Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Mark 5:1
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
And they came over unto the other side of the sea, etc..] Of Galilee, or Tiberias; into the country of the Gadarenes: in the Evangelist Matthew it is called, “the country of the Gergesenes”, as it is here in the Arabic and Ethiopic versions. The Vulgate Latin reads, “of the Gerasenes”, and so some copies, from Gerasa, a place in the same country; but the Syriac and Persic versions read, “Gadarenes”, as do most copies; so called from Gadara, a city either adjacent to, or within the country of the Gergesenes; which was called by both names, from these different places. It was not far from Tiberias, the place from whence this sea has its name, over which Christ and his disciples passed, (<430601>John 6:1). Chammath was a mile from f53 Tiberias, and this Chammath was so near to the country of Gadara, that it is often called, rdgd tm, “Chammath of Gadara” f54; unless it should be rather rendered, “the hot baths of Gadara”: for so it is f55 said, that at Gadara are the hot baths of Syria; which may be the same with the hot baths of Tiberias, so often mentioned in the Jewish writings f56; hence the town of Chammath had its name, which was so near to Tiberias, that it is sometimes reckoned the same with it f57: Pliny f58 places this Gadara in Decapolis, and Ptolemy f59 in Coelo Syria; and Meleager, the collector of epigrams, who is called a Syrian, is said f60 to be a Gadarene, a native of this Gadara. Mention is made of the whirlpool of Gadara f61, which remained ever since the flood. It appears to be an Heathen country, both from its situation, and the manners of the people. j
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