V. 8. For He said unto Him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. V. 9. And He asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion; for we are many. V. 10. And he besought Him much that He would not send them away out of the country.
Christ now permits an intermission in the proceedings lest the evil spirits vent their spite on the man. He asked the demoniac: What name is thine?
And the answer, with the explanation, was: Legion, on account of their great number. Not only one unclean spirit was here devastating the temple of the poor man's body, but a host of them. For the Roman legion comprised a number of between five and six thousand men, and the members of such a body were united under iron discipline. The name was thus the "emblem of irresistible power and of a multitude organized into unity" (Expositor's Greek Testament, 1, 372).
The devil is not so listless in his method of attack as the Christians are in warding it off. Not only does he walk about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he might devour, but he has his armies, the spirits of darkness, trained in obedience and concerted attack. The spirits now begged Jesus not to send them out of this region which they seem to have favored on account of the nature of the population. It is a strange thing to find the devil pleading with the Lord for a favor; but if it suits his plans, he can be most abject.