Commentaries:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
Saying, Let us alone--or rather, perhaps, "ah!" expressive of mingled astonishment and terror.
what have we to do with thee--an expression of frequent occurrence in the Old Testament (1 Kings 17:18; 2 Kings 3:13; 2 Chronicles 35:21, etc.). It denotes entire separation of interests:--that is, "Thou and we have nothing in common; we want not Thee; what wouldst Thou with us?" For the analogous application of it by our Lord to His mother, see on John 2:4.
thou Jesus of Nazareth--"Jesus, Nazarene!" an epithet originally given to express contempt, but soon adopted as the current designation by those who held our Lord in honor (Luke 18:37; Mark 16:6; Acts 2:22).
art thou come to destroy us?--In the case of the Gadarene demoniac the question was, "Art Thou come hither to torment us before the time?" (Matthew 8:29). Themselves tormentors and destroyers of their victims, they discern in Jesus their own destined tormentor and destroyer, anticipating and dreading what they know and feel to be awaiting them! Conscious, too, that their power was but permitted and temporary, and perceiving in Him, perhaps, the woman's Seed that was to bruise the head and destroy the works of the devil, they regard His approach to them on this occasion as a signal to let go their grasp of this miserable victim.
I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God--This and other even more glorious testimonies to our Lord were given, as we know, with no good will, but in hope that, by the acceptance of them, He might appear to the people to be in league with evil spirits--a calumny which His enemies were ready enough to throw out against Him. But a Wiser than either was here, who invariably rejected and silenced the testimonies that came to Him from beneath, and thus was able to rebut the imputations of His enemies against Him (Matthew 12:24-30). The expression, "Holy One of God," seems evidently taken from that Messianic Psalm (Psalms 16:10), in which He is styled "Thine Holy One."
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Matthew 5:11
Mark 1:34
Mark 5:7
1 John 2:20
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