The Withered Hand

The words

1. Accusation

   Luke describes scribes and Pharisees watching for a Sabbath accusation; he then says Jesus knows their thoughts and calls the man to stand in the midst.

   Luke 6:7–8 (opens a new tab)

2. Accuse

   Matthew states that the question about lawful Sabbath healing is asked to accuse Jesus; Mark describes watchers observing whether he will heal on that day.

   Matthew 12:10 (opens a new tab) · Mark 3:2 (opens a new tab)

3. Anger

   Mark describes Jesus looking around with anger and grieving over the hardness of their hearts before telling the man to stretch out his hand.

   Mark 3:5 (opens a new tab)

4. Communed

   Discussed with one another.

   Luke uses “communed” for the discussion after the man’s hand is restored; his KJV describes the participants as “filled with madness” while considering what to do to Jesus.

   Luke 6:10–11 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Luke 6:6-11 (opens a new tab)

5. Do Good

   Mark and Luke record Jesus asking whether Sabbath action should do good or evil, save life or destroy it; Matthew records his conclusion that doing well is lawful.

   Did you know?

   Matthew records Jesus asking whether someone would lift a sheep from a pit on the Sabbath; the comparison comes before his statement about doing well.

   Mark 3:4 (opens a new tab) · Luke 6:9 (opens a new tab) · Matthew 12:11–12 (opens a new tab)

6. Grieved

   Mark pairs Jesus’s anger with grief over their hardness of heart; both reactions come before his command to stretch out the hand and the report of its restoration.

   Mark 3:5 (opens a new tab)

7. Hardness

   Mark places “hardness of their hearts” after the question about doing good and the silence that follows; he links that hardness with Jesus’s grief.

   Mark 3:4–5 (opens a new tab)

8. Herodians

   Mark names Herodians in the plot to kill Jesus; NET’s note tentatively identifies them as supporters of Herod’s dynasty, while Kohler’s older Jewish Encyclopedia entry calls them a priestly party.

   Mark 3:6 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Mark 3:1-6 (opens a new tab) · Jewish Encyclopedia: Herodians (opens a new tab)

9. Madness

   Luke’s KJV says they are “filled with madness”; the NET renders it “mindless rage,” followed by a discussion of what to do to Jesus.

   Luke 6:11 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Luke 6:6-11 (opens a new tab)

10. Right Hand

    Luke explicitly identifies the right hand as withered; Mark and Matthew describe a withered hand without naming a side in these passages.

    Luke 6:6 (opens a new tab) · Mark 3:1 (opens a new tab) · Matthew 12:10 (opens a new tab)

11. Stand Forth

    Stand up among the people.

    Mark gives “Stand forth” as Jesus’s first instruction to the man; Luke adds “in the midst” and describes the man rising and standing there.

    Mark 3:3 (opens a new tab) · Luke 6:8 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Mark 3:1-6 (opens a new tab)

12. Stretch Forth

    Extend or reach out.

    Mark, Luke and Matthew each record Jesus telling the man to stretch out his hand, followed by the man’s action and the hand’s restoration.

    Mark 3:5 (opens a new tab) · Luke 6:10 (opens a new tab) · Matthew 12:13 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Matthew 12:9-14 (opens a new tab)

13. Took Counsel

    Mark reports Pharisees taking counsel with Herodians to kill Jesus; Matthew likewise describes a plot to destroy him, while Luke reports discussion of what to do.

    Mark 3:6 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Mark 3:1-6 (opens a new tab) · Matthew 12:14 (opens a new tab) · Luke 6:11 (opens a new tab)

14. Watched

    Mark describes watchers waiting to see whether Jesus heals on the Sabbath; Luke names scribes and Pharisees and says they seek an accusation.

    Mark 3:2 (opens a new tab) · Luke 6:7 (opens a new tab)

15. Withered

    Shrunken or shriveled.

    Mark, Luke and Matthew describe a withered hand; Luke names the right hand, and each account describes it restored after the man stretches it out.

    Mark 3:1; Mark 3:5 (opens a new tab) · Luke 6:6–10 (opens a new tab) · Matthew 12:10–13 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Mark 3:1-6 (opens a new tab)