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And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.
Luke 5:13 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB He stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him.
  • BSB Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.
  • NKJV Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him.
  • NASB And He reached out with His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him.
  • NLT Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.

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

Jesus touches the leper and immediately cleanses him. He shows compassion and power that purifies rather than being defiled.

Overview

Rather than being made unclean by contact, Jesus' touch makes the unclean clean, reversing the expected flow of defilement. His words 'I want to' answer the man's tentative plea with assured grace. This healing pictures the gospel: Christ willingly draws near to the defiled and cleanses them, ultimately through his atoning work.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Matt 9:29–30Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
  • John 4:50–53Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
  • Hos 14:4I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.
  • 2 Kgs 5:14Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
  • Ezek 36:29I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.
  • Gen 1:9And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
  • Ps 33:9For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
  • Luke 4:39And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.
  • Ezek 36:25–27Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
  • Luke 8:54–55And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise.
  • 2 Kgs 5:10And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
  • Gen 1:3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Luke videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Luke 5:13YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on LukeMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 5:13 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.