Mark 7:33

Context
7:33 After Jesus¹ took him aside privately, away from the crowd, he put his fingers in the man’s² ears, and after spitting, he touched his tongue.³

[7:33] ¹tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:33] ²tn Grk “his”; the referent (the deaf man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:33] ³sn After spitting, he touched his tongue. It was not uncommon in Judaism of the day to associate curative powers with a person’s saliva. The scene as a whole reflects Jesus’ willingness to get close to people and have physical contact with them where appropriate. See W. L. Lane, Mark (NICNT), 267 n. 78.