Matthew 11:5
The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Study Note
Study Note
Jesus's response to John the Baptist's query from prison — listing the blind who receive sight, lame who walk, lepers cleansed, deaf who hear, dead raised, and poor who have good news proclaimed — answers by quoting Isaiah's eschatological restoration texts (Isaiah 35:5-6; 61:1) as currently fulfilled. Each miracle category corresponds to a specific Isaianic promise, making Jesus's healings not simply compassionate acts but eschatological signs that signal the arrival of the kingdom. The final item — 'the poor have good news proclaimed to them' — may be the most significant for John: it references Isaiah 61:1, the programmatic text Jesus had already applied to himself (Luke 4:18). The verse models a christological hermeneutic: Jesus's identity is read through the lens of Isaiah's promises, and the miracles are the evidence that Isaiah's era has arrived.
Other Translations
the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good tidings preached to them.
blind receive sight, and lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and deaf hear, dead are raised, and poor have good news proclaimed,
The blind see; those who were not able to, are walking; lepers are made clean; those who were without hearing, now have their ears open; the dead come to life again, and the poor have the good news given to them.
Cross References
And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and …
Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: …
The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for …
For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.
He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.
The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord loveth the …
And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall …
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, …
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness …
I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee …