Mark 1:43

1:43-45 Jesus told the man to go to the priest to certify his healing and to make the appropriate sacrificial offering. This would be the public testimony of his healing. • Despite Jesus’ stern warning, . . . the man went and spread the word, so that Jesus was not able to go into town but had to preach in more secluded places. Jesus’ fame could not be confined as people from everywhere came to see him (3:7-8).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Mar 1:43.[15] Εὐθέως, forthwith) lest Jesus should seem to countenance anything derogatory to the law.—ἐξέβαλεν, made him go away) The man, when healed, was ready to remain with Jesus, and to stay away from his relatives. Adversities have the effect of transferring our affections from natural objects of affection to Christ.

[15] Mar 1:41. σπλαγχνισθεὶς, moved with compassion) Mark exercises especial assiduity in observing the holy movements of feeling, and so the gestures also of Jesus. Whoever will pay marked attention to this characteristic of Mark in reading his Gospel, will derive from it no little delight.—V. g.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar 1:43 . ἐμβριμησάμενος , etc.: assuming a severe aspect, vide notes on the word at Mat 9:30 , especially the quotation from Euthy. Zig. ἐξέβαλεν α ., thrust him out of the synagogue or the crowd. It is not quite certain that the incident happened in a synagogue, though the inference is natural from the connection with Mar 1:39 . Lepers were not interdicted from entering the synagogue. These particulars are peculiar to Mk., and belong to his character-sketching. He does not mean to impute real anger to Jesus, but only a masterful manner dictated by a desire that the benefit should be complete = away out of this, to the priest; do what the law requires, that you may be not only clean but recognised as such by the authorities, and so received by the people as a leper no longer.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 43. Straitly charged] See the reason for this, Mt 8:4. This verse is wanting in two copies of the Itala.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(43) He straitly charged him.—The word is the same as that in Mat_9:30 (where see Note).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

43. And he straitly charged him] The word thus rendered occurs in four other places; (1) Mat_9:30, “Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it;” (2) Mar_14:5, “And they murmured against her,” said of the Apostles in their indignation against Mary; (3) Joh_11:33; Joh_11:38, “And He groaned in spirit,” said of our Lord at the grave of Lazarus. It denotes (1) to be very angry or indignant, (2) to charge or command with sternness.

straitly = strictly. Comp. Gen_43:7, “The man asked us straitly of our state;” Jos_6:1, “Now Jericho was straitly shut up.” Comp. also Shakespeare, Richard III. i. i. 85, 86,

“His majesty hath straitly given in charge

That no man shall have private conference.”

sent him away] or put him forth. “He would allow no lingering, but required him to hasten on his errand, lest the report of what had been done should outrun him.” It is the same word in the original as in Mar_1:12.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he straitly charged him;.... Either with the sin which had been the cause of this leprosy, and to take care that he sinned that sin no more, lest a worse evil should befall him; for sin was usually the cause of leprosy, as the cases of Miriam, Gehazi, and Uzziah show. It is said to come upon men for seven things. The seven abominations mentioned in Pro 6:16, are said, by the Jewish writers (t), to be the reasons of persons being stricken with leprosy: "a proud look"; as appears from the instance of the daughters of Zion, Isa 3:16, the crowns of whose heads were smitten with a scab, and who were attended with a stink, boldness, and burning. "A lying tongue"; as in the case of Miriam, who, with Aaron, spoke against Moses; upon which the cloud departed from the tabernacle, and Miriam became leprous, white as snow, Num 12:1. "And hands that shed innocent blood"; which is proved from Joab, on whose head the blood of Abner and Amasa returned; and on account of which a leper was not to fail from his house; see Kg1 2:31, compared with Sa2 3:29. "An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations"; which was fulfilled in Uzziah, who sought to bring the high priesthood into contempt, and therefore was smitten with leprosy, which arose in his forehead, while he had the censer in his hands, and was contending with the priests; and he continued a leper to his death, Ch2 26:18. "Feet that be swift in running to mischief"; which was true of Gehazi, who ran after Naaman the Syrian, and took a gift of him which he should not; for which, the leprosy, Naaman was cured of, seized him, and cleaved unto him, Kg2 5:20. "A false witness that speaketh lies"; of this no instance is given. "And him that soweth discord among brethren"; as Pharaoh between Abraham and Sarah; wherefore the Lord plagued Pharaoh, &c. Gen 12:17, which the Jews understand of the plague of leprosy. These seven things are, in another place (u), said to be an evil tongue, shedding of blood, a vain oath, uncleanness, a proud spirit, theft, and envy. Elsewhere it is said (w), that for eleven things leprosy cometh; for cursing God, for uncleanness, for murder, for saying of a neighbour a thing that there is nothing in it, for pride, for entering into a border which is not a man's own, for a lying tongue, for theft, for a false oath, for profaning the name of God, for idolatry: and R. Isaac says, for an evil eye; and the Rabbins also say, it comes upon him who despises the words of the law: the first is proved from Goliath, Sa1 17:26; the second from the daughters of Jerusalem, Isa 3:16; the third from Cain, Gen 4:15 and from Joab, Sa2 3:29; the fourth from Moses, Exo 4:5; the fifth from Naaman, Kg2 5:1; the sixth from Uzziah, Ch2 26:16; the seventh from Miriam, Num 12:10; the eighth and ninth from Zac 5:4, compared with Lev 14:45; the tenth from Gehazi, Kg2 5:20; the eleventh from the children of Israel when they made the calf, Exo 32:25, compared with Num 5:2. But whether this man's sin was either of these, or what it was, is not certain: however, he was, by this cure, laid under an obligation, for the future, to avoid it, and all other sins: or rather the charge was to tell no man of his cure, before he came to the priest: nor to him, or any other, how he came by it, and by whom he was healed;

and forthwith sent him away; to the priest, in all haste; and it looks as if the man was unwilling to have gone from him, but chose rather to have continued with his kind benefactor: for the word signifies, he cast him out; he drove him from him; he obliged him to go without delay.

(t) Vajikra Rabba, sect. 16. fol. 158. 1, 2. (u) T. Bab. Eracin, fol. 16. 1. Vid. Abarbinel. in 2 Kings v. 27. (w) Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 7. fol. 188. 2, 3.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;

Ver. 43. {See Trapp on "Mat 8:3"} {See Trapp on "Mat 8:4"}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he straitly charged him. The Greek verb here (embrimhsamenov) has a tinge of severity in it, "he strictly or sternly charged him." Both word and action are severe. He straightway sent him out (exebalen auton). It may be that he had incurred this rebuke by coming so near with his defilement to the holy Saviour. Christ thus showed not only his respect for the ordinances of the Jewish Law, but also how hateful sin is to the most holy God.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Christ’s attempt to avoid unwelcome publicity:

v. 43. And He straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;

v. 44. and saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man; but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

v. 45. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places; and they came to Him from every quarter.

Here is a matter which might seem strange at first glance. Speaking to the former leper in a most severe manner, assuming a threatening aspect, He thrust him away, with the injunction to tell no man about the miracle, but to follow the command of the Levitical purification strictly, Lev 13:1-59; Lev 14:1-57. The bringing of his sacrifice was to be a witness, a testimony to all men, that he really had been cleansed of his leprosy. The reasons for this behavior of the Lord are evident from the entire story, in comparison with the previous text. The Word of the Gospel which He preached was the most important thing in the eyes of the Lord. People should seek Him for the sake of that Word. Publicity resulting from His healing the sick and cleansing the lepers might bring many that would care nothing for the preaching and thus hinder His Messianic labors. Then also, the Lord wanted to avoid unpleasantness, in case the priest should find out about His healing the leper before the man actually appeared to be adjudged clean. But the man, in the fullness of his joy, disregarded the Lord’s command and, by publishing broadcast the fact of his having been healed, really added to the Lord’s anxieties and labors. For now people came swarming from all sides, insomuch. that Jesus could no longer go into the city, but was obliged to stay out in lonely, desert places, and even there they found Him, coming from all parts of Galilee.

Summary.John’s ministry prepared the way for the Lord, who thereupon, after His baptism and the temptation in the wilderness, entered upon His labors in Galilee, called four men to be His disciples, taught in the synagogue and cast out an unclean spirit, healed Simon’s mother-in-law and many other sick people, made a preaching trip through Galilee, and healed a leper.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

General Information:

The word "him" used here refers to the leper whom Jesus healed.

Be sure to say nothing to anyone

"Be sure to not say anything to anyone"

show yourself to the priest

Jesus told the man to show himself to the priest so that the priest could look at his skin to see if his leprosy was really gone. It was required in the law of Moses for a man to present himself to the priest if he had been cleansed. (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

show yourself

The word "yourself" here represents the skin of the leper. AT: "show your skin" (See: Synecdoche)

a testimony to them

It is best to use the pronoun "them," if possible, in your language. Possible meanings are 1) "a testimony to the priests" or 2) "a testimony to the people."

translationWords

Jesus

priest

sacrifice

clean

Moses

testimony

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

43. ἐμβριμησάμενος … ἐξέβαλεν. The two verbs, esp. when rendered comminatus … ejecit (Vulg.), give the impression that our Lord was angry with the man; but the impression is probably wrong. Ἐμβριμάομαι occurs in four other places in N.T. (Mar 14:5; Mat 9:30; Joh 11:33; Joh 11:38), and nearly always of Christ. From meaning (1) “snort” or “growl,” it comes to mean (2) “exhibit indignation,” or (3) “show sternness.” The last seems to be the meaning here. Christ saw that the man would be likely to disobey His injunctions, and He was stringent in giving them. Allowing him no time to raise objections or to talk to others, He straightway sent him forth. Syr-Sin. omits these words. See on Mar 3:5; also D.C.G. artt. “Anger,” “Fierceness”; Ecce Homo, ch. 21. It illustrates the variations of Vulg. that it has expellit Mar 1:12 and ejecit here. R.V. has “driveth him forth,” Mar 1:12 and “sent him out” here. We need not suppose from ἐξέβαλεν that Christ was in a house or a synagogue (Mar 1:39). The leper would not have intruded into a building.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

43.] ἐξέβαλεν need not necessarily imply that the healing was in a house (Meyer); it might have been in a city, as in Luke.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

43. ἐμβριμησάμενος—AV. he straitly charged him. RV. strictly charged him. Either of these is an inadequate translation. The N.T. meaning of the word is to be angry, but the difficulty is to find any cause for anger. Weiss finds it in the fact that the man had broken the wholesome law forbidding persons with this dangerous disease from coming into contact with their fellows, and attributes Jesus’ urgency to get rid of him to the same cause. Consistently with this, he supposes that the cure was only gradual, and that the leper was still liable to infect others when he left Jesus. Mk.’s story becomes secondary of course, as it is plainly inconsistent with this hypothesis. Weiss thinks that Mk. introduces this word inadvertently, as it shows plainly a different version of the whole affair. The original account he finds in Mat 8:2-4. But it is Mk. himself who betrays this by his inadvertent ἐμβριμησάμενος. Verily, this is to hang much on a small peg. If anywhere, Mk. shows here the indubitable marks of originality. And how much more probable is his account of Jesus’ urgency to get rid of the man than Weiss’s, who lays it to the danger of infection, and so to an imperfect cure. Mk., on the other hand, attributes it to our Lord’s dread of the notoriety caused by his miracles. Weiss’s whole theory of the gradualness of Jesus’ cures, and of his regard for the Levitical law, of which this makes a part, is unsupported. But neither is Meyer’s explanation, that he foresaw the man’s disobedience, quite probable. It puts its finger on the source of the trouble, but it mistakes in making it foresight on the part of Jesus. Our Lord is vexed at the whole situation of which the man makes a part, at the clamor over the mere externals of his work, and this is expressed in some sharp word, with which he accompanies the thrusting of him out of the house (or synagogue). It may be translated, having spoken sternly to him.2 It does not denote the tone with which Jesus spoke the words given here, as the action of the verb and participle are apparently distinct. But it denotes some utterance accompanying the ἐξέβαλεν, and partaking of its spirit.

ἐξέβαλεν—AV. sent him away. RV. sent him out. Both inadequate again. Thrust, or put him out, conveys the idea. This. as well as ἐμβριμησάμενος, indicates the urgency of Jesus’ action. He wishes to repress the natural, but misguided, impulse of the leper to stay and contribute to the adulation and excitement gathering about Jesus.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Strictly charged (ἐμβριμησάμενος)

Rev., sternly, in margin. The word is originally to snort, as of mettlesome horses. Hence, to fret, or chafe, or be otherwise strongly moved; and then, as a result of this feeling, to admonish or rebuke urgently. The Lord evidently spoke to him peremptorily. Compare sent him out (ἐξέβαλεν); lit., drove or cast him out. The reason for this charge and dismissal lay in the desire of Jesus not to thwart his ministry by awaking the premature violence of his enemies; who, if they should see the leper and hear his story before he had been officially pronounced clean by the priest, might deny either that he had been a leper or had been truly cleansed.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.