Bible Strands
John 4:49
“Sir,” the official said, “come down before my child dies.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The royal official addresses Jesus directly, urging Him to descend before his child dies. This exchange occurs immediately after Jesus rebukes the demand for miraculous signs as the basis for faith.
The words — The plea hinges on κατάβηθι (katabēthi), a command to “come down,” and πρὶν (prin), which sets the strict temporal boundary of “before” the child’s death.
The thread — The urgent plea for a dying child mirrors the father’s request in Mark 5:23, while the tension between human urgency and divine timing aligns with the psalmist’s appeal in Psalms 40:17 and the lament over death in Psalms 88:10.
Why it lands — The text records a desperate human deadline confronting a sovereign divine word. It requires a reader to choose between insisting on immediate visible proof or trusting the spoken promise beyond personal urgency.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
Cross-references
- Mark 5:23 and pleaded with Him urgently, “My little daughter is near death. Please come and place Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live.”
- Psalms 40:17 But I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my helper and deliverer; O my God, do not delay.
- Psalms 88:10 Do You work wonders for the dead? Do departed spirits rise up to praise You? Selah
- Mark 5:35 While He was still speaking, messengers from the house of Jairus arrived and said, “Your daughter is dead; why bother the Teacher anymore?”