Mat 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give.
This phrase is an exciting example of how Christ's words in the original Greek have a series of double or deeper meanings that are often lost in English translation.
"Heal" is therapeuo, which means "to serve" and "to treat" in a medical sense.
"The sick" is astheneo, "to be weak," "to be powerless," "to be sick."
So the first phrase means "heal the sick" but its primary meaning is "serve the powerless."
"Cleanse" is katharizo, which means to "to clean" is both a physical and metaphorical sense. It is the base for the catharsis, which is a transformation.
"Lepers" is lepros, which means "scaly" and "rough" as well as those infected with leprosy.
So the phrase means both "cleanse the lepers" and "transform the rough."
"Raise" is egeiro, which means "to arouse" and "to awaken."
"The dead" is nekros, which means both the physical dead or dying and the spiritually dead.
So the phrase means both "raise the dying" and "arouse the spiritually dead."
"Cast out" is ekballo, which also means "to throw out of society" and "to draw out." It has a sense of violence in its use as "cast out" but no sense of violence when used as "to draw out."
"Devils" is daimonion, which means "divine power," "divinity," as well as "a spirit inferior to God," or an "evil spirit."
So "cast out devils" also means "to draw out divinity."
"Freely" is dorean, which means "as a free gift," and "undeserved," from dorea, "gift."
"You have received" is lambano, which primarily means "to take" and also means "to receive."
""Give" is didomi, which means "to give as a gift" but also "to pay what is owed."
So "freely you have received, freely give" also means that since we have taken much, we also own much.
<< Home