Matthew 17:15
New International Version
“Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.

New Living Translation
“Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.

English Standard Version
said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water.

Berean Standard Bible
“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.

Berean Literal Bible
and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic and suffers miserably; for often he falls into the fire, and often into the water.

King James Bible
Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

New King James Version
“Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.

New American Standard Bible
“Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers terribly; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.

NASB 1995
“Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.

NASB 1977
“Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic, and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water.

Legacy Standard Bible
“Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and suffers terribly; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.

Amplified Bible
“Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic (moonstruck) and suffers terribly; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.

Christian Standard Bible
“Lord,” he said, “have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire and often into the water.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Lord,” he said, “have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers severely. He often falls into the fire and often into the water.

American Standard Version
Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is epileptic, and suffereth grievously; for oft-times he falleth into the fire, and oft-times into the water.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he said to him, “My lord, have mercy on me, my son has a lunatic demon and has become ill, for he has fallen many times into fire and many times into water.”

Contemporary English Version
and said, "Lord, have pity on my son! He has a bad case of epilepsy and often falls into a fire or into water.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Lord, have pity on my son, for he is a lunatic, and suffereth much: for he falleth often into the fire, and often into the water.

English Revised Version
Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is epileptic, and suffereth grievously: for oft-times he falleth into the fire, and oft-times into the water.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
and said, "Sir, have mercy on my son. He suffers from seizures. Often he falls into fire or water.

Good News Translation
and said, "Sir, have mercy on my son! He is an epileptic and has such terrible attacks that he often falls in the fire or into water.

International Standard Version
and said, "Sir, have mercy on my son, because he is an epileptic and suffers terribly. Often he falls into fire and often into water.

Literal Standard Version
and saying, “Lord, deal kindly with my son, for he is [a] lunatic, and suffers miserably, for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water,

Majority Standard Bible
“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.

New American Bible
and said, “Lord, have pity on my son, for he is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water.

NET Bible
and said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers terribly, for he often falls into the fire and into the water.

New Revised Standard Version
and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water.

New Heart English Bible
and said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic, and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water.

Webster's Bible Translation
Lord, have mercy on my son; for he is lunatic, and grievously distressed; for often he falleth into the fire, and often into the water.

Weymouth New Testament
"Sir," he said, "have pity on my son, for he is an epileptic and is very ill. Often he falls into the fire and often into the water.

World English Bible
“Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic and suffers grievously; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water.

Young's Literal Translation
and saying, 'Sir, deal kindly with my son, for he is lunatic, and doth suffer miserably, for often he doth fall into the fire, and often into the water,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Boy with a Demon
14When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus and knelt before Him. 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. 16I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him.”…

Cross References
Matthew 4:24
News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed--and He healed them.

Matthew 17:16
I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him."

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."

John 18:2
Now Judas His betrayer also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with His disciples.


Treasury of Scripture

Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for often he falls into the fire, and oft into the water.

have.

Matthew 15:22
And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

Mark 5:22,23
And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, …

Mark 9:22
And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

for.

Matthew 4:24
And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

Mark 9:17,18,20-22
And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; …

he is.

for ofttimes.

Matthew 8:31,32
So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine…

Job 1:10-19
Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land…

Job 2:7
So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

Jump to Previous
Deal Distressed Fall Falleth Falls Fire Frequently Goes Great Grievously Head Ill Kindly Lunatick Mercy Miserably Oft Often Ofttimes Oft-Times Pain Pity Seizures Sir Sore Suffer Suffering Suffers Terribly Vexed Water
Jump to Next
Deal Distressed Fall Falleth Falls Fire Frequently Goes Great Grievously Head Ill Kindly Lunatick Mercy Miserably Oft Often Ofttimes Oft-Times Pain Pity Seizures Sir Sore Suffer Suffering Suffers Terribly Vexed Water
Matthew 17
1. The transfiguration of Jesus.
14. He heals the boy with a demon,
22. foretells his own passion,
24. and pays tribute.














(15) Lunatick.--See Note on Matthew 4:24. The other Gospels add some further touches. The boy had a "dumb spirit." When the spirit seized him it "tore him," and he foamed at the mouth, and gnashed with his teeth. Slowly, and as with difficulty, the paroxysm passed off, and the sufferer was wasting away under the violence of the attacks. The phenomena described are, it need hardly be said, those of epilepsy complicated with insanity, a combination common in all countries, and likely to be aggravated where the "seizure," which the very word epilepsy implies, was the work of a supernatural power. A prolonged melancholy, an indescribable look of sadness, a sudden falling, and loss of consciousness, with or without convulsions, or passing into a tetanic stiffness, a periodical recurrence coinciding often with the new or full moon (hence probably the description of the boy as "lunatick"), grinding the teeth, foaming at the mouth, are all noted by medical writers as symptoms of the disease. The names by which it was known in the earlier stages of medical science were all indicative of the awe with which men looked on it. It was the "divine," the "sacred" disease, as being a direct supernatural infliction. The Latin synonym, morbus comitialis, came from the fact that if a seizure of this kind occurred during the comitia, or assemblies of the Roman Republic, it was looked upon as of such evil omen that the meeting was at once broken up, and all business adjourned. Whether there was in this case something more than disease, viz., a distinct possession by a supernatural force, is a question which belongs to the general subject of the "demoniacs" of the Gospel records. (See Note on 8:28.) Here, at any rate, our Lord's words (Matthew 17:21) assume, even more emphatically than elsewhere, the reality of the possession. (See Mark 9:25.)

Verse 15. - This verse in the Vulgate is contained in ver. 14. Have mercy on my son. According to St. Luke, the father makes his plea more touching by adding that he was his only son - an appeal to which the Saviour's tender heart was always open, as when he stopped the bier at Nain, and said to the childless widow, "Weep not." He is lunatic (σεληνιάξεται). The Revised Version most unnecessarily renders the verb, he is epileptic. Doubtless the case in many respects simulated epilepsy, and might have been so described; but it seems inexpedient to conceal the actual word used, which gave the popular and probably correct view of one phase of the complaint. Surely a real fact well known to medical science underlies the term lunacy, in the catalogue of the diseased persons who were brought to Christ to be healed (Matthew 4:24), we find a class called lunatics, distinct from the paralytic and possessed. It is by no means an exploded fallacy that the moon has some mysterious influence on certain constitutions, and produces an aggravation of symptoms in accordance with some of its changes. It was from observation of this phenomenon that this form of insanity was termed seleniasmus or lunacy. In the present instance the disease was complicated and of no ordinary nature. The other synoptists state that the child was possessed by a demon. This was the fact which differentiated the malady from any merely organic sickness. It was in truth epilepsy accompanied by or occasioned by demoniacal possession. St. Matthew does not mention the possession in his introductory account, but he afterwards (ver. 18) speaks of the demon departing. Sore vexed (κακῶς πάσχει); is in evil case; suffers grievously. He was affected with terrible paroxysms, which are detailed more at length by Mark and Luke. Matthew narrates some of the effects of the mania upon the victim. Ofttimes he falleth into the fire. The fits, coming on suddenly and without warning, brought the sufferer into imminent dangers, perhaps produced suicidal tendencies, which urged him to destroy himself.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
“Lord,
Κύριε (Kyrie)
Noun - Vocative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2962: Lord, master, sir; the Lord. From kuros; supreme in authority, i.e. controller; by implication, Master.

have mercy on
ἐλέησόν (eleēson)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 1653: To pity, have mercy on. From eleos; to compassionate.

my
μου (mou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

son,”
υἱόν (huion)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5207: A son, descendent. Apparently a primary word; a 'son', used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship.

he said.
λέγων (legōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

“He has seizures
σεληνιάζεται (selēniazetai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 4583: To be a lunatic, be moonstruck, epileptic.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

is suffering
πάσχει (paschei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3958: I am acted upon in a certain way, either good or bad; I experience ill treatment, suffer.

terribly.
κακῶς (kakōs)
Adverb
Strong's 2560: Badly, evilly, wrongly. From kakos; badly.

He often falls
πίπτει (piptei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 4098: A reduplicated and contracted form of peto; probably akin to petomai through the idea of alighting; to fall.

into
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

the
τὸ (to)
Article - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

fire
πῦρ (pyr)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4442: Fire; the heat of the sun, lightning; fig: strife, trials; the eternal fire. A primary word; 'fire'.

[or]
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

into
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

the
τὸ (to)
Article - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

water.
ὕδωρ (hydōr)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5204: Water. And genitive case, hudatos, etc. From the base of huetos; water literally or figuratively.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 17:15 Lord have mercy on my son (Matt. Mat Mt)
Matthew 17:14
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