Matthew 17:14

THE MESSAGE

At the bottom of the mountain, they were met by a crowd of waiting people. As they approached, a man came out of the crowd and fell to his knees begging, "Master, have mercy on my son. He goes out of his mind and suffers terribly, falling into seizures. Frequently he is pitched into the fire, other times into the river. I brought him to your disciples, but they could do nothing for him."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When they reached the crowd, a man approached and knelt down before him.

King James Version (1611)
And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certaine man, kneeling downe to him, and saying,

King James Version
And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,

English Standard Version
And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him,

New American Standard Bible
When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying,

New Century Version
When Jesus and his followers came back to the crowd, a man came to Jesus and bowed before him.

Amplified Bible
When they approached the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, kneeling before Him and saying,

Geneva Bible (1587)
And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certaine man, and fell downe at his feete,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying,

Legacy Standard Bible
And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying,

Berean Standard Bible
When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus and knelt before Him.

Contemporary English Version
Jesus and his disciples returned to the crowd. A man knelt in front of him

Complete Jewish Bible
As they came up to the crowd, a man approached Yeshua, kneeled down in front of him,

Darby Translation
And when they came to the crowd, a man came to him, falling on his knees before him, and saying,

Easy-to-Read Version
Jesus and the followers went back to the people. A man came to Jesus and bowed before him.

George Lamsa Translation
And when they came to the people, a man approached him and knelt on his knees, and said to him,

Good News Translation
When they returned to the crowd, a man came to Jesus, knelt before him,

Lexham English Bible
And when they came to the crowd, a man approached him, kneeling down before him

Literal Translation
And they having come toward the crowd, a man came near to Him, kneeling down to Him, and saying,

American Standard Version
And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a man, kneeling to him, and saying,

Bible in Basic English
And when they came to the people, a man went down on his knees to him, saying,

Hebrew Names Version
When they came to the multitude, a man came to him, kneeling to him, saying,

International Standard Version
As they approached the crowd, a man came up to Jesus,him">[fn] knelt down in front of him,Mark 9:14; Luke 9:37;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
AND when they came to the multitude, a man approached him and kneeled upon his knees, and said to him,

Murdock Translation
And when they came to the multitude, a man approached him, and bowed himself on his knees,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when they were come to the people, there came to hym a certayne man, knelyng downe to hym, and saying:

English Revised Version
And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a man, kneeling to him, and saying,

World English Bible
When they came to the multitude, there came to him a man, kneeling to him, saying,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man,

Weymouth's New Testament
When they had returned to the people, there came to Him a man who fell on his knees before Him and besought Him.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne he cam to the puple, a man cam to hym, and felde doun on hise knees bifor hym,

Update Bible Version
And when they had come to the multitude, there came to him a man, kneeling to him, saying,

Webster's Bible Translation
And when they had come to the multitude, there came to him a [certain] man kneeling down to him, and saying,

New English Translation
When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him,

New King James Version
Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-42">[xr] And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying,

New Living Translation
At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said,

New Life Bible
When they came to many people, a man came up to Jesus and got on his knees. He said,

New Revised Standard
When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, when they came unto the multitude, there approached him a man, falling on his knees to him,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when he was come to the multitude, there came to him a man falling down on his knees before him saying:

Revised Standard Version
And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and kneeling before him said,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And when they were come to ye people ther cam to him a certayne man and kneled doune to him and sayde:

Young's Literal Translation
And when they came unto the multitude, there came to him a man, kneeling down to him,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan they were come to the people, there came vnto him a certayne man, and kneled vnto him, and sayde:

Mace New Testament (1729)
And when they were come to the multitude, a man came kneeling to him, and cry'd,

Simplified Cowboy Version
They rode up to a crowd of people and a man came and knelt in the dirt before Jesus.

Contextual Overview

¹⁴At the bottom of the mountain, they were met by a crowd of waiting people. As they approached, a man came out of the crowd and fell to his knees begging, "Master, have mercy on my son. He goes out of his mind and suffers terribly, falling into seizures. Frequently he is pitched into the fire, other times into the river. I brought him to your disciples, but they could do nothing for him." ¹⁷Jesus said, "What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring the boy here." He ordered the afflicting demon out—and it was out, gone. From that moment on the boy was well. ¹⁹ When the disciples had Jesus off to themselves, they asked, "Why couldn't we throw it out?" ²⁰ "Because you're not yet taking God seriously," said Jesus. "The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!' and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle." As they were regrouping in Galilee, Jesus told them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed to some people who want nothing to do with God. They will murder him—and three days later he will be raised alive." The disciples felt terrible. When they arrived at Capernaum, the tax men came to Peter and asked, "Does your teacher pay taxes?" Peter said, "Of course." But as soon as they were in the house, Jesus confronted him. "Simon, what do you think? When a king levies taxes, who pays—his children or his subjects?" He answered, "His subjects." Jesus said, "Then the children get off free, right? But so we don't upset them needlessly, go down to the lake, cast a hook, and pull in the first fish that bites. Open its mouth and you'll find a coin. Take it and give it to the tax men. It will be enough for both of us." ²¹Sunlight Poured from His Face Six days later, three of them saw that glory. Jesus took Peter and the brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. Sunlight poured from his face. His clothes were filled with light. Then they realized that Moses and Elijah were also there in deep conversation with him. Peter broke in, "Master, this is a great moment! What would you think if I built three memorials here on the mountain—one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah?" While he was going on like this, babbling, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and sounding from deep in the cloud a voice: "This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of my delight. Listen to him." When the disciples heard it, they fell flat on their faces, scared to death. But Jesus came over and touched them. "Don't be afraid." When they opened their eyes and looked around all they saw was Jesus, only Jesus. Coming down the mountain, Jesus swore them to secrecy. "Don't breathe a word of what you've seen. After the Son of Man is raised from the dead, you are free to talk." The disciples, meanwhile, were asking questions. "Why do the religion scholars say that Elijah has to come first?" Jesus answered, "Elijah does come and get everything ready. I'm telling you, Elijah has already come but they didn't know him when they saw him. They treated him like dirt, the same way they are about to treat the Son of Man." That's when the disciples realized that all along he had been talking about John the Baptizer. At the bottom of the mountain, they were met by a crowd of waiting people. As they approached, a man came out of the crowd and fell to his knees begging, "Master, have mercy on my son. He goes out of his mind and suffers terribly, falling into seizures. Frequently he is pitched into the fire, other times into the river. I brought him to your disciples, but they could do nothing for him." Jesus said, "What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring the boy here." He ordered the afflicting demon out—and it was out, gone. From that moment on the boy was well. When the disciples had Jesus off to themselves, they asked, "Why couldn't we throw it out?" "Because you're not yet taking God seriously," said Jesus. "The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!' and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

when: Mark 9:14-29, Luke 9:37-43

kneeling: Mark 1:40, Mark 10:17, Acts 10:25, Acts 10:26

Reciprocal: Matthew 9:18 - worshipped Luke 9:33 - and let John 4:46 - whose

Cross-References

Genesis 17:20
"And Ishmael? Yes, I heard your prayer for him. I'll also bless him; I'll make sure he has plenty of children—a huge family. He'll father twelve princes; I'll make him a great nation. But I'll establish my covenant with Isaac whom Sarah will give you about this time next year."

Genesis 17:24
Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised. His son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised. Abraham and Ishmael were circumcised the same day together with all the servants of his household, those born there and those purchased from outsiders—all were circumcised with him.

Leviticus 18:29
"Those who do any of these abhorrent things will be cut off from their people. Keep to what I tell you; don't engage in any of the abhorrent acts that were practiced before you came. Don't pollute yourselves with them. I am God , your God."

Psalms 55:20
And this, my best friend, betrayed his best friends; his life betrayed his word. All my life I've been charmed by his speech, never dreaming he'd turn on me. His words, which were music to my ears, turned to daggers in my heart.

Isaiah 24:5
Earth is polluted by its very own people, who have broken its laws, Disrupted its order, violated the sacred and eternal covenant. Therefore a curse, like a cancer, ravages the earth. Its people pay the price of their sacrilege. They dwindle away, dying out one by one. No more wine, no more vineyards, no more songs or singers. The laughter of castanets is gone, the shouts of celebrants, gone, the laughter of fiddles, gone. No more parties with toasts of champagne. Serious drinkers gag on their drinks. The chaotic cities are unlivable. Anarchy reigns. Every house is boarded up, condemned. People riot in the streets for wine, but the good times are gone forever— no more joy for this old world. The city is dead and deserted, bulldozed into piles of rubble. That's the way it will be on this earth. This is the fate of all nations: An olive tree shaken clean of its olives, a grapevine picked clean of its grapes.

1 Corinthians 11:27
Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Master irreverently is like part of the crowd that jeered and spit on him at his death. Is that the kind of "remembrance" you want to be part of? Examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe.

1 Corinthians 11:29
If you give no thought (or worse, don't care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you're running the risk of serious consequences. That's why so many of you even now are listless and sick, and others have gone to an early grave. If we get this straight now, we won't have to be straightened out later on. Better to be confronted by the Master now than to face a fiery confrontation later.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when they were come to the multitude,.... Which was on the next day, as in Luke 9:37 when Christ and his three disciples, Peter, James, and John, came down from the mount to the other nine, with whom the multitude of the people were; during their stay on the mountain,

there came to him a certain man; who was, as Mark says, "one of the multitude"; and as Luke, "a man of the company": who had applied to the nine disciples on the behalf of his son, but without success, and was waiting till Christ came from the mount; who when he saw him, made up to him, and

kneeling down to him in the manner of a supplicant, doing him homage and worship; hereby showing his great esteem of him, and veneration for him,

and saying the following words:

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And when they were come to the multitude - This took place on the day following the transfiguration, Luke 9:37. This multitude was probably composed of persons who had attended on his ministry, many of whom were his real disciples. With them, as Mark Mark 9:15 informs us, were “scribes questioning with them.” That is, they were probably professedly making inquiries about the Saviour, but really attempting to introduce their own sentiments, and to draw them off from him. They probably artfully asked them many questions about his birth, his family, his appearance, his manner of life, and his instructions, all which were contrary to the general expectation respecting the Messiah, and they intended, therefore, to insinuate that such a person could not be the Christ. The people were persuaded that he was the Messiah. and it would not have done to have attacked their opinions openly, but they attempted to gain the same point by sly insinuations. Error is always subtle, and often puts on the appearance of calm and honest inquiry. Well had he compared them to leavens, Matthew 16:11-12. The multitude, seeing Jesus coming down, left the scribes, and ran to meet him (Mark). They were amazed, probably because they had not expected to see him there. In their joy at meeting him in this unexpected manner, they “saluted” him (Mark); that is, probably they prostrated themselves before him after the manner of salutation in Eastern countries. See the notes at Luke 10:4. Jesus, seeing the scribes and their artful design, reproved them by asking them why they questioned thus with his disciples, Mark 9:16. Conscious of their guilt and their base purpose, they returned no answer.

A certain man kneeling down to him - That is, saluting him, or showing high regard for him. See the notes at Luke 10:4. It did not imply religious homage, but merely high respect and earnest entreaty.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 17:14. When they were come to the multitude — It appears that a congregation had been collected during our Lord's stay on the mount: how great must have been the desire of these people to hear the words of Christ! The assembly is self-collected, and no delay on the preacher's side discourages them-they continue to wait for him. In the present day how rare is this zeal! How few by the most pathetic invitation can be brought together, even at the most convenient times, to hear the same doctrines, and to get their souls healed by the same wonder-working Christ!

Kneeling down to him — Or falling at his knees, γονυπετων. The ancients consecrated the EAR to memory; the FOREHEAD to genius; the RIGHT HAND to faith; and the KNEES to mercy: hence those who entreated favour fell at and touched the knees of the person whose kindness they supplicated. See Wakefield's Commentary; and see the note on Exodus 9:29; where the subject is largely explained.