8:31 cast us out. It seems that these demons intensely desire to function through a physical body. If they could not possess the body of the man living in the tombs, they still wanted at least to indwell the swine.

8:31 swine. Critics have charged Jesus with destroying private property by allowing the demons to drown the swine. However, God called these animals unclean (Leviticus 11:7-8), and forbade the Jews to use them as food; thus these swine ranchers were profiting illegally from their chosen occupation.