What Does Matthew 8:5 Mean?
And when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a commander of a hundred came to him, pleading with him.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,THE KEY
The centurion’s authority does not keep him from becoming a petitioner: here, command itself approaches Jesus and asks.
THE MEANING
Need comes into the open when it is brought near to Jesus in an appeal. Authority and dependence can occupy the same person; command over others does not erase the need to ask.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The belief that status makes someone self-sufficient breaks here: the centurion’s authority does not cancel his need to appeal.
THE ROOT
παρακαλῶν
parakalōn
GROWS FROM
καλέω
To call or summon; in the compound παρακαλέω, to appeal, urge, or comfort.
“pleading” in this verse is parakalōn. “Beseeching” belongs to the Greek family of calling: this is an appeal addressed to someone, not merely a need held inside. The same word family can name an appeal, an urging, or comfort, and here the centurion’s act is an appeal.
ALSO GROWS
kaleō: Call, invite, summon
καλέω
This base verb underlies παρακαλέω and shows the centurion directing his appeal to Jesus.
paraklēsis: Appeal, encouragement, comfort
παράκλησις
This related noun shares the word family’s range of appeal and comfort; here the appeal is the active sense.
ἑκατόνταρχος
hekatontarchos
GROWS FROM
ἀρχ-
To lead, rule, or hold chief authority.
“commander of a hundred” in this verse is hekatontarchos. The Greek title combines “hundred” with the word family of leadership and rule. The verse places a commander in the posture of one who appeals, joining public authority with dependence in one person.
ALSO GROWS
archōn: Ruler, chief
ἄρχων
This related form names a person who holds authority, echoing the leadership element in the centurion’s title.
archē: Beginning, rule, authority
ἀρχή
This word shares the ἀρχ- family and connects the title’s command to the broader idea of rule.
THE PATTERN
Need crosses the distance to help through an approach and an appeal.
And Abraham drew near and said, Will you also sweep away the aligned with the wicked?When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, Son of David, have compassion on me.Let us therefore draw near, with open speech, to the throne of favor, that we may receive compassion, and find favor to help in the right moment.THE THREAD
Let us therefore draw near, with open speech, to the throne of favor, that we may receive compassion, and find favor to help in the right moment.The verb translated “came unto” comes from προσέρχομαι (proserchomai, approach), the same Greek verb used for “come” in Hebrews 4:16. The centurion’s movement toward Jesus opens onto a recurring image: need draws near to the source of help.
This reading is from Selah Verse.
You can read any verse this way in the app, keep it as a card, and send it on.
A Bible app where you send verses from your keyboard and in Messages, and every verse has a Deep Dive.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us