Matthew 17:15

“Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — A man kneels before Jesus after his disciples fail to heal his son, reporting the boy's violent seizures and near-fatal falls into fire and water.

The words — κύριε (kurie) translates literally to "Lord," and ἐλέησόν (eleēson) commands "do have mercy on," forming the father's direct address to Jesus.

The thread — The narrative places this healing request within Jesus' broader ministry to the ill (Matthew 4:24) and contrasts the boy's exposed vulnerability with the protective boundary God established in Job 1:10.

Why it lands — It requires the reader to acknowledge the limits of human effort and to direct urgent need toward divine authority without mediation.

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

Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

Cross-references

Matthew 4:24 News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and He healed them.
Job 1:10 Have You not placed a hedge on every side around him and his household and all that he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
Job 2:7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and infected Job with terrible boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.
Matthew 8:31 So the demons begged Jesus, “If You drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
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.”
Mark 5:4 Though he was often bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the chains and shattered the shackles. Now there was no one with the strength to subdue him.
Mark 5:22 A synagogue leader named Jairus arrived, and seeing Jesus, he fell at His feet
Mark 9:17 Someone in the crowd replied, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a spirit that makes him mute.
Mark 9:20 So they brought him, and seeing Jesus, the spirit immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
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.