What is the meaning of Mark 5:5? Night and day - Constant, uninterrupted torment is in view. Revelation 12:10 notes that Satan “accuses them day and night,” and 1 Peter 5:8 warns that the devil is always prowling. The man’s misery never paused until Jesus arrived (cf. Luke 18:7, where God hears those who cry to Him “day and night”). In the tombs - Tombs represent death and ceremonial uncleanness (Numbers 19:16). Isaiah 65:4 portrays rebels who “sit among the graves,” echoing this man’s condition. His dwelling among corpses pictures the spiritual state of everyone apart from Christ (Ephesians 2:1). And in the mountains - The mountains highlight isolation. Luke 8:29 adds that the demon drove him into “solitary places.” Separation from community is a classic tactic of evil (cf. Proverbs 18:1). Yet Jesus often meets people in lonely heights (Mark 6:46), proving no terrain is beyond His reach. He kept crying out - The screams were ongoing, showing relentless anguish. Psalm 34:17 says, “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears,” but here the cries go unheard until Jesus steps in. Similar demonic outbursts appear in Mark 1:24. Psalm 107:6 reminds us that true deliverance begins when distress is directed to the Lord. And cutting himself with stones - Self-harm reveals the destructive aim of the enemy. John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” Leviticus 19:28 forbids self-mutilation, so the man’s wounds add ritual defilement to his pain. The prophets of Baal did likewise (1 Kings 18:28), linking self-injury to demonic influence. Only Christ rescues from such bondage (Colossians 1:13-14). summary Mark 5:5 sketches total captivity: ceaseless agony, life among the dead, isolation, desperate cries, and self-destruction. The verse underscores both the cruelty of demonic oppression and humanity’s utter helplessness without Jesus. It sets the stage for the Savior who crosses a storm, confronts a legion, and restores a shattered man—showing that no darkness is too deep and no bondage too strong for the liberating power of Christ. |
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