the Gerasenes and the people living around them

περίχωρος, ον pert. to being around an area, neighboring (Gen 19:28) quite predom. used as a subst. (οἱ περίχωροι ‘the neighbors’ Demosth. 19, 266; Plut., Cat. Maj. 351 [25, 3], Eum. 593 [15, 13]; Aelian, NA 10, 46; Cass. Dio 36, 33) ἡ π. (sc. γῆ; B-D-F §241, 1) region around, neighborhood (LXX, which also has τὸ περίχωρον and τὰ περίχωρα. Loanw. in rabb.) Mt 14:35; Mk 6:55 v.l.; Lk 4:14, 37; 7:17; Ac 14:6; 1 Cl 11:1; GPt 9:34. Used w. gen.: of a river, whose neighboring region to the right and left is designated as ἡ π.: ἡ π. τοῦ Ἰορδάνου (Gen 13:10f) Mt 3:5 (s. below); Lk 3:3. ἡ περίχωρος τῶν Γερασηνῶν the Gerasenes and the people living around them Lk 8:37. ὅλη ἡ π. τῆς Γαλιλαίας Mk 1:28 is either epexegetic gen. the whole region around, that is, Galilee or the region around Galilee (Mt understands it in the latter sense, and 4:24 inserted ὅλη ἡ Συρία for it); the epexegetical gen. is prob. exhibited in GJs 8:3 καθόλου τῆς π. τῆς Ἰουδαίας throughout the Judaean countryside (s. deStrycker ad loc.). By metonymy for the inhabitants Mt 3:5.—DELG s.v. χώρα. M-M.