Mark 8:23

23. he took the blind man] Even as He did with the other sufferer, whose case came before us in Mar_7:33. As then, so now, the Lord was pleased to work gradually and with external signs: (i) He leads the man out of the town; (ii) anoints his eyes with the moisture of His mouth; (iii) lays His hands upon him twice (Mar_8:23; Mar_8:25); (iv) inquires of the progress of his restoration.

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.

8:23 spitting on the man’s eyes: See 7:33; cp. John 9:6-7. Attempts to diagnose the man’s exact medical condition are speculative and unprofitable, diverting attention from the miracle.

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

Mar 8:23. Ἐπιλαβόμενος, taking to Him) Himself was leading the way, illustrating His great humility.—κώμης) Bethsaida is called πολις, a city, Joh 1:44. It was a κωμόπολις, a village-town. To the blind man, on recovering sight, the aspect of heaven and of the Divine works in nature was more joyous than that of man’s works in the village.

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

Mar 8:23 . ἔξω τῆς κώμης , outside the village, for the same reason as in Mar 7:33 , to avoid creating a run on Him for cures. Therefore Jesus becomes conductor of the blind man Himself, though he doubtless had one (Weiss-Meyer). πτύσας , spitting, in this case certainly on the diseased parts. Spittle was regarded as a means of cure by the ancients. Holtzmann (H. C.) cites the story of Vespasian in Alexandria narrated by Tacitus ( Hist. , iv., 81). The prince was asked to sprinkle the eyes of a blind man “oris excremento”. εἴ τι βλέπεις , do you, possibly, see anything? εἰ with a direct question, vide Winer, lvii., 2.

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

Verse 23. And he took the blind man by the hand] Giving him a proof of his readiness to help him, and thus preparing him for the cure which he was about to work.

Led him out of the town] Thus showing the inhabitants that he considered them unworthy of having another miracle wrought among them. He had already deeply deplored their ingratitude and obstinacy: See Clarke on Mt 11:21. When a people do not make a proper improvement of the light and grace which they receive from God, their candlestick is removed - even the visible Church becomes there extinct; and the candle is put out - no more means of spiritual illumination are afforded to the unfaithful inhabitants: Re 2:5.

When he had spit on his eyes] There is a similar transaction to this mentioned by John, Joh 9:6. It is likely this was done merely to separate the eyelids; as, in certain cases of blindness, they are found always gummed together. It required a miracle to restore the sight, and this was done in consequence of Christ having laid his hands upon the blind man: it required no miracle to separate the eyelids, and, therefore, natural means only were employed - this was done by rubbing them with spittle; but whether by Christ, or by the blind man, is not absolutely certain. See Clarke on Mr 7:33. It has always been evident that false miracles have been wrought without reason or necessity, and without any obvious advantage; and they have thereby been detected: on the contrary, true miracles have always vindicated themselves by their obvious utility and importance; nothing ever being effected by them that could be performed by natural means.

If he saw aught.] ει, if, is wanting in the Syriac, all the Persic and Arabic, and in the AEthiopic; and τιβλεπεις, Dost thou see any thing? is the reading of CD, Coptic, AEthiopic, all the Arabic and Persic.

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

(23) He took the blind man by the hand.—We note in the act the same considerate adaptation of the method of healing to the man’s infirmities as in the case of the deaf man in Mar_7:33. As far as the first three Gospels are concerned, these are the two instances of the “spitting” here recorded, but it is one of the links that connect St. Mark with the fourth Gospel (Joh_9:6).

If he saw ought.—The better MSS. give the very words, “Dost thou see ought?”

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

And he took the blind man by the hand,.... Not for the sake of touching him, in order to heal him, as they desired, but to be his guide:

and led him out of the town; to shun all appearance of vain glory and popular applause, being willing to do the miracle in a private manner; and because of the obstinacy and unbelief of the inhabitants of this place, who were not worthy to be witnesses of such a cure; see Mat 11:21;

and when he had spit on his eyes; not as a cause of healing him; for whatever use spittle may be of to such that have weak eyes, it can have no causal influence upon, or be of any service, in a natural way, to a blind man to restore his sight unto him:

and put his hands upon him; as he sometimes did, when he healed persons of any disorder:

he asked him, if he saw ought; any object whatever, whether he could perceive he had any sight at all. Christ's taking the blind man by the hand, and leading him out or the town, and spitting on his eyes, and putting his hands upon him, and then asking him if he saw ought, are emblematical of what he does in spiritual conversion, when he turns men from darkness to light: he takes them by the hand, which expresses his condescension, grace, and mercy, and becomes their guide and leader; and a better, and safer guide they cannot have; he brings them by a way they know not, and leads them in paths they had not known before; makes darkness light before them, and crooked things straight, and does not forsake them: he takes them apart, and separates them from the rest of the world; he calls them out from thence to go with him, teaching them, that, when enlightened by him, they should have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, and the workers of them; for what communion has light with darkness? his putting spittle upon his eyes, may signify the means of grace, the eye salve of the word, which, when attended with a divine power, enlightens the eyes; and which power may be represented here by Christ's putting his hands upon the man; for the Gospel, without the power of Christ, Is insufficient to produce such an effect; but when it is accompanied with that, it always succeeds.

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

23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.

Ver. 23. He took the blind man by the hand] He could have delivered him to his friends, to lead him; but he did it himself, as holding it an honour, a pleasure, to do men in misery any office of courtesy.

And led him out of the town] Either that the miracle he wrought might be the less noticed, or as holding the inhabitants unworthy to behold it. All Israel might see Moses go towards the rock of Rephidim; none but the elders might see him strike it. Their unbelief made them unworthy this privilege; so might their unthankfulness the men of Bethsaida. Woe to thee, Bethsaida! It is no small favour of God to make us witnesses of his great works.

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.

Led him out of the town - Why this was done the sacred writers have not told us. It might have been to avoid the collecting of a multitude, and thus to have escaped the designs of the Pharisees who were attempting to take his life, and chiefly on a charge of sedition and of exciting the people. On this account Jesus chose to perform the miracle alone, thus showing that while he did good, he desired to do it in such a way as to avoid the “appearance” of evil, and to prevent, at the same time, ostentation and the malice of his enemies.

Spit on his eyes - Why this was done is not known. It was evidently not intended to perform the cure by any natural effect of the spittle. It was to the man a “sign,” an evidence that it was the power of Jesus. The eyes were probably closed. They were perhaps “gummed” or united together by a secretion that had become hard. To apply spittle to them - to wet them - would be a “sign,” a natural expression of removing the obstruction and opening them. The power was not in the spittle, but it attended the application of it.

Saw aught - Saw anything.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

It may be asked, why our Lord led the man from the multitude before he cured him? --- It may be answered, that he did it not to seem to perform his prodigies through vain glory; and thence to teach us to shun the empty praises of men: 2dly, to facilitate recollection, and to give himself to prayer, before he cured the blind man; and lastly, he went out of the city because the inhabitants of Bethsaida had already rendered themselves unworthy of the miracles of Christ. For among them our Saviour had wrought many miracles, yet they would not believe. (St. Matthew xi. 21.) (Tirinus) (Theophylactus) --- Dionysius says, that Jesus led him from the multitude to shew that if a sinner, figured by the blind man, wishes to be converted from his evil ways, he must first leave all immediate occasions and inducements to sin. (Dionysius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

23. Spit on his eyes — See notes on Mar_7:33. Asked him if he saw aught — Our Lord in this whole process of half curing and then wholly curing, shows that the result is completely at his command. He can, as at some times, perform the work without word or sign; at others with an instantaneous word; at others still with a word and sign; and finally, as here, with word and sign, arresting the completion as he pleases. Disease shall start, and depart forthwith, or go by lingering delays, as he permits.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he took (epilabomenov) literally, took hold of the blind man by the hand, and led him this is the rendering of exhgagen ; but a great weight of manuscript authority points to exhnegken as the better reading, brought himout of the village (exw thv kwmhv). This Bethsaida was a village; but Philip had raised it to the rank of a city (poliv), though it still seems to have retained its old appellation. Our Lord "led" or "brought" the blind man out of Beth-saida, for the same reason that he led the deaf and dumb man (Mar_7:33) away from the multitude:

(1) for the sake of prayer, that he might collect his mind, and unite himself more closely to God, and pray more intently and earnestly;

(2) that he might shun vain-glory and human praise, and teach us to shun it also. And when he had spit on his eyes this act had a mystical meaning; it was the instrument by which his Deity operatedand laid his hands upon him, he asked him, Seest thou aught?

Here were three acts

(1) the spitting,

(2) the laying of the hands on him,

(3) the questioning of him.

We gather from ver. 25 that our Lord"s hands were applied to the blind man"s eyes. From the analogy of the miracle in the last chapter, (Mar_7:33) we may perhaps infer that our Lord touched the man"s eyes with saliva on his finger, and that the hands were withdrawn before he asked him if he saw aught.

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

He led him out of the town - It was in just displeasure against the inhabitants of Bethsaida for their obstinate infidelity, that our Lord would work no more miracles among them, nor even suffer the person he had cured, either to go into the town, or to tell it to any therein.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

And he took

Our Lord’s action here is most significant, Having abandoned Bethsaida to judgment Mat 11:12-24. He would neither heal in that village, nor permit further testimony to be borne there Mar 8:26. The probation of Bethsaida as a community was ended, but He would still show mercy to individuals. Cf Rev 3:20.

Christ is outside the door of that church, but "If any man hear My voice," etc.

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

23. Led him out of the town. As he had taken the deaf man out of the crowd (Mark 7:33). The Lord often sought to escape publicity. When he had spit on his eyes. I suppose that this unusual course was intended to develop in the man the faith which the Lord made the usual condition of healing.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

23. βλέπεις ([1677][1678][1679][1680][1681]) rather than βλέπει ([1682][1683][1684]2[1685][1686][1687][1688]).

[1677] Codex Vaticanus. 4th cent., but perhaps a little later than א. In the Vatican Library almost since its foundation by Pope Nicolas V., and one of its greatest treasures. The whole Gospel, ending at Mar 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1889.

[1678] Codex Ephraemi. 5th cent. A palimpsest: the original writing has been partially rubbed out, and the works of Ephraem the Syrian have been written over it; but a great deal of the original writing has been recovered; of Mark we have Mar 1:17 to Mar 6:31, Mar 8:5 to Mar 12:29, Mar 13:19 to Mar 16:20. In the National Library at Paris.

[1679] Codex Bezae. 6th cent. Has a Latin translation (d) side by side with the Greek text, and the two do not quite always agree. Presented by Beza to the University Library of Cambridge in 1581. Remarkable for its frequent divergences from other texts. Contains Mark, except Mar 16:15-20, which has been added by a later hand. Photographic facsimile, 1899.

[1680] An asterisk denotes that the word is not found elsewhere in N.T., and such words are included in the index, even if there is no note on them in the commentary.

[1681] Codex Sangallensis. 9th or 10th cent. Contains the Gospels nearly complete, with an interlinear Latin translation. The text of Mark is specially good, agreeing often with CL. At St Gall.

[1682] Codex Sinaiticus. 4th cent. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the Monastery of St Katharine on Mount Sinai. Now at St Petersburg. The whole Gospel, ending at Mar 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1911.

[1683] Codex Alexandrinus. 5th cent. Brought by Cyril Lucar, Patriarch of Constantinople, from Alexandria, and afterwards presented by him to King Charles I. in 1628. In the British Museum. The whole Gospel. Photographic facsimile, 1879.

[1684] Codex Bezae. 6th cent. Has a Latin translation (d) side by side with the Greek text, and the two do not quite always agree. Presented by Beza to the University Library of Cambridge in 1581. Remarkable for its frequent divergences from other texts. Contains Mark, except Mar 16:15-20, which has been added by a later hand. Photographic facsimile, 1899.

[1685] Codex Regius. 8th cent. An important witness. At Paris. Contains Mar 1:1 to Mar 10:15; Mar 10:30 to Mar 15:1; Mar 15:20 to Mar 16:20, but the shorter ending is inserted between Mar 16:8 and Mar 16:9, showing that the scribe preferred it to the longer one.

[1686] Codex Purpureus. 6th cent. Full text in Texts and Studies v. No. 4, 1899. Contains Mar 5:20 to Mar 7:4; Mar 7:20 to Mar 8:32; Mar 9:1 to Mar 10:43; Mar 11:7 to Mar 12:19; Mar 14:25 to Mar 15:23; Mar 15:33-42. See below on Ψ.

[1687] Codex Oxoniensis. 9th cent. Contains Mark, except Mar 3:35 to Mar 6:20.

[1688] Codex Petropolitanus. 9th cent. Gospels almost complete. Mar 16:18-20 is in a later hand.

23. ἐπιλαβόμενος τῆς χειρός. Ipse ducebat; magna humilitas (Beng.). Partitive genitive; elsewhere Mk uses κρατήσας (Mar 1:31, Mar 5:41, Mar 9:27); ἐπιλαμβάνω is a favourite verb with Lk. Cf. Luk 7:33.

πτύσας εἰς τὰ ὄμματα. Spittle was believed to be good for diseased eyes (see on Joh 9:6), and the use of it would aid the man’s faith. In class. Grk ὄμμα is rare in prose, but it occurs several times in LXX.

ἐπηρώτα. The conversational imperf. See on Mar 4:10 and Mar 5:9. Christ perceived that the weakness of the man’s faith was an obstacle, and He endeavoured to strengthen it. He questioned him ὡς μὴ ὁλόκληρον ἔχοντα τὴν πίστιν (Theoph.).

Εἴ τι βλέπεις; See crit. note. Εἰ in direct questions is rare, except in Lk. (Luk 13:23; Luk 22:49; Act 1:6; Act 19:2; Act 21:37; Act 22:25). There is no need to supply γινώσκειν θέλω or the like.

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.

23.] The leading of this blind man out of the town appears as if it had been from some local reason. In ver. 26 we find him forbidden expressly to enter into or tell it in the town, and with a repetition of κώμη, which looks as if the place had been somehow unworthy of such a work being done there. (This is a serious objection against Meyer’s reason, that the use of spittle in both miracles occasioned the same privacy here and in ch. 7:33.) Or we may perhaps find the reason in our Lord’s immediate departure to such a distance (ver. 27); and say, that He did not wish multitudes to gather about and follow Him.

πτύσας … ἐπιθεὶς …] See above on ch.7:33.

We cannot say what may have induced our Lord to perform this miracle at twice—certainly not the reason assigned by Dr. Burton, “that a blind man would not, on suddenly recovering his sight, know one object from another, because he had never seen them before,” and so would require a double miracle;—a second to open the eyes of his mind also, to comprehend what he saw. This assumes the man to have been born blind, which he was not, from ver. 24; for how should he know how trees appeared? and besides, the case of the man born blind in Joh_9 required no such double healing. These things were in the Lord’s power, and He ordered them as He pleased from present circumstances, or for our instruction.

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

23. ἐξήνεγκεν αὐτὸν ἔξω τῆς κῶμης—he brought him outside of the village. In the only other miracle recorded by Mk. alone (7:31-37), there is this same privacy observed. The two coming together at the same period of our Lord’s life would seem to indicate that there was some reason for the peculiarity common to them both, arising from the critical character of the period in his life. It was not the period of his miracles, nor of his public teachings, but of retirement with his disciples; and hence the even unusual secrecy attending such miracles as he did perform. πτύσας—having spit. This also is peculiar to this pair of miracles.

ἐξήνεγκεν, instead of ἐξήγαγεν, he led him out, Tisch. Treg. WH. RV. אBCL 33.

ἐπηρώτα αὐτὸν εἴ τι βλέπεις;—he asked him, do you see anything?1

This reading, instead of εἴ τι βλέπει, if he sees anything, Treg. marg. WH. non marg. RV. BCD* gr. Δ Memph.

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

Took [επιλαβομενος] . Tynd., caught.

If he saw [ει τι βλεπεις] . Rev., more accurately, renders the direct question : Seest thou aught? The change of tenses is graphic. Asked (imperfect). Dost thou see (present).

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