Greek word · G1086

Γεργεσηνός, Γερασηνός

gergesēnos, gerasēnos

Gerasene

An inhabitant of Gerasa (modern Jerash, Jordan), a prosperous Hellenistic city of the Decapolis, the league of about ten Greek-style cities east of the Jordan. As a name for a region, 'of the Gerasenes' points to land counted as belonging to that city.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

Γεργασηνός, -ή, -όν,

Gerasene, of Gerasa, not the G. of Decapolis, 30 m. S.E. of the Lake, but a Gerasa or Gergesa (perh. the mod. Kersa) on E. shore; as subst., pl. οἱ Γ., Mark 5:1, Luke 8:26, 37 (Γεργεσηνῶν, RV, mg. 1; Γαδαρηνῶν, RV, mg. 2).†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Mark 5:1

Range of meaning

An inhabitant of Gerasa (modern Jerash, Jordan), a prosperous Hellenistic city of the Decapolis, the league of about ten Greek-style cities east of the Jordan. As a name for a region, 'of the Gerasenes' points to land counted as belonging to that city.

Against the English

Modern versions (BSB, NIV, ESV, NASB, NLT) read 'Gerasenes'; KJV, WEB and YLT read 'Gadarenes', following the later majority of Greek manuscripts. Strong's lists the entry under 'Gergesenos', a third form of the name.

How it drifted

No drift in meaning. The confusion is geographical: Gerasa lies about 55 km (35 miles) southeast of the lake, which seems too far for a story where pigs rush down into the water. Ancient copyists 'corrected' the name to Gadara (about 10 km from the lake, whose coins show ships) or to Gergesa (a place Origen proposed on the eastern shore).

Used elsewhere in the period

Josephus mentions Gerasa as a major city of the region (e.g. Jewish War 1.104; 2.458, 480). Origen (Commentary on John 6.41) rejects both Gerasa and Gadara as too far from the lake and argues for Gergesa, a town by the shore with a steep slope; Byzantine Christians later built a monastery at Kursi on the eastern shore to mark the spot. Matthew 8:28 reads 'Gadarenes' in its best manuscripts; Luke 8:26, 37 reads 'Gerasenes' in its best manuscripts (P75, Vaticanus).

Where it appears

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 5:1 Γερασηνῶν.¶ Gerasenes.

    On the other side of the sea, they arrived in the region of the Gerasenes.

    Here: The people of Gerasa, one of the Greek-speaking Decapolis cities east of the Jordan. The name tells the first hearers that Jesus has stepped onto Gentile ground, which prepares for the pigs, the tombs and the unclean spirit that follow.

Luke · 2

  1. Luke 8:26 Γερασηνῶν Gerasenes

    Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee.

  2. Luke 8:37 Γερασηνῶν Gerasenes

    Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, because great fear had taken hold of them. So He got into the boat and started back.

    Here: People belonging to the territory of Gerasa, a Gentile city of the Decapolis east of the Jordan. The spelling varies in the manuscripts (see textual notes).

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.