John Gill Commentary Mark 5:3

"who had his dwelling in the tombs: and no man could any more bind him, no, not with a chain;" — Mark 5:3 (ASV)

Who had his dwelling among the tombs
Which is one of the characters of a madman among the Jews; who say it is ^F17the sign of a madman, that he goes out in the night, (twrbqh) (tybb Nlhw) , "and lodges among the tombs", and rends his garments, and loses what is given to him.'' The same they say, in the same place, of an hypochondriac, and melancholy man; and of Kordiacus, which they give out ^F18 is a demon that possesses, and has power over some sort of persons.

and no man could bind him, no, not with chains ;
so as to hold him for any length of time: not only cords were insufficient to hold, but even chains of iron; so strong was he through the possession; for this could not be by his own natural strength.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F17: T. Hieros. Gittin, fol. 48. 3. & Trumot, fol. 40. 2.
• F18: Jarchi & Bartenora in Misn. Gittin, c. 7. sect. 1.