Luke 8:31

Luke 8:31, in plain English

The demons kept begging Jesus not to send them into the Abyss, a place of ultimate confinement for evil. They knew He had the power to do it.

Why it's here

The demons were not negotiating with an equal. They were begging for mercy from someone with absolute authority over them. Jesus held their fate in His hands.

Who's speaking

The demons plead with Jesus through the possessed man.

Where it sits in the story

Terrified of being sent to the Abyss, the prison of evil spirits, the demons begged Jesus for any alternative. They knew He had the authority to end them, and they were desperate.

The scholarly reading

The demons parakaloun ('kept begging,' imperfect tense) Jesus not to command them into the abyssos ('Abyss'), the place of imprisoned fallen spirits (cf. Revelation 9:1-2, 20:1-3). Their persistent pleading acknowledges Jesus' eschatological authority over their final destiny.

Language and setting

The Abyss in Jewish apocalyptic literature (1 Enoch, Jubilees) was the intermediate prison for rebellious spirits awaiting final judgment. The demons' fear reveals their awareness that Jesus possesses authority over the timing of their ultimate punishment.

Voice

The demons continue pleading with Jesus through the possessed man.

Significance

The legion of demons begged Jesus repeatedly not to send them into the Abyss, the deep prison reserved for evil spirits, revealing their awareness of His authority over their ultimate fate.

29For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the chains and been driven by the demon into solitary places.

30“What is your name?” Jesus asked.

31And the demons kept begging Jesus not to order them to go into the Abyss.

32There on the hillside a large herd of pigs was feeding. So the demons begged Jesus to let them enter the pigs, and He gave them permission.

33Then the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

Read all of Luke 8 — A storm, a legion of demons, a bleeding woman, and a dead girl — Jesus moves through a world of chaos and brings order with a word or a touch.