And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
when.
Mark 5:1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
Luke 8:26 And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee.
Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Gergesenes.
Genesis 10:16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,
Genesis 15:21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
Deuteronomy 7:1 When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;
coming.
Mark 5:2-5 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, …
Luke 8:27,29 And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs…
so.
Judges 5:6 In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.
He was met by two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs
The mention of two demon-possessed men highlights the severity of the situation. In Jewish culture, tombs were considered unclean places, and living among them would have been seen as a sign of extreme defilement. The presence of demons in these men underscores the spiritual warfare theme prevalent in the Gospels. This encounter demonstrates Jesus' authority over evil spirits, a fulfillment of prophecies such as Isaiah 61:1, which speaks of liberation for the captives.
They were so violent that no one could pass that way
The violence of the demon-possessed men emphasizes the destructive power of evil and the fear it instilled in the local population. This detail highlights the hopelessness of the situation before Jesus' intervention. It also serves to magnify the power and authority of Jesus, who is able to bring peace and restoration where there was once chaos and danger. This act of deliverance is a type of Christ's ultimate victory over sin and death, as seen in His resurrection.
“On that day, when evening came, He said to them, ‘Let us cross to the other side.’” (Mark 4:35). Jesus has just calmed a fierce storm (Matthew 8:23-27), demonstrating His command over nature. Now He steps ashore to reveal the same sovereign power over the unseen spiritual realm. The move from the familiar western shore of Galilee to the eastern side signals intentional outreach—Jesus is not confined to one people or place (cf. Isaiah 49:6; Acts 10:34-35). His disciples, still processing the miracle on the water, are about to witness an even more startling display of authority.
This territory—part of the largely Gentile Decapolis—was known for pig farming (Matthew 8:30-32), an industry avoided by observant Jews. By entering a non-Jewish region, Jesus illustrates that His mission transcends cultural and ethnic boundaries (John 10:16). The setting also heightens the story’s impact: Jewish readers would immediately sense the spiritual uncleanness of both location and circumstance, making the coming deliverance all the more dramatic.
Mark 5 and Luke 8 focus on one predominant man; Matthew notes that two are involved, emphasizing complete testimony (Deuteronomy 19:15) and underscoring the widespread grip of evil. Demon possession in Scripture is a literal reality—personal, malevolent spirits taking control of individuals (Matthew 12:43-45). Yet Jesus never struggles with them; His authority is absolute (Luke 4:36; 1 John 3:8). Their immediate confrontation shows how the presence of the Son of God exposes and agitates the powers of darkness.
• The men do not seek Jesus for salvation; the demons within them fear His judgment (Matthew 8:29).
• Christ’s initiative highlights grace: He comes to liberate people who cannot free themselves (Colossians 1:13).
Living among graves rendered a person ceremonially unclean (Numbers 19:11-16). The tombs symbolize death, isolation, and hopelessness. Satan’s agenda is always to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). By confronting evil in this eerie cemetery, Jesus demonstrates that no place is too dark for His light (Psalm 139:7-12). The scene previews His ultimate victory over the grave in His own resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
The roadway is blocked, commerce halted, community life disrupted—evil dominates until Christ intervenes. People are powerless against the supernatural strength of these men (Mark 5:4), echoing humanity’s inability to defeat sin and Satan on its own (Ephesians 6:12). Jesus’ forthcoming command will restore peace and open the path again, a living picture of how the gospel “delivers us from evil” (Matthew 6:13) and frees us to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
Matthew 8:28 introduces a dramatic encounter that showcases Jesus’ unrivaled authority. Crossing into Gentile territory, He meets two men utterly enslaved by demonic power, dwelling among tombs and terrorizing the region. The verse sets the stage for their deliverance, underscoring that:
• No location is beyond Christ’s reach.
• No spiritual force can withstand His command.
• No human bondage—however violent or unclean—lies outside His saving purpose.
The passage assures believers that the same Lord who calmed the storm and emptied the tombs of evil stands ready to conquer every barrier and bring freedom today.
(28) The country of the Gergesenes.--The exact determination of the locality presents many difficulties. In all the three Gospels we find various readings, of which the best supported are Gadarenes in St. Matthew, and Gerasenes in St. Mark and St. Luke. "Gergesenes" is, however, found in some MSS. of high authority, and the variations are obviously of very early date. The main facts as to the three regions thus indicated are as follows:--(1.) Gadara was a city east of the Sea of Galilee, about sixteen miles from Tiberias. It is identified with the modern Um Keis, the ruins of which are more than two miles in circumference, and stand at the north-west extremity of the mountains of Gilead, near the south-east corner of the Lake. The tombs of the city, chambers in the limestone rock often more than twenty feet square, are its most conspicuous feature, and are, indeed, the sole abode of its present inhabitants. Under the Roman occupation it was important enough to have two amphitheatres and a long colonnaded street.
(2.) Gerasa was a city in the Gilead district, twenty miles east of the Jordan, described sometimes as belonging to C?le-Syria, sometimes to Arabia. It also has ruins which indicate the former splendour of the city. Of these two, it is clear that Gadara fits in better with all the circumstances of the narrative; and if "Gerasenes" is more than the mistake of a transcriber, it could only be because the name was used vaguely for the whole Gilead district. The reading "Gadarenes" in that case would probably come from some one better acquainted with the position of the two cities.
(3.) There was no city named Gergesa, but the name Gergesenes was probably connected with the older Girgashites, one of the Canaanite races that occupied the country before the invasion of Israel (Genesis 10:16; Genesis 15:21; Joshua 3:10; Joshua 24:11; et al.). Apparently, however, from the last passage referred to, they were on the western side of the Jordan. It is, on the whole, more likely that the reading was a mistake, than that the old tribe still remained with its old name; but it is possible that the name of Gerasa may represent an altered form of Girgashim. . . .
Verses 28-34. - The Gadarene demoniacs. Parallel passages: Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39, where see full notes. Matthew is much less detailed. Matthew mentions two demoniacs; the parallel passages, one; the reason may be either that one was less fierce than the other, or that only one came from Gerasa (Nosgen). But in our present knowledge of the extent of inspiration, we cannot confidently affirm that the evangelists were kept from errors in numbers, and that the addition of the second demoniac is not due' to some misunderstanding, perhaps of the use of the plural in the demoniac's answer in the parallel passage, Mark 5:9 (cf. Weiss, 'Marcus-ev.,' p. 172). (For a similar difficulty, cf. the note on Matthew 9:27-31.) With regard to this mysterious narrative generally, the explanation of its details can be little more than empirical in our present knowledge of psychology and of spiritual influences. Verse 28. - And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes; Revised Version, Gadarenes, which is certainly right here, as is "Gerasenes" in the parallel passages (cf. Westcott and Hort, it. 'App.'). Gergesa (Textus Receptus here, and Alexandrian authorities in parallel passages) and Gerasa (unless, with Origen on John 1:28, we understand by this the Arabian Gerasa fifty miles away)are probably forms of the same name now represented by Khersa, a village discovered (? in 1857) by Thomson ('The Land and the Book,' pp. 375, sqq., edit. 1880) on the eastern side of the lake, and lying "within a few rods of the shore," with "an immense mountain" rising directly above it, "in which are ancient tombs, out of some of which the two men possessed of the devils may have issued to meet Jesus. The lake is so near the base of the mountain that the swine, rushing madly down it, could not stop, but would be hurried on into the water and drowned." To this Origen's description (loc. cit.) corresponds: "Gergesa, to which the Gergesenes belong, is an ancient city by what is now called the Lake of Tiberias, by which is a steep place adjacent to the lake, and down this, as is pointed out, the swine were cast headlong by the demons." Gadara, in some sense the capital of Peraea (Josephus, 'Bell. Jud.,' 4:07. 3), and one of the towns of the Decapolis confederacy (ch. 4:25), was some twelve miles distant from Khersa, and six miles from the nearest part of the lake, to which, in fact (as the stamp of a ship on its coins shows), its territory extended (cf. Schiirer, II. 1. p. 100, sqq.). St. Matthew describes the locality, not by the little-known village, but by the well-known city of the district, to which (as we may gather from the parallel passage, Mark 5:20) the news of the miracle afterwards spread. But since he leaves the expression, "the city," in vers. 33, 34 as he fontal it in his sources, i.e. Khersa, the result is at first misleading There met him (ὑπήντησαν; occurrerunt, Vulgate). St. Matthew (contrast vers. 2, 5, 19) omits the nearer approach recorded in the parallel passages, Mark 5:6 and Luke 8:28. Two (vide supra). Possessed with devils (Matthew 4:24, note), coming out of the tombs; Revised Version, coming forth out. The Greek shows that they did not merely come from among the tombs, but actually out of them (cf. the experience of Warburton, as quoted in Trench on this miracle). Exceeding fierce, so that no man might (Revised Version, could) pass by that way. Matthew only. It deepens the contrast to their present behaviour. Perhaps "that way" refers to the Roman road by the side of the lake (cf. Thomson, op. cit., p. 378).