When the even was come, they brought to him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
When the even was come, they brought to him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
And when even was come, they brought unto him many possessed with demons: and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were sick:
And in the evening, they took to him a number of people who had evil spirits; and he sent the spirits out of them with a word, and made well all who were ill;
When the evening was come, they brought to him many that were possessed with demons: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick;
When evening came, they brought to him many possessed with demons. He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick;
And when even was come, they brought unto him many possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were sick:
When the even was come - The Jews kept their sabbath from evening to evening, according to the law, Leviticus 23:32, From evening to evening shall ye celebrate your sabbath. And the rabbins say, The sabbath doth not enter but when the sun is set. Hence it was that the sick were not brought out to our Lord till after sun-set, because then the sabbath was ended.
Many that were possessed with devils - Dr. Lightfoot gives two sound reasons why Judea, in our Lord's time, abounded with demoniacs. First, Because they were then advanced to the very height of impiety. See what Josephus, their own historian, says of them: There was not (said he) a nation under heaven more wicked than they were. See on Romans 1:1 (note). Secondly, Because they were then strongly addicted to magic, and so, as it were, invited evil spirits to be familiar with them. It seems strange to find men at this distance of time questioning the truth of that which neither scribes nor Pharisees then doubted; nor did they ever object against the pretensions of Christ and his apostles to cast them out. And, if the whole business of demonism had been only a vulgar error, (as wise men now tell us), what a fine opportunity had the wise men then, to unmask the whole matter, and thus pour contempt on the pretensions of our blessed Lord and his followers, who held it to be one proof of their Divine mission, that demons were subject to them!
And healed all that were sick - Not a soul did the Lord Jesus ever reject, who came to him soliciting his aid. Need any sinner despair who comes to him, conscious of his spiritual malady, to be healed by his merciful hand?
When the even was come ... - The fame of the miracles of Jesus would probably draw together a crowd, and those who had friends that were afflicted would bring them. All that were brought to him he healed. This was proof of two things: first, of his great benevolence; and, secondly, of his divine mission. He might have established the latter by miracles that would do no good. None of his miracles were performed, however, merely to make a display of power, unless the cursing of the barren fig-tree be an exception. Compare Mark 11:11-14. What is here recorded occurred on the evening of the Sabbath, Mark 1:21-32. The Jews kept the Sabbath from evening to evening, Leviticus 23:32. On the Sabbath they would not even bring their sick to be healed Luke 13:14; but as soon as it was closed, on the evening of the same day, they came in multitudes to be cured.
Possessed with devils - See the notes at Matthew 4:24.
With his word - By his command; by a word.
8:16 Mark 1:32; Luke 4:40.