He cried out, “Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!”
Parallel translations
- KJV And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
- BSB So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
- NKJV And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
- NASB And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
- NLT So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The blind man cries out to Jesus as Son of David for mercy. He confesses Jesus as the promised Messiah.
Overview
By calling Jesus "Son of David," the beggar voices a messianic confession, recognizing him as the promised royal deliverer. His plea for mercy echoes the lepers earlier, casting himself wholly on Jesus' compassion. Spiritual sight precedes physical sight, for he sees who Jesus is before his eyes are opened.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Matt 9:27As Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, “Have mercy on us, son of David!”
- Luke 18:39Those who led the way rebuked him, that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “You son of David, have mercy on me!”
- Matt 15:22Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!”
- Isa 9:6–7For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
- Matt 21:9The multitudes who went in front of him, and those who followed, kept shouting, “Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
- Rom 1:3concerning his Son, who was born of the offspring of David according to the flesh,
- Jer 23:5“Behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that I will raise to David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
- Rev 22:16I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify these things to you for the assemblies. I am the root and the offspring of David; the Bright and Morning Star.”
- Matt 12:23All the multitudes were amazed, and said, “Can this be the son of David?”
- Matt 22:42–45saying, “What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “Of David.”
- Isa 11:1A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit.
- Ps 62:12Also to you, Lord, belongs loving kindness, for you reward every man according to his work.
- Matt 21:15But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children who were crying in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the son of David!” they were indignant,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 18:38 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.