Spoken to
an individual
Said to a man with a withered hand when the Pharisees are watching to see if he will heal of the Sabbath.
KJV
Mark 3:5 Stretch forth thine hand.
NIV
Mark 3:5 Stretch out your hand.
LISTENERS HEARD
Reach out that hand of yours.
MY TAKE
We must reach out for what we need.
LOST IN TRANSLATION
This phrase has a simple meaning when addressed to the crippled man, but it also means to go beyond your abilities in extending help. In terms of the larger discussion about religion and the Sabbath, Jesus answers his own question about the priority of doing good in the context of religious tradition. He has said clearly that religious tradition is our servant not our master. It is meant to give us power and the ability not to take it away. The parallel verse inLuke 6:10is identical, while the difference inMatthew 12:13 is only the position of the pronoun, "your".
# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
1
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "heaven" is not shown in the English translation.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
1
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "heaven" is not shown in the English translation.
EACH WORD of KJV
Stretch "Stretch forth" is a verb that means "to stretch out," but also means "to offer food", "to prostrate yourself," and "to extend."The Greek word for "stretch" has the same meaning as the word in English with all its related ideas of extending yourself and your abilities. This extension of abilities has the same sense of being work and a struggle. It is a command.
forth -- This is from the prefixof the previous verb that means "out of."
thy: The word translated as "thy" is the possessive form of the second person pronoun. This appears after the noun, so "of yours."
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated wordis the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those").See this article for more.
hand: "Hand" is a noun"the hand" but has a host of meanings in Greek beyond a simple body part. It means "helping another" (like the English "lending a hand") and it means "an act or deed," especially in the sense of going beyond words. Christ used the hand, both in his actions and words, as symbolic of an individual's personal power. Every time he used the word (or used his hands), they were an expression of power. Being "in someone's hands" means being in their power (Matthew 17:22). He said that we are better off losing our abilities as symbolized by our hands (Matthew 5:30) than misusing them.
EACH WORD of NIV
Stretch "Stretch forth" is a verb that means "to stretch out," but also means "to offer food", "to prostrate yourself," and "to extend."The Greek word for "stretch" has the same meaning as the word in English with all its related ideas of extending yourself and your abilities. This extension of abilities has the same sense of being work and a struggle. It is a command.
out -- This is from the prefixof the previous verb that means "out of."
your -- The word translated as "your" is the possessive form of the second person pronoun. This appears after the noun, so "of yours."
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated wordis the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those").See this article for more.
hand: "Hand" is a noun"the hand" but has a host of meanings in Greek beyond a simple body part. It means "helping another" (like the English "lending a hand") and it means "an act or deed," especially in the sense of going beyond words. Christ used the hand, both in his actions and words, as symbolic of an individual's personal power. Every time he used the word (or used his hands), they were an expression of power. Being "in someone's hands" means being in their power (Matthew 17:22). He said that we are better off losing our abilities as symbolized by our hands (Matthew 5:30) than misusing them.
COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV
Ἔκτεινον [4 verses](2nd sg aor imperat act) "Stretch forth" is ekteinô, which means "to stretch out," "to offer food," "to prostrate yourself," "to straighten," "spread out," to extend," "spin out, "prolong," "put forth" and, in the passive, "be unfolded," "be smoothed." - "Stretch forth" is a verb that means "to stretch out," but also means "to offer food," "to prostrate yourself," and "to extend."The Greek word for "stretch" has the same meaning as the word in English with all its related ideas of extending yourself and your abilities. This extension of abilities has the same sense of being work and a struggle.
τὴν[821 verses](article sg fem acc) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). -
χεῖρά [25 verses] (noun sg fem acc)"Hand" is fromcheirwhich means "the hand and arm," and "with the help of agency of another." Like "hand" in English, it has a lot of meanings including "an act or deed", "a body of people," and the measurement "handful."
σου [144 verses](pron 2nd sg gen) "Thy" issou is the genitive form of the second-person, singular pronoun that means "of you" and "your."
Wordplay
The phrase meaning "stretch out your hand" also means to "go beyond words to deeds with your abilities."
Related Verses
Luke 6:10Stretch forth thy hand.
Matthew 12:13 Stretch forth thine hand.
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