And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.

MATTHEW 12:10KJV
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Matthew 12:10 (KJV)

What does Matthew 12:10 mean?

Matthew 12:10 describes a moment when some people, seeing a man with a withered hand, ask Jesus whether it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath, hoping to find a reason to accuse him. The verse shows that their question is not sincere but is meant to trap Jesus into breaking Sabbath law as they understood it.

In this scene, Jesus is being confronted by religious leaders while in a synagogue. The man with the withered hand is present, and the leaders use his condition as a test case. Their question about healing on the Sabbath is less about genuine concern for the law and more about finding grounds to criticize or accuse Jesus, revealing their motives and setting up the events that follow in the chapter.

The Greek behind Matthew 12:10

  • "lawful" (ἔξεστιν, exestin): This Greek word means "permitted" or "allowed." The leaders are not just asking if healing is good, but if it is officially allowed by the law on the Sabbath, highlighting the legalistic focus of their question.
  • "heal" (θεραπεύειν, therapeuein): This word means "to heal" or "to serve medically." In this context, it refers specifically to the act of restoring health, which was debated among Jews as to whether it was permitted on the Sabbath.
  • "accuse" (κατηγορήσωσιν, kategorēsōsin): This word means "to bring charges against" or "to accuse." The verse makes clear that the leaders’ real intent is to find a legal reason to accuse Jesus, not to seek truth or mercy.

Why Matthew 12:10 matters

  • Matthew 12:10 helps readers see that the religious leaders are more interested in trapping Jesus than in helping the man with the withered hand, showing the contrast between their motives and Jesus’ compassion.
  • The verse highlights a key conflict in the Gospels: the difference between strict legalism and the spirit of mercy and goodness that Jesus teaches.
  • This moment sets up the following verses, where Jesus responds to their challenge, teaching about the true purpose of the Sabbath and demonstrating his authority.

Where else these words appear

“withered” Greek G3584 · used in 7 verses

  • Matthew 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
  • Luke 6:8 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.
  • John 5:3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.

“accuse” Greek G2723 · used in 21 verses

  • Matthew 27:12 And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.
  • Luke 23:14 Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:
  • Acts 24:19 Who ought to have been here before thee, and object, if they had ought against me.

“lawful” Greek G1832 · used in 30 verses

  • Matthew 12:2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
  • Mark 2:26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?
  • John 5:10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.

“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 21:14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
  • Luke 8:43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,