Bible Strands
Luke 7:22
So He replied, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus speaks to the disciples John the Baptist sent, immediately after healing many and giving sight to the blind (v. 21), in direct response to John's question about his identity.
The words — ἀπαγγεῖλατε (apangeilate), "do relate," is the verb of official heralds reporting back to a sender; it is a command, not a suggestion. The aorist participle πορευθέντες (poreuthentes, "having gone") binds the journey to the report — the going is the means of the telling.
The thread — The list compresses Isaiah 35:5 (blind eyes opened, deaf ears unstopped) and Isaiah 61:1 (preach good news to the poor), the same passage Jesus cited for himself in Luke 4:18.
Why it lands — Jesus never says "I am the one"; he hands the messengers a set of facts and a command to report, leaving the judgment to John and to any reader who holds the evidence against the claim.
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
Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
- Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,
- Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed,
- Isaiah 29:18 On that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of the deep darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
- James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?
- Matthew 9:28 After Jesus had entered the house, the blind men came to Him. “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” He asked. “Yes, Lord,” they answered.
- Matthew 15:30 Large crowds came to Him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and laid them at His feet, and He healed them.
- Matthew 21:14 The blind and the lame came to Him at the temple, and He healed them.
- Luke 7:14 Then He went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. “Young man,” He said, “I tell you, get up!”
- Luke 8:53 And they laughed at Him, knowing that she was dead.