Healing of the Royal Official's Son
John 4:43-54
John.4.43 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Μετα: PREP,acc
- δε: CONJ
- τας: ART,acc,pl,f
- δυο: NUM,acc,pl,m
- ημερας: NOUN,acc,pl,f
- εξηλθεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- εκειθεν: ADV
- εις: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- Γαλιλαιαν·: NOUN,acc,sg,f
Parallels
- John 1:43 (verbal): Same movement and timing language — 'the next day'/'the day following' Jesus goes into Galilee; closely parallels wording and narrative motif of relocating to Galilee.
- John 4:3 (structural): Earlier statement in the same Gospel that Jesus 'left Judea and departed again into Galilee' — a parallel report of the same geographical movement within John’s narrative framework.
- Luke 4:14 (thematic): Luke notes Jesus 'returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,' thematically linking the move to the inauguration of his Galilean ministry.
- Matthew 4:12-16 (allusion): Matthew frames Jesus’ move to Galilee (Capernaum) as fulfillment of prophetic imagery about 'Galilee of the Gentiles,' echoing the significance of his presence in Galilee.
- Mark 1:14-15 (thematic): Mark places the beginning of Jesus' public proclamation in Galilee after John’s arrest — thematically similar in presenting Galilee as the starting point of Jesus’ ministry.
Alternative generated candidates
- After the two days he departed and went on to Galilee.
- After the two days he departed from there and went into Galilee.
John.4.44 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- αυτος: PRON,nom,sg,3,m
- γαρ: PART
- Ιησους: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- εμαρτυρησεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- οτι: CONJ
- προφητης: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- εν: PREP
- τη: ART,dat,sg,f
- ιδια: ADJ,acc,pl,n
- πατριδι: NOUN,dat,sg,f
- τιμην: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- ουκ: PART,neg
- εχει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
Parallels
- Mark 6:4 (verbal): Contains the closest parallel wording: Jesus says a prophet has no honor in his own country (or native place), emphasizing rejection by home community.
- Matthew 13:57 (verbal): Parallel saying in Matthew with nearly identical wording—‘a prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and in his own household,’ highlighting the same proverbial judgment.
- Luke 4:24 (quotation): Jesus declares that no prophet is accepted in his hometown when speaking in Nazareth; Luke preserves the saying in the context of an immediate rejection narrative.
- Isaiah 53:3 (thematic): Prophesies the motif of rejection—‘despised and rejected by men’—providing a prophetic background for the New Testament theme that the true prophet/Messiah is not honored at home.
Alternative generated candidates
- For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
- For Jesus himself bore witness that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
John.4.45 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- οτε: CONJ
- ουν: CONJ
- ηλθεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- εις: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- Γαλιλαιαν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- εδεξαντο: VERB,aor,mid,ind,3,pl
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- Γαλιλαιοι: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- παντα: ADJ,nom,pl,n
- εωρακοτες: VERB,perf,act,part,nom,pl,m
- οσα: PRON,acc,pl,n
- εποιησεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- εν: PREP
- Ιεροσολυμοις: NOUN,dat,pl,n
- εν: PREP
- τη: ART,dat,sg,f
- εορτη: NOUN,dat,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- αυτοι: PRON,nom,pl,3
- γαρ: PART
- ηλθον: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,pl
- εις: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- εορτην: NOUN,dat,sg,f
Parallels
- John 2:23 (verbal): Explicitly links belief to the signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the feast—same theme and same festival context that prompts Galileans' reception in 4:45.
- John 6:2 (thematic): Crowds follow Jesus because they have seen the signs he performed (here in Galilee after the feeding miracle); echoes the causal link between Jesus' deeds and popular reception.
- John 7:31 (thematic): Many believe on the basis of the signs Jesus did during a feast (Festival of Booths); parallels the pattern of festival-associated signs producing belief.
- Luke 4:14-15 (thematic): Reports Jesus' growing fame in Galilee and that people welcomed him and glorified God—a Synoptic parallel to John’s note that Galileans received Jesus after seeing his works.
Alternative generated candidates
- When he had come to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, for they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival—since they themselves had gone to the festival.
- When he came to Cana of Galilee, where he had made the water into wine, there was a royal official whose son was ill at Capernaum.
John.4.46 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Ηλθεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- ουν: CONJ
- παλιν: ADV
- εις: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- Κανα: NOUN,dat,sg,f
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- Γαλιλαιας: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- οπου: ADV,rel
- εποιησεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- υδωρ: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- οινον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- ην: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,sg
- τις: PRON,nom,sg,?
- βασιλικος: ADJ,nom,sg,m
- ου: PART,neg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- υιος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ησθενει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- εν: PREP
- Καφαρναουμ: NOUN,acc,sg,n
Parallels
- John 2:1-11 (verbal): Same location (Cana of Galilee) and earlier ‘sign’ performed there (water turned to wine) — the verse recalls that setting.
- John 2:11 (structural): John explicitly calls the Cana episode the ‘beginning of signs,’ linking the Cana setting in 4:46 to Jesus’ sign-working ministry.
- John 4:53 (structural): The immediate sequel/fulfillment of 4:46– the royal official’s son is healed at a distance and the official and his household believe.
- Luke 7:1-10 (thematic): Parallels the theme of an official whose servant is healed by Jesus (faith and healing at a distance); the centurion’s story echoes the nobleman’s trust and Jesus’ authority to heal remotely.
Alternative generated candidates
- So he came again to Cana of Galilee, where he had made the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay ill at Capernaum.
- When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to him and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.
John.4.47 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ουτος: PRON,nom,sg,m
- ακουσας: VERB,aor,act,part,nom,m,sg
- οτι: CONJ
- Ιησους: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ηκει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- εκ: PREP
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- Ιουδαιας: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- εις: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- Γαλιλαιαν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- απηλθεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- προς: PREP
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- ηρωτα: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,sg
- ινα: CONJ
- καταβη: VERB,aor,act,subj,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- ιασηται: VERB,aor,mid,subj,3,sg
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- υιον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- ημελλεν: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,sg
- γαρ: PART
- αποθνησκειν: VERB,pres,act,inf
Parallels
- John 4:50 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same episode: Jesus tells the official to go, and the son is healed at the hour — completes the healing request in 4:47.
- Matthew 8:5-13 (thematic): A request for healing of another (a servant) — parallels the official’s plea; highlights faith in Jesus’ word and the motif of healing without physical presence.
- Luke 7:1-10 (thematic): Luke’s parallel to Matthew’s centurion story — emphasizes outsider faith and healing at a distance, comparable to the royal official’s appeal and trust.
- Mark 5:22-24, 35-43 (thematic): Jairus’ plea that Jesus come to heal his dying daughter — similar narrative shape (parent/official begging Jesus to come because a child is near death) and themes of urgency, faith, and healing.
- John 11:1-44 (thematic): Narrative of Lazarus: family asks Jesus to come to a sick/dead loved one and Jesus’ arrival is pivotal for belief — shares themes of sickness, impending death, Jesus’ response, and the link between signs and belief.
Alternative generated candidates
- When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.
- Jesus therefore said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe."
John.4.48 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ειπεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- ουν: CONJ
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- Ιησους: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- προς: PREP
- αυτον·Εαν: PRON,acc,sg,m
- μη: PART
- σημεια: NOUN,acc,pl,n
- και: CONJ
- τερατα: NOUN,acc,pl,n
- ιδητε: VERB,aor,act,subj,2,pl
- ου: PART,neg
- μη: PART
- πιστευσητε: VERB,fut,act,ind,2,pl
Parallels
- John 2:23 (structural): Same Gospel: people believe because they saw Jesus' signs, showing John's recurrent link between 'signs' and belief within the narrative context.
- Matthew 12:38-39 (quotation): Jesus rebukes those who demand a sign—'an evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign'—a direct rebuke that parallels the demand for miraculous proof.
- Mark 8:11-12 (verbal): Pharisees demand a sign from heaven; the language and motif of seeking a miraculous sign closely mirror John 4:48.
- 1 Corinthians 1:22 (thematic): Paul observes that 'Jews demand signs'—reflecting the broader Jewish/Greco-Roman expectation that signs authenticate divine activity, a theme echoed in John 4:48.
- John 20:29 (thematic): Contrast within John: Jesus pronounces blessed those who believe without seeing, highlighting the tension between faith based on signs and faith without visible proof.
Alternative generated candidates
- Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
- The official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies."
John.4.49 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- λεγει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- προς: PREP
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- βασιλικος·Κυριε: ADJ,nom,sg,m+NOUN,voc,sg,m
- καταβηθι: VERB,aor,act,imp,2,sg
- πριν: ADV
- αποθανειν: VERB,aor,act,inf
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- παιδιον: NOUN,nom,sg,n
- μου: PRON,gen,sg,1
Parallels
- Mark 5:22-23 (verbal): A father (a ruler/Jairus) urgently implores Jesus to come because his child is at the point of death — language and plea closely parallel the nobleman's request in John 4:49.
- Luke 8:41-42 (structural): Parallel account to Mark's Jairus story: a synagogue official seeks Jesus' immediate intervention for his dying daughter, mirroring the narrative role and structure of John’s royal official.
- Matthew 8:5-13 (thematic): A Roman officer (centurion) petitions Jesus to heal his servant — similar theme of an official appealing for a loved one’s healing and the episode’s focus on faith and Jesus’ authority to heal.
- 2 Kings 4:18-37 (allusion): Elisha is asked to intervene to save/restore a child and ultimately revives the dead son — an Old Testament precedent for a prophetic/healing figure responding to requests to preserve a child’s life.
Alternative generated candidates
- The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
- Jesus said to him, "Go; your son lives." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.
John.4.50 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- λεγει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- Ιησους·Πορευου·ο: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- υιος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- σου: PRON,gen,sg,2
- ζη: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- επιστευσεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- ανθρωπος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- τω: ART,dat,sg,m
- λογω: NOUN,dat,sg,m
- ον: PART,pres,act,nom,sg,m
- ειπεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- Ιησους: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- επορευετο: VERB,impf,mid,ind,3,sg
Parallels
- Matthew 8:13 (thematic): Jesus speaks and the servant is healed at a distance; the centurion’s faith in Jesus’ word leads to immediate healing—parallels the nobleman believing ‘Go; your son lives.’
- Luke 7:8-10 (thematic): Centurion’s faith and Jesus’ declaration produce healing of the servant; Luke emphasizes the authority of Jesus’ word and the faith that trusts it, like the man who believed Jesus and went away.
- Mark 5:41-42 (structural): Jesus issues a direct spoken command (‘Talitha koum’) and the girl immediately rises. Structural parallel in the pattern of Jesus’ word producing instant life/healing.
- John 11:43-44 (verbal): Jesus calls Lazarus forth and life immediately results; both passages highlight Jesus’ spoken command as the means by which life is restored and the role of belief in his word.
- John 5:8-9 (verbal): Jesus tells the sick man to rise and walk, and the man is healed and obeys—another Johannine instance where Jesus’ word effects healing and the recipient’s response of action/faith.
Alternative generated candidates
- Jesus said to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.
- As he was going down, his servants met him and reported that his boy lived.
John.4.51 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ηδη: ADV
- δε: CONJ
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- καταβαινοντος: VERB,pres,act,part,gen,m,sg
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- δουλοι: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- υπηντησαν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,pl
- αυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- λεγοντες: VERB,pres,act,part,nom,pl,masc
- οτι: CONJ
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- παις: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- ζη: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
Parallels
- John 4:50 (verbal): Jesus' command to the official — “Go; your son will live” — is the immediate verbal precursor to the servants' report that the boy is alive.
- John 4:53 (structural): The outcome of the report: the official believes and his whole household, tying the servants' news to the episode's theological result (faith arising from the healing).
- Matthew 8:13 (thematic): A parallel case of healing at a distance: Jesus' word effects healing of the centurion's servant, and the servant is reported healed “at that hour,” similar to the official's son being restored after Jesus' word.
- Luke 7:10 (verbal): In the centurion narrative Luke reports those sent by the centurion returning and finding the servant well — closely resembling the motif of messengers/servants bringing news of recovery.
Alternative generated candidates
- As he was going down, his servants met him and told him, “Your son is alive.”
- He asked them the hour when he began to mend; and they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."
John.4.52 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- επυθετο: VERB,aor,mid,ind,3,sg
- ουν: CONJ
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- ωραν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- παρ᾽αυτων: PREP
- εν: PREP
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- κομψοτερον: ADJ,comp,neut,sg
- εσχεν·ειπαν: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,sg;VERB,aor,act,ind,3,pl
- ουν: CONJ
- αυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- οτι: CONJ
- Εχθες: ADV
- ωραν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- εβδομην: ADJ,ord,acc,sg,f
- αφηκεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- πυρετος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
Parallels
- John 4:50-53 (structural): Immediate literary context: Jesus' word ('Your son lives') and the report of the exact hour the fever left tie together—verse 52 records the servants' account that confirms Jesus' spoken healing.
- Matthew 8:5-13 (thematic): Parallel story of a distant healing initiated by the official's faith: Jesus' word effects healing of another man's servant, emphasizing faith and authority rather than physical presence.
- Matthew 8:13 (verbal): Echo of timing language—'the servant was healed at that hour' parallels John's report of the fever leaving at a specific hour, underlining instantaneous/precise timing of Jesus' healings.
- Luke 7:1-10 (esp. v.10) (verbal): Luke's version of the centurion story likewise states the servant was healed 'at that very hour,' reinforcing the motif of immediate, time-marked healings in response to faith and Jesus' word.
Alternative generated candidates
- He inquired of them the hour when he began to recover. They said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.”
- So the father knew that it was the same hour in which Jesus had said to him, "Your son lives;" and he and his whole household believed.
John.4.53 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- εγνω: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- ουν: CONJ
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- πατηρ: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- οτι: CONJ
- εκεινη: PRON,dat,sg,f
- τη: ART,dat,sg,f
- ωρα: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- εν: PREP
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- ειπεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- Ιησους·Ο: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- υιος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- σου: PRON,gen,sg,2
- ζη: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- επιστευσεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτος: PRON,nom,sg,3,m
- και: CONJ
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- οικια: NOUN,dat,sg,f
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- ολη: ADJ,nom,sg,f
Parallels
- Matthew 8:13 (verbal): Jesus' word brings instantaneous healing at a distance: 'Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed' and the servant was healed 'that very hour'—language and timing parallel the royal official's son being alive 'that hour.'
- Luke 7:9-10 (thematic): The centurion's faith results in a servant healed 'at that very hour' and prompts marvel at great faith; parallels the theme of faith (often remote) producing immediate healing and belief.
- Mark 5:41-42 (verbal): Jesus' spoken command ('Talitha koum') brings a girl back to life 'immediately'—a close verbal/functional parallel to Jesus' utterance 'Your son lives' producing instant life.
- John 11:45 (thematic): After Jesus raises Lazarus, many believe in him—parallels the outcome here where the official himself 'believed, and his whole household' upon Jesus' word producing life.
- Acts 16:31 (structural): The promise 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household' reflects the structural pattern of one person's faith leading to the faith or well-being of their entire household, as in John 4:53.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the father knew that it was the very hour in which Jesus had said to him, “Your son lives.” And he believed, and his whole household.
- This, again, was the second sign that Jesus performed after he had come out of Judea into Galilee.
John.4.54 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- τουτο: PRON,nom,sg,n
- δε: CONJ
- παλιν: ADV
- δευτερον: ADV
- σημειον: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- εποιησεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- Ιησους: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ελθων: PART,aor,act,nom,sg,m
- εκ: PREP
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- Ιουδαιας: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- εις: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- Γαλιλαιαν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
Parallels
- John 2:11 (verbal): John labels the first miracle/wonder as a 'sign' (σημεῖον); 4:54 likewise calls the healing the 'second sign,' creating a verbal link in John's sign-sequence.
- John 4:46-54 (structural): Immediate narrative context: verses 46–54 recount the healing of the royal official's son, which 4:54 summarizes as the 'second sign'—the same episode referred to by the verse.
- John 20:30-31 (structural): John explicitly states that the signs recorded in the Gospel are intended to produce belief in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God; 4:54's designation of this miracle as a 'sign' connects to that overall purpose.
- John 6:14-15 (thematic): After the feeding of the 5,000 the crowd recognizes Jesus as 'the Prophet' or Messiah because of the sign; this parallels how John's signs (including 4:54) provoke recognition and varying responses to Jesus' identity.
- John 9:16 (thematic): The healing of the man born blind becomes a point of dispute about Jesus' identity and authority; like the 'second sign' in 4:54, this episode shows how John's signs function to reveal Jesus and provoke belief or division.
Alternative generated candidates
- This was the second sign that Jesus performed after coming out of Judea into Galilee.
After two days he left that place and went on to Galilee.
For Jesus himself bore witness that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, for they had all seen the things he had done in Jerusalem at the feast—because they too had gone to the feast. So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. There was a royal official whose son was ill at Capernaum.
When he learned that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to him and pleaded with him to come down and heal his son, for the boy was at the point of death.
Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe."
The official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies."
Jesus said to him, "Go; your son lives." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.
As he was going down, his servants met him and reported, "Your son lives!"
He asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."
Then the father knew that it was the very hour in which Jesus had said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, and his whole household.
This was the second sign that Jesus performed after coming out of Judea into Galilee.