Matthew 17:14-18

The Disciples’ Failure to Heal

17:14 When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, 17:15 and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers terribly, for he often falls into the fire and into the water. 17:16 I brought him to your disciples, but they were not able to heal him.” 17:17 Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and perverse generation! How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I endure you? Bring him here to me.” 17:18 Then 10  Jesus rebuked 11  the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that moment.


tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

tn Grk “he is moonstruck,” possibly meaning “lunatic” (so NAB, NASB), although now the term is generally regarded as referring to some sort of seizure disorder such as epilepsy (L&N 23.169; BDAG 919 s.v. σεληνιάζομαι).

tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

tn Grk “O.” The marker of direct address, (w), is functionally equivalent to a vocative and is represented in the translation by “you.”

tn Or “faithless.”

sn The rebuke for lack of faith has OT roots: Num 14:27; Deut 32:5, 30; Isa 59:8.

tn Grk “how long.”

tn Or “put up with.” See Num 11:12; Isa 46:4.

sn The pronouns you…you are plural, indicating that Jesus is speaking to a group rather than an individual.

10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”

11 tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).