to whom the people were accustomed, and who had no aii- thority.
1 'HxoXou0»j<rav, followed} They did not immediately leave Him.
2. Ae-rpoc, a leper) The most grievous diseases were leprosy (cf. with this passage 2 Kings v. 7), paralysis (cf. Mark ii. 3 with ver. 6) and fever (see ver. 14). It is probable that the leper1 had listened to our Lord's discourse from a distance. — J«x, x.r.X., if) etc.) the leper does not doubt our Lord's power, but he humbly rests the event upon His will alone. Faith exclaims, if Thou wilt, not, if Thou canst; see Mark ix. 22. — ovvaffai, Thou canst) At the commencement of His ministry, the chief object of Faith was the omnipotence of Jesus. This faith the leper might have con ceived from His discourse.
3. Tyv xtlpa, His hand) to which the leprosy, that would have polluted others, was compelled to yield. — QiXu, I will) corres ponding to, // thou wilt. A prompt echo to the matured faith of the leper. The very prayer of the leper contained the words of the desired reply. The expression, / will, implies the highest authority. Our Lord performed His first miracles immediately, that He might not appear to have had any difficulty in perform ing them : but after He had established His authority, He fre quently interposed a delay salutary to men.
4. Mr,divi, to no one) sc. before you have gone to the priest, lest the priests, if they had heard of it before, should deny that the leprosy had been really cleansed ; sc. to no one of those who had not witnessed the miracle. — ffiavrbv, thyself) not by means of another. — sl<; /uaprvpiov, for a testimony) See John v. 36. Thus
hand, ac Vulg. Hil. 640, Euseb. awoS. 276 : b also, adding ctiiruv. However the weighty authority of B is against the additional words. — ED.
1 Whose cure Matthew places, in the correct order, between the Sermon on the Mount and the cure of the centurion's servant. — Harm., p 252.