Improper tagging in Matthew 8:31-32

Matthew 8:31–32 (2016 ESV) — 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.

Demons speak to Jesus, and beg him to cast them out into the herd of pigs. But, Logos tags every reference to the demons oppressing these two men (demons, us, us, them, and they) as the men themselves, and not the demons oppressing them. Jesus most certainly did NOT cast the MEN into the pigs.

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

Sean Boisen

We've tagged these as references to "Demoniacs in the Gadarenes" (https://ref.ly/logos4/Factbook?ref=bk.%23Demoniac.4). A demoniac is a person possessed by an evil spirit, so in some sense they are both demons and men. You're certainly correct that the humans weren't cast into the pigs, but our tagging doesn't capture that kind of subtlety. But I don't think it's incorrect to label these as references to the demoniacs: it just doesn't capture all the nuance.

Dave Hooton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1171625#Comment_1171625

But I don't think it's incorrect to label these as references to the demoniacs: it just doesn't capture all the nuance.

The distinction between men and demons is more than a nuance when it comes to who/what was cast into the pigs at 8:31. Likewise, "them"/"they" at 8:32 are demons. The phrase "what have you to do with us" at 8:29 is difficult to tag, but the earlier "they" and the later "us" are demons, not demoniacs.

The "demoniac" tagging of the participle in Mt 8:28, 33 is repeated at Mt 4:24, 8:16 (and elsewhere) but not at Mt 9:32, 15:22, and it comes apart at Jn 10:21 where it is tagged for the man "Jesus". The context demands it be tagged for demoniac rather than Jesus --> "These are not the words of a demoniac".

Gregory Lawhorn

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1171665#Comment_1171665

But I don't think it's incorrect to label these as references to the demoniacs: it just doesn't capture all the nuance.

The distinction between men and demons is more than a nuance when it comes to who/what was cast into the pigs at 8:31. Likewise, "them"/"they" at 8:32 are demons. The phrase "what have you to do with us" at 8:29 is difficult to tag, but the earlier "they" and the later "us" are demons, not demoniacs.

The "demoniac" tagging of the participle in Mt 8:28, 33 is repeated at Mt 4:24, 8:16 (and elsewhere) but not at Mt 9:32, 15:22, and it comes apart at Jn 10:21 where it is tagged for the man "Jesus". The context demands it be tagged for demoniac rather than Jesus --> "These are not the words of a demoniac".

What he said

Sean Boisen

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1171732#Comment_1171732

I've created a case for our team to review the tagging of demoniacs and see if we can come up with a better solution.

Dave Hooton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1171792#Comment_1171792

Thank you.

Gregory Lawhorn

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1171792#Comment_1171792

I've created a case for our team to review the tagging of demoniacs and see if we can come up with a better solution.

Thanks, Sean.