The Meaning of Matthew 17:14 Explained

Matthew 17:14

KJV: And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,

YLT: And when they came unto the multitude, there came to him a man, kneeling down to him,

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

ASV: And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a man, kneeling to him, saying,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  when they  were come  to  the multitude,  there came  to him  a [certain] man,  kneeling down  to him,  and  saying, 

What does Matthew 17:14 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 17:9-21 - Lack Of Faith Rebuked
As Raphael suggests in his great painting, there is a close connection between the mountain and the valley. The glory of the one did not make our Lord indifferent to the bitter need of the other. It seems as though He desired to impress on us the great truth, that we must have the seclusion and exaltation of communion with God before we can successfully deal with the anguish and terror that devastate human lives. See Matthew 17:21.
In Matthew 17:17 our Lord grieves over the unbelief of His disciples. Though they had enjoyed His careful teaching, they had failed to grasp His secret, which He here again elaborates. Faith is openness to God. It is the lifting of the curtain, that the healing light may enter. The tiny seed unlocks its little doorway to welcome the entering life of nature; and as this continues to enter, it forces the rootlet downward and the green shoot upward. It is thus also with the life of God in the soul. Let this life of God in and there is no limit to what it will effect. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 17

1  The transfiguration of Jesus
14  He heals the boy with a demon,
22  foretells his own passion,
24  and pays tribute

What do the individual words in Matthew 17:14 mean?

And they having come to the crowd came to Him a man kneeling down to Him
Καὶ ἐλθόντων πρὸς τὸν ὄχλον προσῆλθεν αὐτῷ ἄνθρωπος γονυπετῶν αὐτὸν

ἐλθόντων  they  having  come 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: ἔρχομαι  
Sense: to come.
ὄχλον  crowd 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: ὄχλος  
Sense: a crowd.
προσῆλθεν  came 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: προσέρχομαι  
Sense: to come to, approach.
αὐτῷ  to  Him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ἄνθρωπος  a  man 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἄνθρωπος  
Sense: a human being, whether male or female.
γονυπετῶν  kneeling  down  to 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: γονυπετέω  
Sense: to fall on the knees, the act of imploring aid, and of expressing reverence and honour.