Markus 5:18-20

5:18 As he was getting into the boat the man who had been demon-possessed asked if he could go ¹  with him. 5:19 But ²  Jesus ³  did not permit him to do so. Instead, he said to him, “Go to your home and to your people and tell them what the Lord has done for you, ⁴  that he had mercy on you.” 5:20 So ⁵  he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis ⁶  what Jesus had done for him, ⁷  and all were amazed.

[5:18]  ¹ tn Grk “be,” that is, “remain.” In this context that would involve accompanying Jesus as he went on his way.

[5:19]  ² tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[5:19]  ³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:19]  ⁴ sn Jesus instructs the man to declare what the Lord has done for him, in contrast to the usual instructions (e.g., 1:44; 5:43) to remain silent. Here in Gentile territory Jesus allowed more open discussion of his ministry. D. L. Bock (Luke [BECNT], 1:781) suggests that with few Jewish religious representatives present, there would be less danger of misunderstanding Jesus’ ministry as political.

[5:20]  ⁵ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate the conclusion of the episode in the narrative.

[5:20]  ⁶ sn The Decapolis refers to a league of towns (originally consisting of ten; the Greek name literally means “ten towns”) whose region (except for Scythopolis) lay across the Jordan River.

[5:20]  ⁷ sn Note that the man could not separate what God had done from the one through whom God had done it (what Jesus had done for him). This man was called to witness to God’s goodness at home.