Matthew 8 · Verse 3

Matthew 8:3

And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Matthew 8:3, King James Version

Matthew 8:3 in other translations

BSBJesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
WEBJesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be made clean.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
ASVAnd he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou made clean. And straightway his leprosy was cleansed.
YLTand having stretched forth the hand, Jesus touched him, saying, ‘I will, be thou cleansed,' and immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
DARBYAnd he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, I will; be cleansed. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
BBEAnd he put his hand on him, saying, It is my pleasure; be clean. And straight away he was made clean.
WebsterAnd Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

What does Matthew 8:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
3. And Jesus--or "He," according to another reading,--"moved with compassion," says Mark (Mr 1:41); a precious addition. put forth his hand, and touched him--Such a touch occasioned ceremonial defilement (Le 5:3); even as the leper's coming near enough for contact was against the Levitical regulations (Le 13:46). But as the man's faith told him there would be no case for such regulations if the cure he hoped to experience should be accomplished, so He who had healing in His wings transcended all such statutes. saying, I will; be thou clean--How majestic those two words! By not assuring the man of His power to heal him, He delightfully sets His seal to the man's previous confession of that power; and by assuring him of the one thing of which he had any doubt, and for which he waited--His will to do it--He makes a claim as divine as the cure which immediately followed it. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed--Mark, more emphatic, says (Mr 1:42), "And as soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed"--as perfectly as instantaneously. What a contrast this to modern pretended cures!

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 3. And Jesus--touched him. It was an offence to the Jews to touch a leprous person, and was regarded as making him who did it ceremonially impure, Lev 13:3. The act of putting forth his hand and touching him, therefore, expressed the intention of Jesus to cure him, and was a pledge that he was, in fact, already cured.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 3 Jesus put forth his hand - I will; be thou clean - The most sovereign authority is assumed in this speech of our blessed Lord - I Will: there is here no supplication of any power superior to his own; and the event proved to the fullest conviction, and by the clearest demonstration, that his authority was absolute, and his power unlimited. Be thou cleansed, καθαρισθητι; a single word is enough. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed - What an astonishing sight! A man whose whole body was covered over with the most loathsome disease, cleansed from it in a moment of time! Was it possible for any soul to resist the evidence of this fact? This action of Christ is a representation of that invisible hand which makes itself felt by the most insensible heart; of that internal word which makes itself heard by the most deaf; and of that supreme will which works every thing according to its own counsel.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 8:2-4

In these verses we have an account of Christ's cleansing a leper, who came and worshipped him, as one clothed with Divine power. This cleansing directs us, not only to apply to Christ, who has power over bodily diseases, for the cure of them, but it also teaches us in what manner to apply to him. When we cannot be sure of God's will, we may be sure of his wisdom and mercy. No guilt is so great, but there is that in…

Read the full comment on Matthew 8:2-4 →

Matthew 8:3 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

καὶkaiAndG2532
ἐκτείναςekteinashaving stretched outG1614
τὴνtēntheG3588
χεῖραcheirahandG5495
ἥψατοhēpsatoHe touchedG681
αὐτοῦautouof himG846
ἸησοῦςIēsousJesusG2424
λέγων·legōnsaying;G3004
θέλω,thelōI am willing,G2309
καθαρίσθητι.katharisthētido be cleansed.G2511
καὶkaiAndG2532
εὐθέωςeutheōsimmediatelyG2112
ἐκαθαρίσθηekatharisthēwas cleansedG2511
αὐτοῦautouhisG846
ἡhē<the>G3588
λέπρα.lepraleprosy.G3014

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Matthew 8:3

  • Psalms 33:9

    For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

  • Luke 5:13

    And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.

  • Matthew 11:4-5

    Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

  • 2 Kings 5:14

    Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

  • Mark 1:41

    And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

  • Genesis 1:3

    And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

  • 2 Kings 5:11

    But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.

  • John 5:21

    For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

  • Mark 4:39

    And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

  • Luke 7:14

    And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

  • Mark 9:25

    When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

  • John 11:43

    And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
put.
2Ki 5:11
I will.
Ge 1:3; Ps 33:9; Mr 1:41; 4:39; 5:41; 7:34; 9:25; Lu 5:13; 7:14
Joh 5:21; 11:43; 15:24
immediately.
11:4,5; 2Ki 5:14; Lu 17:14,15

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Matthew 8:2

    And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

  • Matthew 8:3

    And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

  • Matthew 8:4

    And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

Read all of Matthew 8

Matthew 8:3 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y extendiendo Jesús su mano, le tocó, diciendo: Quiero; sé limpio. Y luego su lepra fué limpiada.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Jésus, étendant la main, le toucha, disant: Je veux, sois net. Et aussitôt il fut nettoyé de sa lèpre.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und er streckte seine Hand aus, rührte ihn an und sprach: Ich will; sei gereinigt! Und alsbald wurde sein Aussatz gereinigt.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et extendens Jesus manum, tetigit eum, dicens: Volo: mundare. Et confestim mundata est lepra ejus.