What is the meaning of Mark 5:16?

Those who had seen it

- Eyewitnesses—herdsmen and perhaps other locals—had just watched Jesus drive “Legion” into a herd of about two thousand swine (Mark 5:13).

- Scripture treats these witnesses as trustworthy reporters of an actual event, echoing the pattern of authentic testimony in passages like John 19:35 and 1 John 1:1-3.

- Luke records the same detail: “Meanwhile, those who had seen it reported how the demon-possessed man had been healed” (Luke 8:36).

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described what had happened

- The verb points to a careful recounting, not rumor or embellishment.

- They relayed facts in sequence—similar to how the healed blind man later testifies, “One thing I do know: I was blind, but now I see!” (John 9:25).

- Their report immediately influences the crowd’s response, just as eye-witness accounts stirred faith—or fear—in Acts 2:32 and Acts 4:20.

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to the demon-possessed man

- Moments earlier he was “crying out and cutting himself with stones” (Mark 5:5). Now he sits “clothed and in his right mind” (Mark 5:15).

- The transformation showcases Christ’s absolute authority over the spiritual realm, reinforcing truths seen in Mark 1:27 and 1 John 3:8.

- Freedom from demonic bondage illustrates the promise of Colossians 1:13—being “rescued from the dominion of darkness.”

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and also to the pigs

- “The herd—about two thousand—rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the water” (Mark 5:13).

- The loss of livestock is tangible evidence that the demons truly departed the man. It mirrors the visible fallout in Exodus 8:24 when judgment on Egypt’s idols affected their animals.

- The economic impact jolts the community, highlighting the cost of encountering Jesus, just as Acts 19:19 records believers burning costly sorcery scrolls.

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summary

Eyewitnesses faithfully relay a literal, stunning deliverance: Jesus liberates a tormented man and permits the expelled demons to destroy a herd of pigs. Their report spreads, confirming Christ’s lordship over evil spirits, demonstrating His power to restore the most broken, and confronting listeners with the inescapable reality that an encounter with the Son of God changes everything—sometimes at great earthly cost, always for eternal good.