Matthew 8:2-4

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.” 8:3 He stretched out his hand and touched ⁴  him saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 8:4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you do not speak to anyone, ⁵  but go, show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering ⁶  that Moses commanded, ⁷  as a testimony to them.” ⁸ 

Luke 5:12-14

Healing a Leper

5:12 While ⁹  Jesus ¹⁰  was in one of the towns, ¹¹  a man came ¹²  to him who was covered with ¹³  leprosy. ¹⁴  When ¹⁵  he saw Jesus, he bowed down with his face to the ground ¹⁶  and begged him, ¹⁷  “Lord, if ¹⁸  you are willing, you can make me clean.” 5:13 So ¹⁹  he stretched out his hand and touched ²⁰  him, saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. 5:14 Then ²¹  he ordered the man ²²  to tell no one, ²³  but commanded him, ²⁴  “Go ²⁵  and show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering ²⁶  for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, ²⁷  as a testimony to them.” ²⁸ 

[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.

[8:3]  ⁴ sn Touched. This touch would have rendered Jesus ceremonially unclean (Lev 14:46; also Mishnah, m. Nega’im 3.1; 11.1; 12.1; 13.6-12).

[8:4]  ⁵ sn The command for silence was probably meant to last only until the cleansing took place with the priests and sought to prevent Jesus’ healings from becoming the central focus of the people’s reaction to him. See also 9:30, 12:16, 16:20, and 17:9 for other cases where Jesus asks for silence concerning him and his ministry.

[8:4]  ⁶ tn Grk “gift.”

[8:4]  ⁷ sn On the phrase bring the offering that Moses commanded see Lev 14:1-32.

[8:4]  ⁸ tn Or “as an indictment against them.” The pronoun αὐτοῖς (autoi") may be a dative of disadvantage.

[5:12]  ⁹ tn Grk “And it happened that while.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[5:12]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:12]  ¹¹ tn Or “cities.”

[5:12]  ¹² tn Grk “towns, behold, a man covered with leprosy.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou, “behold”) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[5:12]  ¹³ tn Grk “full of leprosy” (an idiom for a severe condition).

[5:12]  ¹⁴ sn The ancient term for leprosy covers a wider array of conditions than what is called leprosy today. A leper was totally ostracized from society until he was declared cured (Lev 13:45-46).

[5:12]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “And seeing.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ (de) has not been translated here. The participle ἰδών (idwn) has been taken temporally.

[5:12]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “he fell on his face”; an idiom for bowing down with one’s face to the ground.

[5:12]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “and begged him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[5:12]  ¹⁸ tn This is a third class condition. The report portrays the leper making no presumptions about whether Jesus will heal him or not.

[5:13]  ¹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the response of Jesus to the man’s request.

[5:13]  ²⁰ sn Touched. This touch would have rendered Jesus ceremonially unclean (Lev 14:46; also Mishnah, m. Nega’im 3.1; 11.1; 12.1; 13.6-12).

[5:14]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[5:14]  ²² tn Grk “him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:14]  ²³ sn The silence ordered by Jesus was probably meant to last only until the cleansing took place with the priests and sought to prevent Jesus’ healings from becoming the central focus of the people’s reaction to him. See also 4:35, 41; 8:56 for other cases where Jesus asks for silence with reference to miracles.

[5:14]  ²⁴ tn The words “commanded him” are not in the Greek text but have been supplied for clarity. This verse moves from indirect to direct discourse. This abrupt change is very awkward, so the words have been supplied to smooth out the transition.

[5:14]  ²⁵ tn Grk “Going, show.” The participle ἀπελθών (apelqwn) has been translated as an attendant circumstance participle. Here the syntax also changes somewhat abruptly from indirect discourse to direct discourse.

[5:14]  ²⁶ tn The words “the offering” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[5:14]  ²⁷ sn On the phrase as Moses commanded see Lev 14:1-32.

[5:14]  ²⁸ tn Or “as an indictment against them”; or “as proof to the people.” This phrase could be taken as referring to a positive witness to the priests, a negative testimony against them, or as a testimony to the community that the man had indeed been cured. In any case, the testimony shows that Jesus is healing and ministering to those in need.