Luke 9:38

Suddenly a man in the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only child.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — A father in the crowd addresses Jesus as "Teacher" to plead for his severely afflicted son. This occurs immediately after Jesus descends from the mountain and is met by the large assembly.

The words — The Greek ἰδοὺ (idou) translates literally as "behold" or "suddenly," marking the abrupt interruption of the scene. The verb ἐβόησεν (eboēsen) denotes a loud, desperate cry rather than a quiet request.

The thread — The text records desperate parents seeking Jesus’ intervention in John 4:47 and Matthew 15:22, while the broader biblical pattern of intercession anticipates the promised spiritual outpouring in Zechariah 12:10.

Why it lands — The text states that a man cries out to Jesus for his son's deliverance before any healing occurs. It requires the reader to acknowledge that direct, urgent pleading is the necessary human response to spiritual and physical bondage.

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

And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child.

Cross-references

Zechariah 12:10 Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
John 4:47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die.
Matthew 15:22 And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.”
Luke 7:12 As He approached the town gate, He saw a dead man being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.
Luke 8:41 Just then a synagogue leader named Jairus came and fell at Jesus’ feet. He begged Him to come to his house,
Genesis 44:20 And we answered, ‘We have an elderly father and a younger brother, the child of his old age. The boy’s brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’