And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

LUKE 10:9KJV
Know the Bible

Luke 10:9 (KJV)

What does Luke 10:9 mean?

Luke 10:9 records Jesus instructing his followers to heal the sick in the towns they visit and to tell the people that God’s kingdom has come near to them. The verse highlights both a practical act of compassion and a message about God’s presence and rule drawing close.

In this scene, Jesus is speaking to a group of seventy-two disciples he is sending out ahead of him. He tells them to care for the sick as a sign of God’s concern and to announce that something significant—God’s kingdom—is arriving. The verse connects physical healing with the spiritual message that God’s reign is coming near in a new and real way.

The Greek behind Luke 10:9

  • The word for “heal” is θεραπεύετε (therapeuete), which means to care for or restore to health. This word often carries the sense of attentive, ongoing care, not just a one-time miracle.
  • “Sick” is ἀσθενεῖς (astheneis), meaning those who are weak or ill. The term can refer to any kind of weakness, not only physical sickness.
  • The phrase “is come nigh unto you” uses ἤγγικεν (ēngiken), which means to draw near or approach. In this context, it emphasizes that God’s kingdom is not distant or abstract, but close and available.

Why Luke 10:9 matters

  • Luke 10:9 clarifies that Jesus’ mission involved both meeting practical needs and proclaiming spiritual truth, not just one or the other.
  • The verse shows that the arrival of God’s kingdom is meant to be experienced in real life, through acts of healing and kindness, not just words.
  • It connects the disciples’ actions directly to the message they carry, showing that the good news of God’s kingdom is demonstrated as well as declared.

Where else these words appear

“sick” Greek G772 · used in 23 verses

  • Matthew 25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
  • Acts 5:16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.
  • 1 Corinthians 9:22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

“nigh” Greek G1448 · used in 42 verses

  • Matthew 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
  • Luke 12:33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
  • Luke 24:28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.

“heal” Greek G2323 · used in 43 verses

  • Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
  • Matthew 19:2 And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.
  • Luke 8:2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,