The Meaning of Luke 5:13 Explained

Luke 5:13

KJV: And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.

YLT: and having stretched forth his hand, he touched him, having said, 'I will; be thou cleansed;' and immediately the leprosy went away from him.

Darby: And stretching forth his hand he touched him, saying, I will; be thou cleansed: and immediately the leprosy departed from him.

ASV: And he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou made clean. And straightway the leprosy departed from him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  he put forth  [his] hand,  and touched  him,  saying,  I will:  be thou clean.  And  immediately  the leprosy  departed  from  him. 

What does Luke 5:13 Mean?

Verse Meaning

By stretching out His hand and touching the leper, Jesus was doing the unthinkable ( Leviticus 13). He probably did this to express His compassion for the man as well as to identify Himself beyond doubt as the source of his healing (cf. Exodus 4:4; Exodus 6:6; Exodus 14:16; Exodus 15:12; Jeremiah 17:5; Acts 4:30). Jesus" words offered him reassurance (cf. Luke 5:10). Jesus" authority extended to power over disease and ceremonial uncleanness. Doctor Luke again noted an immediate cure (cf. Luke 4:35; Luke 4:39).
"The most significant lesson from the cleansing of the leper story is that even outsiders can experience God"s healing grace." [1]

Context Summary

Luke 5:12-26 - Cleansing, Power And Pardon
Jesus did not hesitate to touch the leper, because He could no more be polluted by uncleanness than could a ray of light by passing through a fetid atmosphere. The question is never in can or will, as applied to Christ, but whether we will trust Him and can believe.
The Mosaic offering was a pair of birds, one of which was killed over running water; while the other, having been dipped into this mingled blood and water, was freed to fly away in its native air. Is not this the meet emblem of the forgiven and cleansed soul? See Leviticus 14:2-32.
At first the bed bore the paralytic, but after the power of Jesus had entered into him, he bore the bed. So Jesus pours His energy into our anemic natures, and we master what had mastered us. The miracle in the physical sphere, which men could test, approved His power in the realm of the spiritual, where only the forgiven one could actually know.
Do not forget to withdraw from the crowd, however eager it is, that you may pray, Luke 5:16. [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 5

1  Jesus teaches the people out of Peter's ship;
4  shows how he will make them fishers of men;
12  cleanses the leper;
16  prays in the desert;
17  heals a paralytic;
27  calls Matthew the tax collector;
29  eats with sinners, as being the physician of souls;
33  foretells the fasting and afflictions of the apostles after his ascension;
36  and illustrates the matter by the parable of patches

Greek Commentary for Luke 5:13

I will [θέλω]
See on Matthew 1:19. [source]
Be thou clean [καθαρίσθητι]
Rev., more accurately, gives the force of the passive voice, be thou made clean. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 5:13

Luke 5:12 Full of leprosy [πληρης λεπρας]
Mark 1:40 and Matthew 8:2 have simply “a leper.” Evidently a bad case full of sores and far advanced as Luke the physician notes. The law (Leviticus 13:12.) curiously treated advanced cases as less unclean than the earlier stages.Fell on his face (πεσων επι προσωπον — pesōn epi prosōpon). Second aorist active participle of πιπτω — piptō common verb. Mark 1:40 has “kneeling” (γονυπετων — gonupetōn) and Matthew 8:2 “worshipped” (προσεκυνει — prosekunei). All three attitudes were possible one after the other. All three Synoptics quote the identical language of the leper and the identical answer of Jesus. His condition of the third class turned on the “will” (τεληις — thelēis) of Jesus who at once asserts his will (τηλω — thēlō) and cleanses him. All three likewise mention the touch (ηπσατο — hēpsato Luke 5:13) of Christ‘s hand on the unclean leper and the instantaneous cure. [source]
Luke 5:12 Fell on his face [πεσων επι προσωπον]
Second aorist active participle of πιπτω — piptō common verb. Mark 1:40 has “kneeling” All three attitudes were possible one after the other. All three Synoptics quote the identical language of the leper and the identical answer of Jesus. His condition of the third class turned on the “will” (τεληις — thelēis) of Jesus who at once asserts his will (τηλω — thēlō) and cleanses him. All three likewise mention the touch (ηπσατο — hēpsato Luke 5:13) of Christ‘s hand on the unclean leper and the instantaneous cure. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 5:13 mean?

And having stretched out the hand He touched him saying I am willing be you cleansed immediately the leprosy departed from
Καὶ ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα ἥψατο αὐτοῦ λέγων Θέλω καθαρίσθητι εὐθέως λέπρα ἀπῆλθεν ἀπ’

ἐκτείνας  having  stretched  out 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἐκτείνω  
Sense: to stretch out, stretch forth.
χεῖρα  hand 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: χείρ  
Sense: by the help or agency of any one, by means of any one.
ἥψατο  He  touched 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἅπτω  
Sense: to fasten one’s self to, adhere to, cling to.
λέγων  saying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
Θέλω  I  am  willing 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: θέλω  
Sense: to will, have in mind, intend.
καθαρίσθητι  be  you  cleansed 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Passive, 2nd Person Singular
Root: καθαρίζω 
Sense: to make clean, cleanse.
εὐθέως  immediately 
Parse: Adverb
Root: εὐθέως  
Sense: straightway, immediately, forthwith.
λέπρα  leprosy 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: λέπρα  
Sense: leprosy.
ἀπῆλθεν  departed 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀπέρχομαι  
Sense: to go away, depart.