καὶ ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ ὄχλοι πολλοί, καὶ ἐθεράπευσεν αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖ. — Matthew 19:2
Opening the Scene: Syntax in Action
This short yet vivid verse from the Gospel of Matthew paints a moment of intense public response and divine intervention. Two verbs dominate the sentence: ἠκολούθησαν (“they followed”) and ἐθεράπευσεν (“he healed”). Both are in the aorist active indicative tense, conveying actions that are complete and significant. Through the simplicity of the Greek structure, we are drawn into a movement from crowd action to divine response—all within a single breath.
The Aorist: A Tense of Completed Reality
The Greek aorist tense does not correspond precisely to the English simple past. While both verbs are translated into English as “followed” and “healed,” the aorist tense highlights the event as a whole, not its process. There’s no stress on duration, repetition, or result—only the action in its entirety.
ἠκολούθησαν shows that the crowds followed Jesus decisively. This is not the imperfect tense (which would suggest an ongoing or habitual following), but the aorist, indicating a unified movement at that moment in time. Likewise, ἐθεράπευσεν encapsulates the healing event as one completed, authoritative act.
The Power of Word Order
Greek word order is flexible but meaningful. Here, ἐκεῖ (“there”) appears at the very end of the sentence, which gives it emphasis. Matthew is not just telling us what Jesus did, but where he did it. The placement of ἐκεῖ closes the verse with geographical precision and theological gravity. Jesus healed them there—at the very place of encounter, not from a distance, not as a metaphor, but present and active.
The Crowd and the Christ
ὄχλοι πολλοί (“many crowds”) is a plural subject that intensifies the magnitude of the scene. The people are not a vague group; they are masses. Their movement toward Jesus—indicated by the aorist ἠκολούθησαν—sets up a divine response. Jesus does not preach here, nor teach. He heals. And in that healing act (ἐθεράπευσεν), the evangelist presents a glimpse of the kingdom: need answered by power, suffering met with mercy.
Parsing the Verbal Frame
| Greek Verb | Root | Tense | Voice | Mood | Person & Number | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἠκολούθησαν | ἀκολουθέω | Aorist | Active | Indicative | 3rd Person Plural | they followed |
| ἐθεράπευσεν | θεραπεύω | Aorist | Active | Indicative | 3rd Person Singular | he healed |
The Moment Mercy Met Movement
Matthew 19:2 shows us more than crowds and healing. It shows how grammar itself serves theology. Through two aorist verbs, we witness a swift sequence: the people followed, and Jesus healed. In Greek, this is not rushed—it is resolved. The actions are complete, the intentions clear. Syntax meets significance in the simple yet weighty structure of this verse, reminding us that every tense and mood in the Greek New Testament carries theological purpose.
