Luke 8:29

(For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(29) Driven of the devil . . .—Better, by the demon, to show that it is still the unclean spirit, and not the great Enemy, that is spoken of.

Into the wilderness.—The Greek word is plural, as in Luke 1:80; Luke 5:16. St. Luke, it may be noted, is the only writer who so uses it.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

8:22-40 Those that put to sea in a calm, even at Christ's word, must yet prepare for a storm, and for great peril in that storm. There is no relief for souls under a sense of guilt, and fear of wrath, but to go to Christ, and call him Master, and say, I am undone, if thou dost not help me. When our dangers are over, it becomes us to take to ourselves the shame of our own fears, and to give Christ the glory of our deliverance. We may learn much out of this history concerning the world of infernal, malignant spirits, which though not working now exactly in the same way as then, yet all must at all times carefully guard against. And these malignant spirits are very numerous. They have enmity to man and all his comforts. Those under Christ's government are sweetly led with the bands of love; those under the devil's government are furiously driven. Oh what a comfort it is to the believer, that all the powers of darkness are under the control of the Lord Jesus! It is a miracle of mercy, if those whom Satan possesses, are not brought to destruction and eternal ruin. Christ will not stay with those who slight him; perhaps he may no more return to them, while others are waiting for him, and glad to receive him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See this passage explained in the Matthew 8:23-34 notes, and Mark 5:1-20 notes.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

Lu 8:26-39. Demoniac of Gadara Healed.

(See on [1602]Mt 8:28-34; and Mr 5:1-20).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

See Poole on "Luke 8:26"

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

For he had commanded the unclean spirit..... That had the rest of the devils under his authority, and power,

to come out of the man; this he had done, either before, or just as he came up to him; See Gill on Mark 5:8.

For oftentimes it had caught him; possessed him, and wrought so strongly in him, and with so much fury, that there was no governing him:

and he was kept bound with chains and fetters; attempts were made to bind him, and keep him bound, but in vain: and he brake the bands; See Gill on Mark 5:4.

And was driven of the devil into the wilderness: into some desert and desolate place, where were the tombs and sepulchres of the dead; this was done by the prince of the legion.

Geneva Study Bible

(For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, {k} and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)

(k) By force and violence, as a horse when he is spurred.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Luke 8:29. παρήγγελλεν γὰρ: the command caused the cry of fear, and the fear is explained in the clause following, introduced by a second γὰρ.—πολλοῖς χρόνοις, answers to πολλάκις in Mark 5:4, therefore presumably used in the sense: oftentimes, frequently. So Erasmus and Grotius, and most recent commentators. Meyer and others take it = during a long time. Schanz combines the two senses. The disease was of an intermittent character, there were paroxysms of acute mania, and intervals of comparative quiet and rationality. When the paroxysms came on, the demon (one in Luke 8:29) was supposed to seize him (συνηρπάκει). Then he had to be bound in chains and fetters, and kept under guard (φυλασσόμενος, cf. A. V[84] and R. V[85] here), but all to no purpose, the demoniac force bursting the bonds and driving the poor victim into the deserts. The madman feared the return of an attack, hence his alarmed cry.

[84] Authorised Version.

[85] Revised Version.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

29. he had commanded] Rather, He commanded.

oftentimes] Pollois chronois usually means “for a long time.”

he was kept bound with chains and in fetters] This rendering misses a curious point in the narrative, preserved by St Luke only,—namely, that “he was bound in chains and fetters, being under guard.”

into the wilderness] Rather, into the deserts,—regarded as a peculiar haunt of Azazel and other demons. Matthew 12:43; Tob 8:3; see on Luke 4:1. (There are obvious allusions to the Gospel narrative of this demoniac and the demoniac boy in Lucian, Philopseudes, 16.)

Bengel's Gnomen

Luke 8:29. Γὰρ, for) This assigns the cause of the expulsion, and of the greater suffering which was conjoined with it.—ἠλαύνετο, was driven) with the utmost violence; comp. Luke 8:33; and without his being able to exercise Ins reason, Luke 8:35.

Luke 8:29

Vincent's Word Studies

He had commanded (παρήγγελλεν)

Imperfect tense. Rev. does not improve by reading he commanded. The imperfect expresses the simultaneousness of the exorcism and the cry torment me not. Better, for he was commanding. So the Am. Rev.

It had seized (συνηρπάκει)

Used by Luke only. See Acts 6:12; Acts 27:15. The verb literally means to snatch and carry away with (σύν).

He was kept bound (ἐδεσμεύετο φυλασσόμενος)

Lit., he was bound, being guarded. Rev., was kept under guard and bound. The A. V. does not sufficiently bring out the vigilance with which he was attended.

Chains and fetters

See on Mark 5:4.

Breaking (διαρρήσσων)

Compare Mark 5:4, and see note there.

Was driven, etc

Peculiar to Luke.