Luke 17 15

Luke 17:15 kjv

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

Luke 17:15 nkjv

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,

Luke 17:15 niv

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.

Luke 17:15 esv

Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice;

Luke 17:15 nlt

One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, "Praise God!"

Luke 17 verses

Luke 17 15 Meaning

Luke 17:15 describes the action of one of the ten lepers, who, upon realizing he had been made clean, turned back to Jesus, vocally praising and glorifying God. This singular act of returning to express profound gratitude stands in stark contrast to the nine others who continued on their way. The verse highlights an immediate, spontaneous response of thanksgiving following divine intervention, demonstrating a true understanding and acknowledgment of the source of his healing.

Luke 17 15 Context

Luke 17:15 is part of the larger narrative of Jesus' journey towards Jerusalem (Luke 9:51–19:27), where He imparts various teachings about the nature of the Kingdom of God and the cost of discipleship. The immediate context is the miraculous healing of ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19). This event takes place "between Samaria and Galilee," a transitional and culturally fraught border region. Lepers, irrespective of their background, were ritually unclean and socially ostracized, required by Mosaic Law (Leviticus 13-14) to live apart and present themselves to a priest upon healing to be declared clean and reintegrated into society. The specific mention of one leper returning, identified in the following verse as a Samaritan, adds significant layers to the narrative. Samaritans were despised by orthodox Jews due to their mixed heritage and divergent religious practices. Thus, the actions of the Samaritan leper serve as a stark and challenging commentary on gratitude, faith, and true piety, contrasting sharply with the assumed piety of the Jewish lepers.

Luke 17 15 Word analysis

• One (εἷς - heis): Signifies singularity, emphasizing that out of a group of ten, only a minority, specifically just one, responded appropriately. It draws attention to the distinct and extraordinary action of this individual.
• of them (ἐξ αὐτῶν - ex autōn): Highlights his origin from the collective group of healed lepers, underscoring his difference in action from the others who presumably went directly to the priests as instructed.
• when he saw (ἰδών - idōn): This is a participle indicating immediate visual recognition and comprehension. It suggests a clear and undeniable awareness of his own restored physical condition. His action was a direct, intelligent response to a perceived reality.
• that he was healed (ὅτι ἰάθη - hoti iathē): Iathē is an aorist passive form of iaomai (to heal), emphasizing that the healing was a completed action performed upon him, by an external power (God/Jesus). This signifies the miraculous, divine nature of his transformation. It underlines the objective truth of his cleansing.
• turned back (ὑποστρέφω - hypostrephō): Means "to return," "to come back." This is a significant action, signifying not just a change of direction, but a change of purpose. Instead of prioritizing the legal ritual of presenting himself to the priests as Levitical law demanded (which the other nine likely did), he prioritized immediate thanksgiving to the Healer. It speaks to an immediate reorientation of focus, indicating spiritual recognition alongside physical restoration.
• glorifying God (δοξάζων τὸν Θεόν - doxazōn ton Theon): Doxazōn is a present participle, indicating a continuous or immediate act of glorification. It means "to acknowledge the dignity, majesty, or power of someone; to praise, to honor, to give glory." This response directly credits God as the source of the healing, recognizing His divine power and benevolence. It's a spontaneous and unprompted act of worship.
• with a loud voice (φωνῇ μεγάλῃ - phōnē megalē): Indicates public, unashamed, and exuberant praise. It's not a whisper or a quiet thought but a powerful proclamation audible to others, indicating a complete lack of shame or fear, and perhaps a desire for others to witness God's work. It reflects intense emotion and profound conviction.

Words-group analysis:

• "When he saw that he was healed, turned back": This phrase details the pivot point. The physical miracle led to spiritual insight and action. Seeing the effect led him back to the source. His immediate re-direction demonstrates that his focus was not just on his own cleansing but on the One who brought it about. This reflects a deeper form of faith and gratitude than merely seeking restoration.
• "Glorifying God with a loud voice": This group highlights the manner of his gratitude: open, passionate, and directed appropriately to God. This public act sets him apart, signaling true worship and not just a fulfillment of duty. It implicitly critiques those who receive blessings but fail to give open, fervent praise to the Giver.

Luke 17 15 Bonus section

The actions of the Samaritan leper go beyond the minimal requirement of the Mosaic Law for a cleansed leper, which was simply to present oneself to a priest. The Law provided no specific ritual for thanking the agent of healing if it was a prophet or a miracle worker; the emphasis was on ritual cleansing. However, this Samaritan, an "outsider" to orthodox Jewish religion, models a richer, more profound response that anticipates true worship under the New Covenant—direct adoration of God manifested through Jesus. His spontaneous, vocal gratitude directly to Jesus foreshadows the kind of unmediated relationship believers would have with God through Christ. It's a polemical statement against religious formality without heart, showcasing that genuine faith and spiritual insight can be found in unexpected places, outside traditional religious boundaries. The other nine lepers, presumably Jewish, obeyed the Law but missed the spirit of thanksgiving, valuing the legal cleanness more than the Giver of it. This echoes a recurring theme in Luke's Gospel, where outcasts often demonstrate greater faith and understanding than the religiously observant (e.g., the tax collector vs. the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14, or the good Samaritan himself).

Luke 17 15 Commentary

Luke 17:15 encapsulates a profound theological truth about gratitude and its intimate connection with faith. While all ten lepers received physical cleansing through Jesus' word, only one grasped the deeper significance and responded with genuine thanksgiving and adoration. The Samaritan's immediate turn, driven by an acknowledgment of God's power revealed in Jesus, goes beyond mere polite acknowledgement; it is an act of worship. His loud glorification signifies not only deep personal thankfulness but also a public declaration of God's miraculous work through Jesus. This verse subtly teaches that true healing, or true blessing, should culminate in the worship of God. It highlights that the most impactful response to divine grace is not merely to receive, but to return, recognizing the Giver above the gift, and openly praising Him for it. It serves as a potent reminder for believers to cultivate hearts of consistent and unreserved gratitude for God's blessings, rather than merely enjoying the benefits without acknowledging the Benefactor.