The Meaning of Luke 7:7 Explained

Luke 7:7

KJV: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.

YLT: wherefore not even myself thought I worthy to come unto thee, but say in a word, and my lad shall be healed;

Darby: Wherefore neither did I count myself worthy to come to thee. But say by a word and my servant shall be healed.

ASV: wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say the word, and my servant shall be healed.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Wherefore  neither  thought I  myself  worthy  to come  unto  thee:  but  say  in a word,  and  my  servant  shall be healed. 

What does Luke 7:7 Mean?

Context Summary

Luke 7:1-10 - An Alien's Surprising Faith
It is interesting to find these wild flowers of natural faith, humility and love growing outside the carefully cultured garden of the Hebrew religion. God has never been without witnesses among the nations. We recall Cyrus in the Old Testament, Isaiah 45:1-7; and Cornelius in the New, Acts 10:1-8. "In every nation." See Acts 10:35. But of course the propitiation of Christ underpins the salvation of all men, Romans 3:25.
Because the centurion was under the authority of Rome and was loyally obedient to it, he was able to exercise authority; and since he was so sure that Christ was obedient and loyal to God, he felt that he, too, was able to exert authority over all other forces, especially those which were injuring and torturing human lives. Let us seek to be such obedient servants that Christ may be able to say to us also, with the absolute certainty that we shall obey, "Go" and "Come" and especially "Do this." [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 7

1  Jesus finds a greater faith in the centurion;
10  heals his servant, being absent;
11  raises from death the widow's son at Nain;
18  answers John's messengers with the declaration of his miracles;
24  testifies to the people what opinion he held of John;
31  compares this generation to the children in the marketplaces,
36  and allowing his feet to be washed and anointed by a woman who was a sinner,
44  he shows how he is a friend to sinners, to forgive them their sins, upon their repentance

Greek Commentary for Luke 7:7

Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee [διο ουδε εμαυτον ηχιωσα προς σε ελτειν]
Not in Matthew because he represents the centurion as coming to Jesus. [source]
Speak the word [ειπε λογωι]
As in Matthew 8:8. Second aorist active imperative with instrumental case, speak with a word.My servant shall be healed (ιατητω ο παις μου — iathētō ho pais mou). Imperative first aorist passive, let be healed. Παις — Pais literally means “boy,” an affectionate term for the “slave,” δουλος — doulos (Luke 7:2), who was “dear” to him. [source]
My servant shall be healed [ιατητω ο παις μου]
Imperative first aorist passive, let be healed. Παις — Pais literally means “boy,” an affectionate term for the “slave,” δουλος — doulos (Luke 7:2), who was “dear” to him. [source]
Say in a word []
Lit., “say with a word.” [source]
My servant shall be healed [ἰαθήτω ὁ παῖς μοῦ]
It is strange that the Rev. should have omitted to note the imperative mood here, at least in the margin. The literal rendering is the more graphic: Let my servant be healed. Note the professional word for heal. See on Luke 6:19. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 7:7

Luke 7:2 Servant [δοῦλος]
A bond-servant. Matthew has παῖς , a servant, which occurs also at Luke 7:7. [source]
Luke 6:19 Healed [ἰᾶτο]
Compare Matthew 14:36; Mark 6:56, where διεσώθησαν , were thoroughly saved, and ἐσώζοντο , were saved, are used. Luke is more technical, using the strictly medical term, which occurs twenty-eight times in the New Testament, seventeen of these in Luke. Luke also uses the two words employed by Matthew and Mark, but always with some addition showing the nature of the saving. Thus Luke 7:3, where διασώσῃ (A. V.,heal ) is explained by Luke 7:7, ἰαθήσεται , the technical word, shall be healed, and by Luke 7:10, “found the servant whole ( ὑγιαίνοντα , another professional word - see on Luke 5:31) that had been sick. ” Compare, also, Luke 8:35, Luke 8:36, Luke 8:44, Luke 8:47, Luke 8:48. Medical writers do not use σώζειν or διασώζειν , to save, as equivalent to ἰᾶσθαι , to heal, but in the sense of escaping from a severe illness or from some calamity. Luke employs it in this sense - Acts 27:44; Acts 28:1. [source]
John 5:30 I [Εγω]
The discourse returns to the first person after using “the Son” since John 5:19. Here Jesus repeats in the first person (as in John 8:28) the statement made in John 5:19 about the Son. In John εμαυτου — emautou is used by Jesus 16 times and not at all by Jesus in the Synoptics. It occurs in the Synoptics only in Matthew 8:8; Luke 7:7. Righteous As all judgments should be. The reason is plain (οτι — hoti because), the guiding principle with the Son being the will of the Father who sent him and made him Judge. Judges often have difficulty in knowing what is law and what is right, but the Son‘s task as Judge is simple enough, the will of the Father which he knows (John 5:20). [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 7:7 mean?

therefore neither myself counted I worthy to You to come but say in a word and shall be healed the servant of me
διὸ οὐδὲ ἐμαυτὸν ἠξίωσα πρὸς σὲ ἐλθεῖν ἀλλὰ εἰπὲ λόγῳ καὶ ἰαθήτω παῖς μου

οὐδὲ  neither 
Parse: Adverb
Root: οὐδέ  
Sense: but not, neither, nor, not even.
ἐμαυτὸν  myself 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative Masculine 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐμαυτοῦ  
Sense: I, me, myself etc.
ἠξίωσα  counted  I  worthy 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: ἀξιόω  
Sense: to think meet, fit, right.
ἐλθεῖν  to  come 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active
Root: ἔρχομαι  
Sense: to come.
εἰπὲ  say 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
λόγῳ  in  a  word 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: λόγος  
Sense: of speech.
ἰαθήτω  shall  be  healed 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἰάομαι  
Sense: to cure, heal.
παῖς  servant 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: παῖς  
Sense: a child, boy or girl.
μου  of  me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.