Matthew 8:5

When he entered Capernaum, ¹  a centurion ²  came to him asking for help: ³ 

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.

And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him,

When Jesus arrived in Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him,

As Jesus entered the village of Capernaum, a Roman captain came up in a panic and said,

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

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him

Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,

When he entered Capernaum, ¹  a centurion ²  came to him asking for help: ³ 

¹ sn Capernaum was a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region.

map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.

² sn A centurion was a noncommissioned officer in the Roman army or one of the auxiliary territorial armies, commanding a centuria of (nominally) 100 men. The responsibilities of centurions were broadly similar to modern junior officers, but there was a wide gap in social status between them and officers, and relatively few were promoted beyond the rank of senior centurion. The Roman troops stationed in Judea were auxiliaries, who would normally be rewarded with Roman citizenship after 25 years of service. Some of the centurions may have served originally in the Roman legions (regular army) and thus gained their citizenship at enlistment. Others may have inherited it, like the apostle Paul did.

³ sn While in Matthew’s account the centurion came to him asking for help, Luke’s account (7:1-10) mentions that the centurion sent some Jewish elders as emissaries on his behalf.