^8:29For Jesus¹⁰¹ had started commanding¹⁰² the evil¹⁰³ spirit to come out of the man. (For it had seized him many times, so¹⁰⁴ he would be bound with chains and shackles¹⁰⁵ and kept under guard. But¹⁰⁶ he would break the restraints and be driven by the demon into deserted¹⁰⁷ places.)¹⁰⁸^8:30Jesus then¹⁰⁹ asked him, “What is your name?” He¹¹⁰ said, “Legion,”¹¹¹ because many demons had entered him. ^8:31And they began to beg¹¹² him not to order¹¹³ them to depart into the abyss.¹¹⁴

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Footnotes

101 Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
102 Although the external evidence favors the aorist παρήγγειλεν (parēngeilen, “he commanded”; 𝔓75 B Θ Ξ Ψ f13 579 700 1241 1424 2542 ), the internal evidence favors the imperfect παρήγγελλεν (parēngellen, here translated “he had started commanding”; א A C K L W Γ Δ 1 33 565 892 ). The aorist is suspect because it can more easily be taken as a single command, and thus an immediate exorcism. The imperfect would most likely be ingressive ( §§328; 329; 331), suggesting that Jesus started to command the evil spirit to depart, and continued the command.
103 Grk “unclean.”
104 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so,” introducing a clause that gives the result of the man being seized by the demon.
105 Or “fetters”; these were chains for the feet.
106 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
107 Grk “into the deserts.” The plural use here has been translated as “deserted places,” that is, uninhabited areas.
108 This is a parenthetical, explanatory comment by the author.
109 Grk “And Jesus.” Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to pick up the sequence of the narrative prior to the parenthetical note by the author.
110 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
111 The name Legion means “thousands,” a word taken from a Latin term for a large group of soldiers. The term not only suggests a multiple possession, but also adds a military feel to the account. This is a true battle.
112 One could also translate the imperfect tense here with a repetitive force like “begged him repeatedly.”
113 Or “command.”
114 This word, ἄβυσσος (abussos), is a term for the place where the dead await the judgment. It also could hold hostile spirits according to Jewish belief ( 5:6–7; 10:4–6; 18:11–16).

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was guarded, bound by chains and shackles, he would snap the restraints and be driven by the demon into deserted places.

“What is your name?” Jesus asked him.

“Legion,” he said, because many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to banish them to the abyss.

NLTNew Living Translation

For Jesus had already commanded the evil spirit to come out of him. This spirit had often taken control of the man. Even when he was placed under guard and put in chains and shackles, he simply broke them and rushed out into the wilderness, completely under the demon’s power.

Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” he replied, for he was filled with many demons. The demons kept begging Jesus not to send them into the bottomless pit.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For it had seized him many times, and he was bound with chains and shackles and was guarded, and breaking the bonds he would be driven by the demon into the deserted places.) So Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered into him. And they began imploring him that he would not order them to depart into the abyss.

KJV 1900King James Version

(For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.

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