Matthew 8:32 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.

NIV: He said to them, "Go!" So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.

NASB: And He said to them, 'Go!' And they came out and went into the pigs; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.

CSB: "Go!" he told them. So when they had come out, they entered the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water.

NLT: All right, go!' Jesus commanded them. So the demons came out of the men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.

KJV: And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.

NKJV: And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.

Jesus is casting demons out of two possessed men (Matthew 8:28–29). From Mark's and Luke's telling of this story, we know that at least one of the men is possessed by a great number of demons. The demons have recognized Jesus as the Son of God and have asked if He is there to torment them. They have begged Him to send them into a herd of pigs visible in the distance on a hillside, rather than sending them to the abyss (Matthew 8:30–31). We know from Mark that this herd consisted of about 2,000 pigs (Mark 5:13).

Now Jesus agrees to their request with a one-word command: "Go." What happens next is dramatic and violent. The demons travel from the two men into the herd of pigs, causing a stampede straight down a steep hill and into the Sea of Galilee. All the pigs drown.

Despite human obsessions with angels and demons, Scripture gives few details about these beings. This verse reveals one of the few firmly known facts about demons: they can possess animals. The Bible doesn't specify whether the demons intended to drown the pigs, or if this was an unexpected result of getting what they requested from Jesus. Of course, it was no surprise to Him. It is also not known what became of the demons after the pigs drowned. Jewish tradition said demons could be killed, but the Bible teaches they are eternal beings. In that case, the demons either remained in the pigs at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee, were freed to roam, or were bound to somewhere else, after all.

We also cannot answer, biblically, why Jesus granted the request to enter pigs when He knew what would happen next. This would have incurred a great cost to their Gentile owners. That is likely part of the reason the people ask Him to leave their region in the following verses.

Matthew 8:28–34 describes what happens when Jesus arrives on the other side of the Sea of Galilee in a mostly Gentile region. He is immediately confronted by two demon-possessed men who live in tombs. The demons recognize that Jesus is the Son of God and ask if He has come to torment them. They beg Jesus to cast them into a huge herd of pigs visible in the distance. He does so and the pigs immediately run straight into the sea and drown. The men are freed from the demons, but the people of the region ask Jesus to leave.

Matthew begins a series of stories revealing Jesus' authority over sickness, demons, and even the weather. Jesus heals a humble man with leprosy and great faith. He then heals the servant of a Roman centurion who understands that Jesus does not need to come to his home; He can just speak a word. Jesus praises the Gentile man's amazing faith. After healing many more, Jesus and the disciples get caught in a deadly storm on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus stops the storm with a word. Later, He casts demons out of two men and into a huge herd of pigs.

Matthew 8 follows the conclusion of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–2). He turns to telling a series of dramatic stories to show Jesus' power and authority over every kind of disease, over demons, and even over the weather. Jesus also gives brief teachings about the hard road of following Him on earth. He calms a violent storm with a single command and casts demons from two violently possessed men. Matthew will focus mostly on miracles until shifting focus to Jesus' teachings and parables in chapter 11.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.