A region of ten cities
Decapolis is a Greek name meaning “ten cities”. It referred to a group of cities in and around the area east of the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee. These places were strongly shaped by Greek and Roman culture, unlike many of the predominantly Jewish villages of Galilee.
The Bible does not give a full list of the ten cities. What matters in the Gospels is that the Decapolis marks territory beyond the usual centre of Jewish religious life. Jesus did not confine his compassion to familiar places or one ethnic community.
And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
Jesus crossed a boundary
Mark places one of Jesus' most memorable healings in this wider region. He met a man tormented by unclean spirits, living in isolation among tombs. The nearby herd of pigs also suggests a Gentile setting, since pigs were not part of Israel's food practices.
After Jesus restored him, the man wanted to travel with Jesus. Instead, Jesus sent him home to tell his own people what God had done. He then proclaimed the news throughout Decapolis, and people were astonished (Mark 5:18-20). It is a striking picture of someone once cut off from society becoming a trusted witness in his own region.
And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.
Healing in the Decapolis
Later, Jesus travelled through the Decapolis again. People brought him a man who could neither hear properly nor speak clearly. Jesus healed him, and the crowd responded with amazement at what he had done (Mark 7:31-35).
This moment shows Jesus meeting a deeply personal need. The man was not treated as a problem to be avoided. He was brought near, cared for, and restored. The Decapolis reminds readers that Christ's mercy reaches people who may feel far away, overlooked, or outside the circle.
And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.
Why it still matters
The significance of Decapolis is not mainly geography. It shows the widening reach of Jesus' ministry. Crowds from that region followed him early in his public work, and people there later saw his healing power for themselves (Matthew 4:25; Mark 7:31-35).
For the first readers of the Gospels, this would have been hopeful news. God’s grace was not limited by location, background, pain, or reputation. Read these scenes closely and notice who Jesus moves towards. Again and again, he brings restoration where others might expect distance.