Matthew 8:5

5 And when Jesus was come into Capernaum, a certain captain came to him with a request,

Matthew 8:5 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 8:5

And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum
Was returned from his journey through Galilee, to the place where he before dwelt, and is called his own city, ( Matthew 9:1 )

there came unto him a centurion,
a Roman officer, (ham rv) , "a commander of an hundred men", as the Hebrew Gospel by Munster reads it: though the number of men under a "centurion" was more, according to some accounts.

``A band (it is said ^F7) made two centuries, each of which consisted of an hundred and twenty eight soldiers; for a doubled century made a band, whose governor was called an ordinary "centurion".''

Such an one was Cornelius, a centurion of a band, ( Acts 10:1 ) . The other person that was healed was a Jew. The next instance of Christ's power and goodness is the servant of a Gentile; he came to do good both to Jews and Gentiles;

beseeching him,
not in person, but by his messengers; see ( Luke 7:3 ) and the Jews ^F8 say, (wtwmk Mda lv wxwlvv) , "that a man's messenger is as himself".

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 6. c. 13.
F8 T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 34. 2.

Matthew 8:5 In-Context

3 And he put his hand on him, saying, It is my pleasure; be clean. And straight away he was made clean.

4 And Jesus said to him, See that you say nothing about this to anyone; but go and let the priest see you and make the offering which was ordered by Moses, for a witness to them.

5 And when Jesus was come into Capernaum, a certain captain came to him with a request,

6 Saying, Lord, my servant is ill in bed at the house, with no power in his body, and in great pain.

7 And he said to him, I will come and make him well.