Mark 1:40

Cleansing a Leper

1:40 Now a leper came to him and fell to his knees, asking for help. “If you are willing, you can make me clean,” he said.


tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

sn The ancient term for leprosy covers a wider array of conditions than what we call leprosy today. A leper was totally ostracized from society until he was declared cured (Lev 13:45-46).

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