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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Matthew 8:28-34

We have here the story of Christ's casting the devils out of two men that were possessed. The scope of this chapter is to show the divine power of Christ, by the instances of his dominion over bodily diseases, which to us are irresistible; over winds and waves, which to us are yet more uncontrollable; and lastly, over devils, which to us are most formidable of all. Christ has not only all power in heaven and earth and all deep places, but has the keys of hell too. Principalities and powers... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Matthew 8:1-34

Of all the gospel writers Matthew is the most orderly. He never sets out his material haphazardly. If in Matthew one thing follows another in a certain sequence, there is always a reason for that sequence; and it is so here. In Matthew 5:1-48 ; Matthew 6:1-34 ; Matthew 7:1-29 Matthew has given us the Sermon on the Mount. That is to say, in these chapters he has given us his account of the words of Jesus; and now in Matthew 8:1-34 he gives us an account of the deeds of Jesus. Matthew... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 8:31

So the devils besought him, saying ,.... All the devils, the whole legion of them, who perceiving that they must be obliged to go out of these men, and after they had earnestly entreated they might not be sent out of the country where they had long been, and had made themselves masters of the tempers, dispositions, and circumstances of the inhabitants, and so capable of doing the more mischief, begged hard, if thou cast us out of these men, or "from hence", as the Vulgate Latin, the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 8:31

Suffer us to go away - Επιτρεψον ημιν απελθειν : this is the common reading; but αποστειλον ημας , send us away, appears more likely to be genuine. This latter reading Griesbach has adopted, on the authority of three ancient MSS., the Coptic, Sahidic, Ethiopic, Syriac, all the Arabic, Saxon, most of the Itala, and the Vulgate. Send us away seems to express more fully the absolute power Jesus Christ had over them - permission alone was not sufficient; the very power by which they were to... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 8:31

Verse 31 Matthew 8:31.Permit us to depart into the herd of swine Some conjecture that they wished to attack the swine, because they are filled with enmity to all God’s creatures. I do admit it to be true, that they are entirely bent on confounding and overthrowing the whole order of nature which God has appointed. But it is certain that they had a more remote object in view, to excite the inhabitants of that country to curse God on account of the loss of the swine. When the devil thunders... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 8:1-34

MESSIAH 'S WORK AS COMPLEMENTARY TO HIS TEACHING . We return in this section to matter which resembles that of Mark and Luke, and undoubtedly belongs to the Framework ( vide Introduction). St. Matthew has given a lengthy summary of the teaching of the Christ, and he now supplements it by a summary of his daily work. He is not concerned with the chronological connexion of the incidents here narrated, for this is evidently to him a matter of but secondary importance. He... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 8:28-34

The Gadarene demoniacs. Parallel passages: Mark 5:1-20 ; Luke 8:26-39 , where see full notes. Matthew is much less detailed. Matthew mentions two demoniacs; the parallel passages, one; the reason may be either that one was less fierce than the other, or that only one came from Gerasa (Nosgen). But in our present knowledge of the extent of inspiration, we cannot confidently affirm that the evangelists were kept from errors in numbers, and that the addition of the second demoniac is not... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 8:28-34

The country of the Gergesenes. I. THE DEMONIACS . 1 . Their description. There were two—one fiercer, more violent, than the other. Satan's power has been broken; the incarnation of the Son of God, the atonement made upon the cross, has weakened his hold upon men. "I beheld Satan like lightning fall from heaven." The times were very evil when the Saviour came. Satan was the prince of this world, the ruler of this world's darkness. His power is still very terrible, but it is not what... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 8:28-34

Demoniacal possession. The personality of devils or demons has been called in question, and the examples of demoniacal possession recorded in Scripture have been construed as cases of insanity. But the narrative before us refuses to be thus treated. Here clearly are intelligences who can know, reason, speak, and pray, and who can exist separately from the subject of possession, and after expulsion from men can enter and possess inferior animals. Note— I. THAT DEVILS ARE FORMIDABLE... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 8:30-31

And there was a good way off from them a herd of many swine feeding. So (and, Revised Version) the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out (Matthew only), suffer us to go away ( send us away , Revised Version). This is distinguished from Matthew 8:29 as expressly the utterance of the evil spirits. In the true text there is no thought of permission, but only of command ( ἀπόστειλον ) . They recognize his mastery. Into the herd of swine; and not into the... read more

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