And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

And having cried out, and torn him much, he came out: and the boy became as one dead; insomuch that the more part said, He is dead.

And crying out, and greatly tearing him, he went out of him, and he became as dead, so that many said: He is dead.

And having cried out and torn him much, he came out; and he became as if dead, so that the most said, He is dead.

And having cried out, and torn him much, he came out: and the child became as one dead; insomuch that the more part said, He is dead.

And the spirit cried, and rent him severely, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; so that many said, He is dead.

and having cried, and rent him much, it came forth, and he became as dead, so that many said that he was dead,

And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; so that many said, He is dead.

So with a loud cry he threw the boy into fit after fit, and came out. The boy looked as if he were dead, so that most of them said he was dead;

And after crying out and shaking him violently, it came out: and the child became like one dead; so that most of them said, He is dead.

Having screamed, and convulsed greatly, it came out of him. The boy became like one dead; so much that most of them said, 'He is dead.'

And crying out, and convulsing him greatly, he departed from him. And he became like one who is dead, so much so that many said, "He is dead."

With a loud cry the spirit threw the boy into repeated convulsions, and then came out from him. The boy looked like a corpse, so that most of them said that he was dead.

(5) And [the spirit] cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
(5) The nearer that the virtue of Christ is the far greater Satan rages.

And the spirit cried, and rent him sore,.... We rightly supply, "the spirit", as do the Syriac and Persic versions, "the demon"; for it was he, and not the child, that cried, and made an hideous noise, at his ejection; being filled with wrath and rage, that he must be obliged to quit the possession he had so long held; and therefore, in spite and malice, before it left him, shook and tore him, and threw him into dreadful convulsions:
and came out of him; though sore against his will, being obliged to it, by the superior power of Christ:
and he was as one dead: that is, the child, when the devil had left him, lay as still as if he had no breath, nor life in him:
insomuch that many said, he is dead; really dead: that there was no life in him, nor any hopes of his coming to himself again.

And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him; and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead--The malignant, cruel spirit, now conscious that his time was come, gathers up his whole strength, with intent by a last stroke to kill his victim, and had nearly succeeded. But the Lord of life was there; the Healer of all maladies, the Friend of sinners, the Seed of the woman, "the Stronger than the strong man armed," was there. The very faith which Christ declared to be enough for everything being now found, it was not possible that the serpent should prevail. Fearfully is he permitted to bruise the heel, as in this case; but his own head shall go for it--his works shall be destroyed (1-John 3:8).

The spirit cried and rent him sore. The evil spirit obeys most reluctantly and seeks to destroy one whom it can no longer use. The paroxysm of departure was fearful, and left the boy exhausted and as dead. The touch of Jesus completed the cure.

Having rent him sore - So does even the body sometimes suffer, when God comes to deliver the soul from Satan.