Mark 5:3

3 which had his abydinge amoge the graves. And no man coulde bynde him: no not with cheynes

Mark 5:3 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 5:3

Who had his dwelling among the tombs
Which is one of the characters of a madman among the Jews; who say it is ^F17

``the sign of a madman, that he goeth out in the night, (twrbqh) (tybb Nlhw) , "and lodges among the tombs", and rends his garments, and loses what is given to him.''

The same they say, in the same place, of an hypochondriac, and melancholy man; and of Kordiacus, which they give out ^F18 is a demon that possesses, and has power over some sort of persons:

and no man could bind him, no, not with chains;
so as to hold him for any length of time: not only cords were insufficient to hold, but even chains of iron; so strong was he through the possession; for this could not be by his own natural strength.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F17 T. Hieros. Gittin, fol. 48. 3. & Trumot, fol. 40. 2.
F18 Jarchi & Bartenora in Misn. Gittin, c. 7. sect. 1.

Mark 5:3 In-Context

1 And they cam over to the other syde of ye see in to the coutre of ye Gaderenites.

2 And when he was come out of ye shippe there met him out of the graves a man possessyd of an vncleane sprete

3 which had his abydinge amoge the graves. And no man coulde bynde him: no not with cheynes

4 because that when he was often bounde wt fetters and cheynes he plucked ye chaynes asundre and brake the fetters in peaces. Nether coulde eny man tame him.

5 And alwayes bothe nyght and daye he cryed in ye moutaynes and in ye graves and bet himsilfe wt stones.