For those who want to know what Jesus really said, how he said it, why crowds came to hear him, and shades of meaning lost or hidden in translation.

Home

Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 8:3 I will; be clean.

After Sermon on Mount, asked by a leper to cure him. He asks Jesus has the power to "cleanse" him (Matthew 8:3). The word translated as "leper" simply means "the rough" and refers to anyone with any skin disease. The recognition of Christ's power is hidden in the word translated as "canst" in the KJV, which is Greek means "having the power". This Greek word is the source of our word "dynamic" and "dynamo."

Spoken to
an individual

Matthew 8.3 Θέλω, καθαρίσθητι

KJV Verse

Matthew 8:3 I will; be thou clean.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 8:3 I am willing. Be clean!

What His Listeners Heard:

I do want. Be cleansed!

Lost In Translation:

The Greek word translated as "will" means "to consent" and "to be resolved to a purpose". The English phrase "I will" is easy to confuse with an indication of doing something in the future because that is how "will" is commonly used in English. But in Greek, Christ is not saying that he is going to be doing something in the future. The Greek word does not work the same as the helper verb "will" in English. Its primary purpose is to express consent and even a delight in doing something. It doesn't even mean "desiring" or "wanting" to do something. It means "I consent" or "I resolve to do so."

The Greek verb translated as "be clean," means to remove dirt. It is a passive command. Using "cleansed" makes its role as a verb clearer. It is used for a lot of specific types of "cleaning" including cleansing a person of leprosy but it also has a general meaning of "purifying" anything. It is in the form of a command. Both the leper and readers today are told to become pure of contaminants.

 

KJV w/Translation Issues :

I will(CW); be(CW) thou clean(WF).

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

About this Site

See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

Free Subscriptions

Regular emails from Substack, subscribe to Rediscovering Jesus's Words.

 

Do Your Own Research

Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.