Matthew 17:17 Meaning and Explanation
“Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Jesus laments the unbelief of the generation, then calls for the boy to be brought to Him.
What Does Matthew 17:17 Mean?
Jesus grief over the unbelief around Him breaks out in a cry: how long must He bear with a generation slow to trust? The lament takes in more than the disciples -- it reaches the whole faithless and crooked age. Yet it ends not in rejection but in invitation: bring him hither to me.
Even as He mourns hardness of heart, His next word opens His arms to the very need before Him. The sigh over unbelief and the call to bring the boy come from the same heart. However faithless the age, Christ still says, bring it to me -- the suffering, the doubt, the child no one else could help.
Matthew 17:17 in the Original Language
apistos (ἄπιστος), 'faithless' -- without trust, unbelieving; the lack that grieves the Lord.
Frequently Asked Questions About Matthew 17:17
What does Matthew 17:17 mean?
Jesus laments the unbelief of the generation, then calls for the boy to be brought to Him.