Luke 5:15
in Luke 5But the news about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But so much the more went abroad the report concerning him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed of their infirmities.
KJV
But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
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This verse in Luke 5
Commentary
16 notes on this verseBut lest leprosy should become rife among us, let each avoid boasting after the example of our Lord's humility. For it follows, And he commanded him that he should tell it to no one, that in truth he might teach us that our good deeds are not to be made public, but to be rather concealed, that we should abstain not only from gaining money, but even favour. Or perhaps the cause of His commanding silence was that He thought those to be preferred, who had rather believed of their own accord than from the hope of benefit.
This site's exposition
But the news about Jesus spread
on Luke 5:15-16
After the order of silence, the news about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came to Him. Just where His fame was growing fastest, Luke adds that He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
And that the Priest also should know that not by the order of the law, but by the grace of God above the law, he was cured. And since a sacrifice is commanded by the regulation of Moses, the Lord shows that He does not abrogate the law, but fulfil it. As it follows, And offer for thy cleansing according as Moses commanded.
Or because the law is spiritual He seems to have commanded a spiritual sacrifice. Hence he said, As Moses commanded. Lastly, he adds, for a testimony unto them. The heretics understand this erroneously, saying, that it was meant as a reproach to the law. But how would he order an offering for cleansing, according to Moses' commandments, if he meant this against the law?
The authority of power in the Lord is here compared with the steadfastness of faith manifest in the leper. He fell on his face because it is a mark of humility and modesty that each feel shame for the sins of his life, but shyness did not restrict his confession. He showed the wound, he begged for the remedy, and the very confession is full of piety and faith. "If you will," it says, "you can make me clean." He conceded the power to the Lord's will. But he doubted concerning the Lord's will, not as if unbelieving in piety, but as if aware of his own impurity, he did not presume. The Lord replies to him with a certain holiness. "I will: be clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him." For there is nothing between God's command and his work, because the work is in the command. Thus he spoke, and they came into being. You see that it cannot be doubted that the will of God is power. If, therefore, his will is power, those who affirm that the Trinity is of One will affirm that it is of one power. Thus the leprosy departed immediately. In order that you may understand the effect of healing, he added truth to the work.
Though the leper was silent, the voice of the transaction itself was sufficient to publish it to all who acknowledged through him the power of the Curer.
And although the Lord in giving out remedies advised telling them to no one, instructing us to avoid pride; yet His fame flew about every where, instilling the miracle into the ears of every one, as it follows, But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him.
9 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers1 voice
He is commanded to show himself to the priest and sacrifice for his cleansing. In offering himself to the priest, the priest may understand that he was cured not by the ordinance of the law but by the grace of God above the law. When the sacrifice is performed according to Moses' precept, the Lord shows that he did not destroy the law but fulfilled it. Furthermore, by proceeding according to the law, he was seen to heal above the law those whom the remedies of the law had not healed. "For the law is spiritual," and therefore it is seen that a spiritual sacrifice is commanded.
The Medieval Church3 voices
But the word went abroad all the more, etc. After the Evangelist has described the healing of the disease and the instruction of the one healed, here thirdly he adds the magnification of the name of Christ, so that from all these things the disciples …
The word about him spread all the more, and great crowds came together to hear him and to be cured of their infirmities. The complete salvation of one urges many crowds to the Lord. For, in order to show that he was healed both outwardly …
Now the perfect healing of one brings many multitudes to the Lord, as it follows, And great multitudes came together that they should be healed. For the leprous man that he might show both his outward and inward cure, even though forbid ceases not, as Mark says, to tell of the benefit ho had received.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him,.... For the more he charged the man to keep silence, the more he blazed it abroad, being elated with the cure he received, and filled with gratitude to his benefactor; Mar 1:45. And great multitudes came together to hear: him, or from him, as the Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions add; to hear the doctrines of the Gospel preached by him: "and to be healed by him of their infirmities"; their bodily weaknesses and disorders.
The more he sought to conceal himself under a veil of humility, the more notice did people take of him; for honour is like a shadow, which flees from those that pursue it ( for a man to seek his own glory is not glory), but follows those that decline it, and draw from it.
Note, Those who receive the word of Christ in faith will find a divine power going along with that word, to heal them; for Christ came with his comforts to heal the broken-hearted, ch. iv. The power of the Lord is present with the word, present to those that pray for it and submit to it, present to heal them.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
proposed
We see in this passage — our Lord Jesus Christ's POWER over incurable diseases. "A man full of leprosy" applies to Him for relief, and is at once healed. This was a mighty miracle. Of all illnesses which can afflict the body of man — leprosy appears to be the most severe. It affects every part of the constitution at once. It brings sores and decay upon the skin , corruption into the blood , and rottenness into the bones . It is a living death , which no medicine can check or stop.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
proposed
We see in this passage — our Lord Jesus Christ's POWER over incurable diseases. "A man full of leprosy" applies to Him for relief, and is at once healed. This was a mighty miracle. Of all illnesses which can afflict the body of man — leprosy appears to be the most severe. It affects every part of the constitution at once. It brings sores and decay upon the skin , corruption into the blood , and rottenness into the bones . It is a living death , which no medicine can check or stop. Yet here we read of a leper being made well in a moment. It is but one touch from the hand of the Son of God — and the cure is effected. It is but one single touch of that almighty hand! "And immediately the leprosy departed from him." We have in this wonderful history — a lively emblem of Christ's power to heal our souls. What are we all, but spiritual lepers in the sight of God? Sin is the deadly leprosy by which we are all affected. It has eaten into our vitals. It has infected all our faculties. Heart, conscience, mind, and will — all are diseased by sin. From the sole of our foot, to the crown of our head — there is no soundness in us — only welts and wounds and putrefying sores! (Isaiah 1:6.) Such is the state in which we all are born. Such is the state in which we all naturally live. We are in one sense dead — long before we are laid in the grave. Our bodies may be healthy and active — but our souls are by nature dead in trespasses and sins! Who shall deliver us from this body of death? Let us thank God that Jesus Christ can! He is that divine Physician, who can make old things pass away, and all things become new. In Him is life. He can wash us thoroughly in His own blood — from all the defilement of sin. He can quicken us, and revive us by His own Spirit. He can cleanse our hearts, open the eyes of our understandings, renew our wills, and make us whole!
The words behind it
18 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Διήρχετο | diercheto | Was spread abroad | G1330 → | 43 times |
| δὲ | de | now | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| μᾶλλον | mallon | still more | G3123 → | 81 times |
| ὁ | ho | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| λόγος | logos | report | G3056 → | 329 times |
| περὶ | peri | concerning | G4012 → | 332 times |
| αὐτοῦ· | autou | Him; | G846 → | 5565 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| συνήρχοντο | sunerchonto | were coming | G4905 → | |
| ὄχλοι | ochloi | crowds | G3793 → | 175 times |
| πολλοὶ | polloi | great | G4183 → | 367 times |
| ἀκούειν | akouein | to hear | G191 → | 425 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| θεραπεύεσθαι | therapeuesthai | to be healed | G2323 → | 43 times |
| ἀπὸ | apo | from | G575 → | 640 times |
| τῶν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀσθενειῶν | astheneion | sicknesses | G769 → | 24 times |
| αὐτῶν· | auton | of them; | G846 → | 5565 times |
ΔιήρχετοWas spread abroad
dierchetoG1330 →43 times
δὲnow
deG1161 →2765 times
μᾶλλονstill more
mallonG3123 →81 times
ὁthe
hoG3588 →19766 times
λόγοςreport
logosG3056 →329 times
περὶconcerning
periG4012 →332 times
αὐτοῦ·Him;
autouG846 →5565 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
συνήρχοντοwere coming
sunerchontoG4905 →
ὄχλοιcrowds
ochloiG3793 →175 times
πολλοὶgreat
polloiG4183 →367 times
ἀκούεινto hear
akoueinG191 →425 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
θεραπεύεσθαιto be healed
therapeuesthaiG2323 →43 times
ἀπὸfrom
apoG575 →640 times
τῶνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
ἀσθενειῶνsicknesses
astheneionG769 →24 times
αὐτῶν·of them;
autonG846 →5565 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Luke 12:1In the meantime, a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling one another. Jesus began to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is…
it leads to
- 1 Peter 2:1
Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.
- 1 Corinthians 5:7–8
Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
- James 3:17
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
- 1 Peter 2:1
Through
Mark 1:45But the man went out and openly began to proclaim and spread the news. Consequently, Jesus could no longer enter a town in plain view, but He stayed out in solitary places. Yet people…
it leads to
- Matthew 9:31
But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout the land.
- Mark 2:13
Once again Jesus went out beside the sea. All the people came to Him, and He taught them there.
- Luke 5:15–17
But the news about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
- Psalms 77:11
I will remember the works of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.
- Matthew 9:31
Through
Matthew 9:26And the news about this spread throughout that region.
it leads to
- Matthew 4:24
News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed—and He healed them.
- Matthew 4:24
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
About Luke

This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Gospels; Ambrose of Milan, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Ambrose of Milan, Commentary on Luke; Bede, On the Gospel of Luke; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bonaventure, Commentary on Luke, Chapter 5; Cyril of Alexandria, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, Luke; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); John Chrysostom, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
