Bible Strands
Matthew 9:27
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Two blind men address Jesus as He is in transit, immediately after the healing of the paralytic and the centurion's servant (9:18–26). The news of those healings has spread throughout the region (9:26), and these men are pursuing Him on the move.
The words — ēkolouthēsan (ἠκολοὺθησαν), aorist active of akoloutheō, "they followed" — a completed act of deliberate pursuit, not a passive encounter.
The thread — The formula "Son of David, have mercy" recurs in Matthew 15:22 (Canaanite woman) and Matthew 20:30 (two blind men near Jericho); Mark 10:46 records Bartimaeus using the same address.
Why it lands — The men cannot see the man they are following; their pursuit is directed at a title, not a face. The address "Son of David" is a messianic claim they are making to Him, not a polite formality.
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 when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.
Cross-references
- 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.”
- Matthew 20:30 And there were two blind men sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
- Mark 10:46 Next, they came to Jericho. And as Jesus and His disciples were leaving Jericho with a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting beside the road.
- Matthew 11:5 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.
- Luke 18:38 So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
- 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.
- Matthew 22:41 While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus questioned them:
- Mark 9:22 “It often throws him into the fire or into the water, trying to kill him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
- Mark 11:10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest!”
- Luke 7:21 At that very hour Jesus healed many people of their diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits, and He gave sight to many who were blind.