Mark 5:17They began to beg him to depart from their region.
The setting
Gadara region, eastern shore of Sea of Galilee, ~30 AD. Dawn. A herd of 2,000 pigs has just drowned. The townspeople arrive to find their madman clothed and sane, sitting with the Jewish rabbi who caused their economic disaster. Modern-day Jordan/Syria border region.
The emotion here: fearful of economic loss and unknown power
The original word
parakaléō (παρακαλέω) — to beg earnestly, the same word used for the demon's pleading earlier
Why it matters
The lost pigs represented about 6 years' wages for the average worker
Read with care
What most readers miss in Mark 5:17
They cared more about their lost income than the man's miraculous healing
Common misconceptionPeople think this is about spiritual blindness, but it's economics. They literally couldn't afford Jesus - He had just cost them a fortune.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Mark 5:17
Bible Genome reading
Mark 5:17 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Mark 5:17 comes from the book of Mark, written during the gospel period. These words are attributed to crowd. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 5% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include rejection, fear of power. Notable phrases: began to beg him; depart from their region.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same anxious
“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
— 2 Timothy 3:12
“The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"”
— Acts 19:15
“I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'”
— Acts 22:7
“When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is har…”
— Acts 26:14
Your reflection
What does Mark 5:17 mean to you, today?
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