Luke 8:30 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

What is thy name, &c.?— Our Saviour probably asked the name of the evil spirit, to shew the extreme misery of the demoniac who was possessed by him. There is no need of concluding from the answer, that the number of these evil spirits was exactly the same with that of a Roman legion, which at this period consisted of six thousand and upwards. It was a phrase often made use of to express a great number; and it is observable that the evangelist's words lead us to this very sense: My name is legion, for or because we are many. It is perfectly evident from St. Luke's mode of expression—many devils were entered into him, that he considered this, not as a mere lunacy, but as a real possession. Probably a band of evil spirits united in the vexation of this poor wretched man; but, in what manner, or order, itis impossible for us to say, who know so little of the state of invisible beings.