Mark 5:13 records Jesus giving the demons permission to leave a man and enter a herd of pigs, and the pigs then run down a steep bank into the sea and drown. The verse shows Jesus holding real authority over evil spirits, even when that authority produces a result that is hard to understand. The speaker is the narrator of Mark’s Gospel, describing what happened when Jesus arrived on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The demons themselves are the ones begging for the request, and Jesus is the one who answers it.
At once Jesus gave them permission. The unclean spirits came out and entered into the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and they were drowned in the sea.
Mark 5:13 (WEB)
What Mark 5:13 Means
The verse opens with “At once Jesus gave them permission.” The word “at once” signals that Jesus does not bargain or hesitate. The demons had been pleading with him not to send them out of the region, and he grants their specific request to enter the pigs. The permission reveals that the spirits can only act within limits Jesus sets, which is a theme running through the whole passage.
Next the verse says the unclean spirits “came out and entered into the pigs.” Mark uses plain verbs here, describing a transfer from a human body into animals. The herd of “about two thousand” pigs then “rushed down the steep bank into the sea,” and the animals “were drowned.” The verse does not explain why Jesus allowed this outcome, and it does not promise that Jesus will always respond to spiritual oppression in this way. It simply reports what happened and leaves the reader to weigh the scene against the rest of the Gospel.
The Context of Mark 5:13
Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the four and was probably written for a Gentile or mixed readership, often dated to the years around the Roman war in Judea. This episode occurs in the region of the Gerasenes, a non-Jewish area east of the lake. Pigs were unclean to Jewish people, so a herd of them tells the reader that Jesus is ministering in Gentile territory. Just before the verse, verses 10 and 11 show the demons begging Jesus not to send them out of the country. Verse 12 then gives their request to enter the swine.
After the verse, the people who saw the pigs run off go to the city and countryside to report what happened. They come to Jesus and find the formerly possessed man sitting, clothed, and “in his right mind.” Verse 15 shows that the people are afraid, not joyful. Reading the verse alongside these lines makes clear that the drowning is the start of a story about restoration, and that the reaction of the townspeople is part of what Mark wants the reader to notice.
Key Phrases in Mark 5:13
Mark 5:15
They came to Jesus, and saw him who had been possessed by demons sitting, clothed, and in his right mind, even him who had the legion; and they were afraid.
(WEB)
This verse shows the formerly possessed man sitting, clothed, and in his right mind. Reading it after verse 13 reveals the purpose of the encounter: the drowning of the pigs is followed by the healing of the man, which is the true focus of the story.
Mark 1:27
They were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching? For with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him!”
(WEB)
Here the crowd marvels that Jesus commands even unclean spirits and they obey him. This earlier scene confirms the authority displayed in Mark 5:13 and shows that Jesus’ power over demons is a consistent feature of Mark’s portrait of him.
A Short Prayer From Mark 5:13
Lord Jesus, you have authority over every spirit that works against your people. When fear, bondage, or confusion tries to take hold of my life, help me remember that you decide what is allowed and what is not. Give me the courage to bring my struggles to you honestly, and the peace to rest in your rule. Restore my mind and heart as you restored that man, so that I can sit at your feet clothed and in my right mind. Amen.
