Matthew 8: Healings, a storm and the demons that went into the pigs
A free study, verse by verse. Text: World English Bible. Notes come from the Greek. How to read a study
What happens?
Coming down from the mountain, Jesus cleanses a leper, heals a centurion's servant from a distance, and heals Peter's mother-in-law and many others. He answers two men who want to follow him, calms a storm on the sea, and in the country on the other side sends two men's demons into a herd of pigs, which rush into the sea. The people of the city then ask him to leave.
Who is speaking?
No verse is in gold: nothing in this chapter is marked as the Father's own voice. The narrator tells the story. Jesus speaks in verses 3, 4, 7, 10 to 13, 20, 22 and 26, and says "Go!" in verse 32. The leper speaks in verse 2, the centurion in verses 6, 8 and 9, a scribe in verse 19, another disciple in verse 21, the disciples in verse 25, the men in verse 27, the two men with demons in verse 29, and the demons in verse 31. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1When he came down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.
In plain English: When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.
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2Behold, a leper came to him and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean.”
In plain English: A leper (see the note) came to him, bowed down to him (or: worshiped him), and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."
The Greek word: "Leper" is lepros, which the dictionary gives as scaly, and "leprosy" in verse 3 is lepra. The note at explains the Old Testament word and says it is not certain that it names the illness called leprosy today.
The Greek word: "Worshiped" is proskyneō. The dictionary gives it as to fall down in front of someone and do reverence. In Matthew it is in 13 verses, and this Bible gives "worship" in 10 of them, "bow" in 1 and "kneel" in 1. The ruler in does the same.
What changes: Read as "worshiped", the man worships Jesus. Read as "bowed down", the man bows to him in respect. The text does not say which, and the plain line gives both.
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3Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be made clean.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
In plain English: Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing. Be made clean." At once his leprosy was cleansed.
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4Jesus said to him, “See that you tell nobody; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
In plain English: Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one. But go, show yourself to the priest, and bring the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."
Good to know: The law for a leper who is cleansed is in Leviticus 14. says, "This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the priest."
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5When he came into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking him for help,
In plain English: When Jesus came into Capernaum, a centurion (an army officer) came to him, asking him for help,
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6saying, “Lord, my servant lies in the house paralyzed, grievously tormented.”
In plain English: and said, "Lord, my servant (or: boy) is lying in the house paralyzed, badly tormented."
The Greek words: "Servant" here is pais, which the dictionary gives as a boy, a child, or a servant. It is in verses 6, 8 and 13, and in 8 verses of Matthew in all. The "servant" of verse 9 is a different word, doulos, which the dictionary gives as a slave.
How it is translated: This Bible gives pais as "servant" in 5 of Matthew's 8 verses, "child" in 2, "boy" in 1 and "son" in 1.
What changes: Read as "servant", the sick man works for the centurion. Read as "boy", he is a young person, who may be a child or a son. The text does not say which. says, "A certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and at the point of death."
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7Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
In plain English: Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."
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8The centurion answered, “Lord, I’m not worthy for you to come under my roof. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
In plain English: The centurion answered, "Lord, I am not worthy (or: fit) for you to come under my roof. Only say the word, and my servant will be healed.
The Greek word: "Worthy" is hikanos. The dictionary gives it as ample in amount or fit in character. The same word is in , "whose sandals I am not worthy to carry".
What changes: Read as "worthy", the centurion says he does not deserve it. Read as "fit" or "enough", he says he is not enough for it. The plain line gives both.
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9For I am also a man under authority, having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and tell another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and tell my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
In plain English: For I too am a man under authority, and I have soldiers under me. I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant (literally: slave), 'Do this,' and he does it."
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10When Jesus heard it, he marveled and said to those who followed, “Most certainly I tell you, I haven’t found so great a faith, not even in Israel.
In plain English: When Jesus heard it, he marveled and said to those who followed him, "I tell you for certain, I have not found so great a faith, not even in Israel.
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11I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven,
In plain English: I tell you that many will come from the east and the west and will sit down (literally: lean back) with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven,
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12but the children of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
In plain English: but the sons (or: children) of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
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13Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way. Let it be done for you as you have believed.” His servant was healed in that hour.
In plain English: Jesus said to the centurion, "Go. Let it be done for you as you have believed." His servant was healed in that hour.
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14When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever.
In plain English: When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying down with a fever.
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15He touched her hand, and the fever left her. So she got up and served him.
In plain English: He touched her hand, and the fever left her. She got up and served him.
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16When evening came, they brought to him many possessed with demons. He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,
In plain English: When evening came, they brought him many who were possessed by demons. He drove out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,
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17that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, “He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.”
In plain English: so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases."
Good to know: Matthew says this was spoken through Isaiah the prophet. Words like these are in , which in this Bible reads, "Surely he has borne our sickness and carried our suffering." The wording is not the same, and Matthew gives the words after the healings of verse 16.
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18Now when Jesus saw great multitudes around him, he gave the order to depart to the other side.
In plain English: When Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave the order to go to the other side.
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19A scribe came and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
In plain English: A scribe came and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
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20Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
In plain English: Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man (see the note) has nowhere to lay his head."
The Greek words: "The Son of Man" is, word for word, "the son of the man" (ho huios tou anthrōpou). Anthrōpos is the ordinary Greek word for a man or a human being. This is the first place in Matthew where the phrase is used, and this Bible has "Son of Man" in 30 verses of the book. It is used here of Jesus himself, who is the one speaking.
What changes: Read as a title, it is a name Jesus uses for himself; has the similar words "one like a son of man". Read as "a man" or "a human being", he says that a human being has nowhere to lay his head. The text does not say which.
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21Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.”
In plain English: Another of his disciples said to him, "Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father."
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22But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
In plain English: But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."
Good to know: The text does not say whether the disciple's father had already died. It also does not say who "the dead" are in Jesus's answer: it says only, "leave the dead to bury their own dead", and uses the same word, nekros, for both.
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23When he got into a boat, his disciples followed him.
In plain English: When he got into a boat, his disciples followed him.
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24Behold, a violent storm came up on the sea, so much that the boat was covered with the waves; but he was asleep.
In plain English: A great storm (see the note) came up on the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves, but he himself was asleep.
The Greek word: "Storm" is seismos. The dictionary gives it as a commotion: in the air, a gale, and in the ground, an earthquake. In Matthew it is in 4 verses: here, , and . This Bible gives "storm" here and "earthquake" in the other 3.
What changes: Read as "storm", the sea is stirred up by wind. Read as "shaking", the word's sense in the other 3 verses, the sea itself is shaken. The verse goes on to say that the waves covered the boat.
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25The disciples came to him and woke him up, saying, “Save us, Lord! We are dying!”
In plain English: The disciples came to him and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are dying!"
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26He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm.
In plain English: He said to them, "Why are you afraid, you of little faith?" Then he got up, rebuked the wind (literally: winds) and the sea, and there was a great calm.
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27The men marveled, saying, “What kind of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
In plain English: The men marveled and said, "What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?"
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28When he came to the other side, into the country of the Gergesenes, two people possessed by demons met him there, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that nobody could pass that way.
In plain English: When he came to the other side, into the country of the Gergesenes (see the note), two men possessed by demons met him, coming out of the tombs. They were extremely fierce, so that no one could pass that way.
Good to know: The Greek text that this page's word cards follow has "Gergesenes" here. Tischendorf's Greek text, also in this site's database, has "Gadarenes", which is the word this Bible has in and . Matthew says "two" men met him; says "a man with an unclean spirit" and says "a certain man".
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29Behold, they cried out, saying, “What do we have to do with you, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
In plain English: And they cried out, "What do we have to do with you, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?"
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30Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding far away from them.
In plain English: Now a herd of many pigs was feeding far off from them.
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31The demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of pigs.”
In plain English: The demons begged him, saying, "If you cast us out, allow us to go away into the herd of pigs."
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32He said to them, “Go!” They came out and went into the herd of pigs; and behold, the whole herd of pigs rushed down the cliff into the sea and died in the water.
In plain English: He said to them, "Go!" They came out and went into the herd of pigs. And the whole herd of pigs rushed down the steep bank into the sea and died in the waters.
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33Those who fed them fled and went away into the city and told everything, including what happened to those who were possessed with demons.
In plain English: Those who fed them fled. They went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the men who were possessed by demons.
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34Behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged that he would depart from their borders.
In plain English: And the whole city came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
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