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When he came into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking him,
Matthew 8:5 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
  • BSB When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came and pleaded with Him,
  • NKJV Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,
  • NASB And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, begging Him,
  • NLT When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him,

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

In Capernaum a Roman centurion came to Jesus with a request. A Gentile soldier approaches Jesus in need, setting up a striking example of faith.

Overview

As Jesus enters Capernaum, a centurion—a Gentile officer in command of about a hundred soldiers—comes seeking help. That such a man would approach a Jewish teacher is notable and foreshadows the inclusion of Gentiles in God's saving plan. His coming begins one of the Gospel's clearest portraits of humble, trusting faith.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 14

  • Luke 7:1–10After he had finished speaking in the hearing of the people, he entered into Capernaum.
  • Matt 27:54Now the centurion, and those who were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God.”
  • Acts 27:43But the centurion, desiring to save Paul, stopped them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should throw themselves overboard first to go toward the land;
  • Acts 27:31Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these stay in the ship, you can’t be saved.”
  • Acts 10:1–33Now there was a certain man in Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,
  • Mark 15:39When the centurion, who stood by opposite him, saw that he cried out like this and breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
  • Matt 4:13Leaving Nazareth, he came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
  • Acts 23:17Paul summoned one of the centurions, and said, “Bring this young man to the commanding officer, for he has something to tell him.”
  • Matt 9:1He entered into a boat, and crossed over, and came into his own city.
  • Acts 22:25When they had tied him up with thongs, Paul asked the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not found guilty?”
  • Acts 27:13When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to shore.
  • Mark 2:1When he entered again into Capernaum after some days, it was heard that he was in the house.
  • Acts 23:23He called to himself two of the centurions, and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen, and two hundred men armed with spears, at the third hour of the night.”
  • Matt 11:23You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, you will go down to Hades. For if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in you, it would have remained until today.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Matthew videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

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

  • VideoWatch teaching on Matthew 8:5YouTube · 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 MatthewMatthew 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

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 8:5 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.