Matthew 8:2

8:2 And a leper ¹  approached, and bowed low before him, saying, ²  “Lord, if ³  you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Matthew 18:26

18:26 Then the slave threw himself to the ground ⁴  before him, saying, ⁵  ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything.’

[8:2]  ¹ tn Grk “And behold, a leper came.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[8:2]  ² tn Grk “a leper approaching, bowed low before him, saying.”

[8:2]  ³ tn This is a third class condition. The report portrays the leper making no presumptions about whether Jesus will heal him or not.

[18:26]  ⁴ tn Grk “falling therefore the slave bowed down to the ground.” The redundancy of this expression signals the desperation of the slave in begging for mercy.

[18:26]  ⁵ tc The majority of mss (א L W 058 0281 Ë^1,13 33 Ï it sy^p,h co) begin the slave’s plea with “Lord” (κύριε, kurie), though a few important witnesses lack this vocative (B D Θ 700 pc lat sy^s,c Or Chr). Understanding the parable to refer to the Lord, scribes would be naturally prone to add the vocative here, especially as the slave’s plea is a plea for mercy. Thus, the shorter reading is more likely to be authentic.