Mark 5:2 Meaning and Explanation
“And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →As soon as Jesus steps ashore, a man driven by an unclean spirit comes to meet him from among the tombs.
What Does Mark 5:2 Mean?
The moment Jesus leaves the boat, the region's misery meets him in person. The man comes "out of the tombs" -- burial caves cut into the hillside, where the living were never meant to dwell. Possessed by an unclean spirit, he has made his home among the dead, in the most defiled place a Jewish reader could imagine.
Mark frames the encounter as a collision of two realms: the Holy One of God and a life wholly claimed by darkness. Everyone else avoided this man; Jesus disembarks practically into his path. The verse quietly preaches that Christ is not repelled by the ruin evil makes of a person. The one whom everyone fled is the one he crossed the sea to find.
Mark 5:2 in the Original Language
akathartos (ἀκάθαρτος), 'unclean' -- ritually defiled, the opposite of what is holy and whole.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mark 5:2
What does Mark 5:2 mean?
As soon as Jesus steps ashore, a man driven by an unclean spirit comes to meet him from among the tombs.