“Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic, and suffers grievously; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water.
- KJV Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
- NKJV “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.
- NASB “Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers terribly; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.
- NLT “Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.
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 father begs Jesus to have mercy on his son, who suffers severe seizures that endanger his life. It is a cry of helpless love appealing to Christ's compassion.
Overview
The man describes terrible affliction (here rendered 'epileptic') that repeatedly throws the boy into fire and water. Mark's parallel attributes it to an unclean spirit. Whatever the means, the father rightly seeks mercy from the only one able to deliver, modeling prayer that lays real suffering before the Lord.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Matt 4:24News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed—and He healed them.
- Mark 9:17–18Someone in the crowd replied, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a spirit that makes him mute.
- Matt 8:31–32So the demons begged Jesus, “If You drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
- Job 1:10–19Have You not placed a hedge on every side around him and his household and all that he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
- Job 2:7So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and infected Job with terrible boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.
- Mark 5:4–5Though he was often bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the chains and shattered the shackles. Now there was no one with the strength to subdue him.
- Mark 5:22–23A synagogue leader named Jairus arrived, and seeing Jesus, he fell at His feet
- Luke 9:38–42Suddenly a man in the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only child.
- John 4:46–47So once again He came to Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.
- Matt 15:22And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.”
- Mark 9:20–22So they brought him, and seeing Jesus, the spirit immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 17:15 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
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