Matthew 9:27-34

Healing the Blind and Mute

9:27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, ¹  “Have mercy ²  on us, Son of David!” ³  9:28 When ⁴  he went into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus ⁵  said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 9:29 Then he touched their eyes saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” 9:30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about this.” 9:31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that entire region. ⁶ 

9:32 As ⁷  they were going away, ⁸  a man who could not talk and was demon-possessed was brought to him. 9:33 After the demon was cast out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel!” 9:34 But the Pharisees ⁹  said, “By the ruler ¹⁰  of demons he casts out demons.” ¹¹ 

[9:27]  ¹ tn Grk “shouting, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[9:27]  ² sn Have mercy on us is a request for healing. It is not owed to the men. They simply ask for God’s kind grace.

[9:27]  ³ sn There was a tradition in Judaism that the Son of David (Solomon) had great powers of healing (Josephus, Ant. 8.2.5 [8.42-49]).

[9:28]  ⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:28]  ⁵ tn Grk “to him, and Jesus.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek, but a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[9:31]  ⁶ tn For the translation of τὴν γῆν ἐκείνην (thn ghn ekeinhn) as “that region,” see L&N 1.79.

[9:32]  ⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:32]  ⁸ tn Grk “away, behold, they brought a man to him.” 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).

[9:34]  ⁹ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[9:34]  ¹⁰ tn Or “prince.”

[9:34]  ¹¹ tc Although codex Cantabrigiensis (D), along with a few other Western versional and patristic witnesses, lacks this verse, virtually all other witnesses have it. The Western text’s reputation for free alterations as well as the heightened climax if v. 33 concludes this pericope explains why these witnesses omitted the verse.