Luke 8:29-31 New English Translation
29 For Jesus[a] had started commanding[b] the evil[c] spirit to come out of the man. (For it had seized him many times, so[d] he would be bound with chains and shackles[e] and kept under guard. But[f] he would break the restraints and be driven by the demon into deserted[g] places.)[h] 30 Jesus then[i] asked him, “What is your name?” He[j] said, “Legion,”[k] because many demons had entered him. 31 And they began to beg[l] him not to order[m] them to depart into the abyss.[n]
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- Luke 8:29 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Luke 8:29 tc ‡ Although the external evidence favors the aorist παρήγγειλεν (parēngeilen, “he commanded”; P75 B Θ Ξ Ψ ƒ13 579 700 1241 1424 2542 pm), the internal evidence favors the imperfect παρήγγελλεν (parēngellen, here translated “he had started commanding”; א A C K L W Γ Δ 1 33 565 892 pm). The aorist is suspect because it can more easily be taken as a single command, and thus an immediate exorcism. The imperfect would most likely be ingressive, suggesting that Jesus started to command the evil spirit to depart, and continued the command.
- Luke 8:29 tn Grk “unclean.”
- Luke 8:29 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so,” introducing a clause that gives the result of the man being seized by the demon.
- Luke 8:29 tn Or “fetters”; these were chains for the feet.
- Luke 8:29 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
- Luke 8:29 tn Grk “into the deserts.” The plural use here has been translated as “deserted places,” that is, uninhabited areas.
- Luke 8:29 sn This is a parenthetical, explanatory comment by the author.
- Luke 8:30 tn Grk “And Jesus.” Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to pick up the sequence of the narrative prior to the parenthetical note by the author.
- Luke 8:30 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Luke 8:30 sn The name Legion means “thousands,” a word taken from a Latin term for a large group of soldiers. The term not only suggests a multiple possession, but also adds a military feel to the account. This is a true battle.
- Luke 8:31 tn One could also translate the imperfect tense here with a repetitive force like “begged him repeatedly.”
- Luke 8:31 tn Or “command.”
- Luke 8:31 tn This word, ἄβυσσος (abussos), is a term for the place where the dead await the judgment. It also could hold hostile spirits according to Jewish belief (Jub. 5:6-7; 1 En. 10:4-6; 18:11-16).
New English Translation (NET)
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