Mark 7:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.

NIV: Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.

NASB: Again He left the region of Tyre and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis.

CSB: Again, leaving the region of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis.

NLT: Jesus left Tyre and went up to Sidon before going back to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Ten Towns.

KJV: And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.

NKJV: Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.

Tyre was originally an island city off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea about thirty-four miles northeast of Capernaum. Sidon is also on the coast, about twenty miles north of Tyre. The text doesn't say that Jesus entered into the cities, just that He went into the region of which Tyre and Sidon were significant population centers. Tyre and Sidon are inhabited by Hellenized (Greek-cultured) Canaanites. The area is administered by Syria in service to the Roman Empire. The region is also called "Syrophoenicia"—"Syro" because of its ties to Syria, and "Phoenicia" for the purple dye the residents collected from murex sea snails.

Decapolis, by contrast, is east of Capernaum, on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. The northwestern arm borders the southeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee and the eastern shore of part of the Jordan River. The body of the district lies yet further east. "Deca" means ten and "polis" refers to cities. The cities referred to are actually city-states which share a similar culture but are administratively independent of each other.

Jesus apparently designs this circuitous route to avoid the district of Galilee. Their exact location in Decapolis isn't given, and neither is the particular shore on which Jesus earlier rescued the man possessed by a legion of demons (Mark 5:1–13), but they are in the same area. The last time He had been in Decapolis, the crowd had begged Him to go, but He told the man to tell his friends what God had done for him (Mark 5:14–20). Apparently the man's testimony acts as a sort of target-softening, and this time the people are much more receptive.

Mark 7:31–37 mentions only this one healed man and is the only Gospel to do so, while Matthew 15:29–31 describes Jesus healing a great crowd. It's possible that this one healing created the crowd mentioned in Matthew. Healing the deaf is associated with God's direct blessing (Isaiah 35:5) and the Old Testament does not record any account of a literally deaf person being healed; most mentions of ''deaf'' people are references to those who are spiritually hardened. The people praise Jesus not only for healing the deaf and mute man, but for doing it well.

Jesus counters another traditional error from the scribes and Pharisees, explaining that food in and of itself does not make a person unclean. Rather, it is the intent of the heart that matters to God. He specifically condemns traditions which effectively undo the original intent of God's commands. Jesus heals the daughter of a persistent Gentile woman, and a man suffering from deafness and a speech impediment.

After showing His authority over demons, death, and physics, Jesus asserts His superiority over manmade traditions. For generations, Jewish religious leaders have added to the Law in an attempt to keep the nation holy. Such traditions, however, serve to make the leaders look good but unnecessarily burden the people. Jesus argues in word and action that any law that dismisses love is either misinterpreted or manmade.

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.