Bible Strands

Luke 7:8

For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes, and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The Roman centurion addresses Jesus’ messengers while requesting his servant’s healing, positioned immediately before Jesus turns to the crowd to declare his faith unparalleled in Israel.

The words — ὑπὸ (hupo) = under and ἐξουσίαν (exousian) = authority literally denote the centurion’s subordination to higher command and his own delegated power over troops.

The thread — This depiction of a centurion navigating military hierarchy and divine interaction recurs in Acts 10:7, Acts 22:25, and Acts 23:17.

Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to accept that spiritual power functions through spoken command, demanding the same immediate obedience to Jesus’ word as soldiers show to a superior’s order.

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

καὶkaiAlsoγὰρgarforἐγὼegōI myselfἄνθρωπόςanthrōposa manεἰμιeimiamὑπὸhupounderἐξουσίανexousianauthorityτασσόμενος,tassomenosappointed,ἔχωνechōnhavingὑπ᾽hup᾽underἐμαυτὸνemautonmyselfστρατιώτας.stratiōtassoldiers.καὶkaiandλέγωlegōI sayτούτῳ·toutōto this [one];πορεύθητι,poreuthētido go,καὶkaiandπορεύεται,poreuetaihe goes,καὶkaiandἄλλῳ·allōto another;ἔρχου,erchoudo come,καὶkaiandἔρχεται,erchetaihe comes,καὶkaiandτῷtōto theδούλῳdoulōservantμου·mouof mine;ποίησονpoiēsondo enactτοῦτο,toutothis,καὶkaiandποιεῖ.poieihe enacts [it].

King James Version

For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

Cross-references