible shows this connection with the word So. Some English versions do not translate this word. You should connect these verses in a way that is natural in your language.

the demons begged: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the demons begged is literally “they begged.” You may need to provide a noun as the subject in your language, as the Berean Standard Bible does. If that is true, it is good to use a plural form of the same word that you used for “unclean spirit.” (There is a textual issue here: (1) Some Greek manuscripts have they begged. In these manuscripts “they” refers to the demons. It does not specify all of the demons. For example, the Contemporary English Version says: “the evil spirits begged” (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, New Living Translation, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, New Century Version). (2) Other Greek manuscripts have “all the demons begged.” For example, the King James Version says: “all the devils besought” (King James Version). You should follow option (1). This issue is not mentioned in the UBS4 (page 136), which considers the reading “they begged” to be certain.)

Notice that for the first time in the story, the Greek text uses a plural form to refer to the unclean spirits.

begged: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as begged means to “plead for” something. It is used when a request is earnestly desired. The same word was also used in 5:10. It is probably good to translate it in the same way here.

5:12b

Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them: Here the unclean spirits begged Jesus to let them go to the pigs and control them. The two clauses Send us to the pigs and so that we may enter them express the same request. In Greek, these clauses are connected with a purpose connector. As the Berean Standard Bible translation indicates, the sentence is literally, “Send us into/among the pigs so that into them we may enter.” The demons are showing deference by explaining why they are making the request. It is a polite request that shows that the unclean spirits know that Jesus is superior to them. Use a natural way in your language to express the request in this context.

so that we may enter them: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so that we may enter them is a request that Jesus allow the unclean spirits to control the pigs as they had controlled the man. The unclean spirits were not implying that they preferred the pigs to the man. They were implying that if they were forced to leave the man, they wanted to enter the pigs.

In some languages it may be necessary to make that explicit. For example:

allow us to go into them if we cannot stay in this man

enter them: In some languages it may be more natural to use a different expression to describe an unclean spirit possessing or controlling an animal. Use a natural expression in your language. For example:

be upon them
-or-
ride on them
-or-
fasten upon them

General Comment on 5:12a–b

In some languages it may be more natural to use indirect speech in this context. For example:

the unclean spirits begged Jesus to send them among the pigs so that they could enter the pigs

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