Luke 8:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion," for many demons had entered him.

NIV: Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him.

NASB: And Jesus asked him, 'What is your name?' And he said, 'Legion'; because many demons had entered him.

CSB: "What is your name?" Jesus asked him. "Legion," he said, because many demons had entered him.

NLT: Jesus demanded, 'What is your name?' 'Legion,' he replied, for he was filled with many demons.

KJV: And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.

NKJV: Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him.

Demons have possessed a man who is now speaking with Jesus. Jesus has commanded them to leave, and they're afraid He's going to imprison them in the abyss (Luke 8:26–29, 31). Now, Jesus asks for their name.

Mary Magdalene had been freed from seven demons (Luke 8:2). This man is beset by a legion. A "legion" was a Roman military unit of varied numbers. In some cases, it could include as many as six thousand troops. Mark notes the demons destroy a herd of about two thousand pigs (Mark 5:13). In modern English, the demons might have claimed a name like "Battalion," or "Brigade." The term is appropriate both for their number and for the war image: this is a battle for the man's life.

Demons seem to have different amounts of power. Although the disciples expel other demons (Luke 10:17), they cannot free a young boy (Luke 9:40). The Sons of Sceva use the mantra "I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims," but a particularly powerful demon overpowers them, beats them, and rips off their clothes (Acts 19:13–16). We don't know how powerful this man's demons are individually, but as a group they feel emboldened to delay obeying Jesus' order to release the man just long enough to negotiate an exit strategy.

It's unclear why Jesus asks the demons their name. In some spiritual traditions, knowing another's name grants power over them. Jesus might have been playing on that stereotype without necessarily agreeing with it. There's no biblical foundation for the idea itself; Jesus exorcises the powerful demon who possesses the boy without mentioning its name (Luke 9:37–43). It may be that Jesus is revealing to His disciples that the man is possessed by a great number of demons.

Luke 8:26–39 records a man's rescue from a legion of demons. This comes just as Jesus has saved the disciples from chaos and nature. The rescued man believes, having seen the light and heard the message (Luke 8:15–18). The townspeople don't listen and are filled with fear. When the once-chained man begs to stay with Jesus, Jesus instead commissions him to spread the good news he has heard and experienced, becoming the apostle to the entire district. Next, Jesus shows His power over sickness and death (Luke 8:40–56) before imbuing that power to His disciples (Luke 9:1–6). Mark also records Jesus' power over Legion while Matthew notes there were two possessed men (Matthew 8:28–34; Mark 5:1–20).

Luke 8 includes portions of three sections of Jesus' Galilean Ministry. The women who support Jesus' ministry bridge the faithful outcasts of chapter 7 to the sower who spreads the news of God's kingdom (Luke 8:1–3). Luke 8:4–18 includes the parables of the sower and the lamp under the jar. These illustrate the importance of hearing Jesus' message with a mind to believe and obey. Luke 8:19–56 presents different faith reactions when Jesus' life, power, and authority elicit questions about His identity.

This passage continues Luke's pattern in the account of Jesus' Galilean ministry: alternating calls to discipleship with stories that describe the discipleship He expects. In Luke 6:17, Jesus transitioned from calling and training the Twelve to a more general call; in Luke 7, Jesus interacted specifically with those with less privilege in society. Chapter 8 reveals how people react when Jesus reveals who He is, mostly through miracles. In Luke 9:18–50, Jesus returns to intense discipleship of the Twelve to give them courage and faith, preparing them for the journey to Jerusalem and what they will witness there.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.