KJV: When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
YLT: And Jesus, having heard, saith to them, 'They who are strong have no need of a physician, but they who are ill; I came not to call righteous men, but sinners to reformation.'
Darby: And Jesus having heard it says to them, They that are strong have not need of a physician, but those who are ill. I have not come to call righteous men, but sinners.
ASV: And when Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.
ἀκούσας | having heard |
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: ἀκουστός Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf. |
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ὁ | - |
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc. |
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Ἰησοῦς | Jesus |
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: Ἰησοῦς Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor. |
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λέγει | says |
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular Root: λέγω Sense: to say, to speak. |
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αὐτοῖς | to them |
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural Root: αὐτός Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself. |
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‹ὅτι› | - |
Parse: Conjunction Root: ὅτι Sense: that, because, since. |
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Οὐ | No |
Parse: Adverb Root: οὐ Sense: no, not; in direct questions expecting an affirmative answer. |
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χρείαν | need |
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular Root: χρεία Sense: necessity, need. |
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οἱ | those |
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Plural Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc. |
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ἰσχύοντες | being strong |
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural Root: ἰσχύω Sense: to be strong. |
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ἰατροῦ | of a physician |
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular Root: ἰατρός Sense: a physician. |
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κακῶς | sick |
Parse: Adverb Root: κακῶς Sense: miserable, to be ill. |
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ἔχοντες | being |
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural Root: ἔχω Sense: to have, i.e. to hold. |
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ἦλθον | I came |
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular Root: ἔρχομαι Sense: to come. |
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καλέσαι | to call |
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active Root: καλέω Sense: to call. |
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δικαίους | [the] righteous |
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Masculine Plural Root: δίκαιος Sense: righteous, observing divine laws. |
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ἁμαρτωλούς | sinners |
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Masculine Plural Root: ἁμαρτωλός Sense: devoted to sin, a sinner. |
Greek Commentary for Mark 2:17
Jesus for the sake of argument accepts the claim of the Pharisees to be righteous, though, as a matter of fact, they fell very far short of it. Elsewhere (Matthew 23) Jesus shows that the Pharisees were extortionate and devoured widows‘ houses and wore a cloak of pride and hypocritical respectability. The words “unto repentance” (εις μετανοιαν eis metanoian) are not genuine in Mark, but are in Luke 5:32. Jesus called men to new spiritual life and away from sin and so to repentance. But this claim stopped their mouths against what Jesus was doing. The well or the strong (ισχυοντες ischuontes) are not those who need the physician in an epidemic. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 2:17
Old Greek word for good health from υγιης hugiēs sound in body. So also in Luke 7:10; Luke 15:27; 3 John 1:2. This is the usual word for good health used by Greek medical writers. Mark 2:17; Matthew 9:12 have οι ισχυοντες hoi ischuontes (those who have strength). [source]
Alone in Luke not genuine in Mark 2:17; Matthew 9:12. Only sinners would need a call to repentance, a change of mind and life. For the moment Jesus accepts the Pharisaic division between “righteous” and “sinners” to score them and to answer their criticism. At the other times he will show that they only pretend to be “righteous” and are “hypocrites” in reality. But Jesus has here blazed the path for all soul-winners. The self-satisfied are the hard ones to win and they often resent efforts to win them to Christ. [source]
Held in honour, prized, precious, dear (Luke 14:8; 1 Peter 2:4; Philemon 2:29), common Greek word. Even though a slave he was dear to him.Was sick (αυτωι εντιμος kakōs echōn). Having it bad. Common idiom. See note on Matthew 4:24; Matthew 8:16; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:31, etc. Matthew 8:6 notes that the slave was a paralytic.And at the point of death Imperfect active of ημελλεν τελευταιν mellō (note double augment μελλω ē) which is used either with the present infinitive as here, the aorist (Revelation 3:16), or even the future because of the future idea in η mellō (Acts 11:28; Acts 24:15). He was about to die. [source]
Having it bad. Common idiom. See note on Matthew 4:24; Matthew 8:16; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:31, etc. Matthew 8:6 notes that the slave was a paralytic. [source]