Mark 5:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside,

NIV: A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside.

NASB: Now there was a large herd of pigs feeding nearby on the mountain.

CSB: A large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside.

NLT: There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby.

KJV: Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.

NKJV: Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.

Jesus and His disciples are on the shore of the hill country on the east side of the Sea of Galilee. They are near the town of Gergesa which is in the region of Decapolis. Decapolis was a group of ten cities to the east and southeast of the Sea of Galilee, all but one on the east side of the Jordan River. At that time, the area west of the Sea of Galilee was known as Galilee and was home to much of the Jewish population. South of Nazareth was Samaria, home to many different ethnicities, but particularly the descendants of the Jews from the Northern Kingdom of Israel who intermarried with the foreigners their Assyrian conquerors settled in the area. Below Samaria was Judea, where the bulk of the Jews lived.

All of this land was controlled by the Roman Empire, and Decapolis, in particular, was inhabited by Gentiles. So, although it may feel jarring to learn about a herd of pigs in a Bible passage, they are neither banned nor out of place in this region. And they are very practical for the rough terrain. They can forage for their own food, they aren't as foolish as sheep, and they can swim. As with the sheep that are more commonly mentioned in the Bible, their herders are probably not their owners. The herders would be sons or hired hands who work for the owners who may very well live in a city or town.

While God had given Jews strict laws against eating pork (Leviticus 11:7), Gentiles had no such laws. In just a few short years from this story, God will reveal to Peter that even the Jews' restriction against eating pork will be removed, as such laws are fulfilled under the grace of Christ (Acts 11:1–10; 15:1–29; Mark 7:19).

Mark 5:1–13 describes Jesus' encounter with a man possessed by a vast number of demonic spirits. Jesus has shown His authority over storms during the turbulent crossing of the Sea of Galilee. In a cemetery on the eastern shore of the lake, He and the twelve meet a wild, dangerous man controlled by a ''legion'' of demons. Jesus allows the fleeing evil spirits to enter a herd of pigs which promptly run into the sea and drown. The man is grateful. The locals, either startled by Jesus' power or afraid for their livestock, promptly ask Jesus to leave. This account is also found in Luke 8:26–33 and possibly Matthew 8:28–32 which mentions two possessed men.

Jesus arrives on the other side of the Sea of Galilee and heals a man afflicted by a ''legion'' of demons. In the aftermath of this event, Jesus once again crosses the waters within this region, known as the Decapolis. There, He is approached by a synagogue leader, begging Him to come and save a dying girl. In the midst of this trip, Jesus stops the crowd to identify a woman who attempted to covertly touch his robes; her faithful act results in healing. Jesus then continues on to the home of the synagogue leader and resurrects his recently-deceased child.

Mark 4:35—5:43 sees an increase in the scope of Jesus' miracles. He has just calmed a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee. Now, He expels a legion of demons, heals a woman without overtly acting, and brings a girl back to life. All three situations—related to tombs, blood, and death—show Jesus bringing healing to unclean circumstances. In chapter 6, the tone of His ministry will develop. He will be rejected by those who should know Him best, He will send out His followers to do His work, and His direct link to the Old Testament prophets will be explained.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.