and Gadara were neighbouring cities.1 See Killer's Onomata Sacra, pp. 807, 812. — ix ruv pvr^tiuv, from the tombs) The pos sessed avoid human society, in which the exercises of piety flourish. Invisible guests also have their dwelling in sepulchres (See Mark v. 3) ; those which are malignant, especially, I believe in the sepulchres of the impious. — irap&de?*, pass by) not even pass by.
29. 17 fan xai sol, what have we to do with Thee?) A formula of declining interference or intercourse. See S. V. 1 Kings xvii. 18 ; Judges xi. 12 ; 2 Kings iii. 13. They confess in this address their despair and horrible expectation, and at the same time they seem to add, " we desire to have dealings, not with Thee, but with men liable to sin." — T/'g ro\j ®io\j, Son of God) Men seeking aid addressed Him with confidence as the Son of David ; devils with terror, as the Son of God. — Sids, hither) The devils claimed, as it were, some right in that place, and espe cially over the swine in that place. — vpb xaipov, before the time) This may be construed either with fates, hast Thou come, or with fiaffavlgat, to torment, or with both. Jesus came indeed when the world was ripe for His coming, and yet sooner than the enemy desired. Thus in Rom. v. 6, we read Xpiaros — xara. xaipbv — u,xet)av£} IN DUE TIME Christ died. — jBaffavisai, to torment) It is torment for the devils to be without the bodies of man or beast, which they ardently desire to possess, that they may thereby, for the time being, extinguish that fire with which they are always burning. See ver. 31. This was a prelude to their being hereafter placed in subjection under the feet of Jesus.
30. ILolpuv, of swine) The owners of the swine were either heathens dwelling among the Jews, or Jews greedy of gain.
31. HapixdXow, besought) It is one thing to ask in an ordinary way (in which manner natural men, and even devils, have been
reads Ytpctayvuv with bed Vulg. Hilar. 645, and D apparently (its Latin having this reading). Ttpywwav has but second-rate authorities, LX. etc. Mempli. Goth. The variety probably arose from the parallel passages being altered from one another. Tregelles (Printed Text of N. T. p. 192) has shown Origen, iv. 140, Tspeurwuv, does not refer to Matthew exclusively, but to the Gospel narration generally. It proves the name was sometimes read Yadctpyvoi, sometimes YtpeurYivol, and that Ytp-yivYivcil was not a then known reading, but was his mere conjecture. — Ei>.
1 See Bloomfield's Greek Testament in loc. — (I. B.)