Bible Strands
Matthew 8:4
Then Jesus instructed him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift prescribed by Moses, as a testimony to them.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus speaks directly to the man just cleansed of leprosy (8:3), before moving on to Capernaum (8:5).
The words — ὅρα (hora), an imperative of "see," functions here as a forceful "make sure," not a suggestion. Paired with the dative μηδενί (mēdeni), "to no one," it forms a tight prohibition: the silence is non-negotiable.
The thread — Luke 5:14 preserves the same command in parallel; Leviticus 14:2 supplies the Mosaic law Jesus invokes; Luke 17:14 repeats the instruction to a group of lepers.
Why it lands — The healed man's instinct would be to announce his cure; Jesus redirects his public action to the priest, the institutional witness, and withholds the wider audience. The reader is left to ask what Jesus is protecting and why the timing of revelation matters to Him.
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 Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 14:2 “This is the law for the one afflicted with a skin disease on the day of his cleansing, when he is brought to the priest.
- Luke 5:14 “Do not tell anyone,” Jesus instructed him. “But go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”
- Luke 17:14 When Jesus saw them, He said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were on their way, they were cleansed.
- Leviticus 13:2 “When someone has a swelling or rash or bright spot on his skin that may be an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest.
- Mark 7:36 Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more He ordered them, the more widely they proclaimed it.
- Matthew 9:30 And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one finds out about this!”
- Mark 6:11 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that place, as a testimony against them.”
- Matthew 12:16 warning them not to make Him known.
- Mark 1:43 Jesus promptly sent him away with a stern warning:
- John 10:37 If I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe Me.