Section 36 of 778:22-26Mark

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King James VersionMark 8:22-26

And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.

And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.

And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.

After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

Mark 8:22-26

A Blind Man Receives Sight in Stages

Sight returns in two touches, not as a moral grade

At Bethsaida people bring a blind man and beg Jesus to touch him. He takes the man by the hand and leads him out of the village. He spits on his eyes, lays hands on him, and asks if he sees anything. The man looks up: he sees people, but they look like trees walking. Jesus lays hands on his eyes again; the man looks intently, is restored, and sees everything clearly. Jesus sends him home, saying not to enter the village.

The two-stage healing sits next to the disciples' partial perception, but the man is not a prop. He reports what he sees, and Jesus continues. Blindness in this story is a condition Jesus heals; it is not a synonym for moral failure, and metaphors of blindness must not stigmatize blind people. A staged healing does not authorize pretending partial improvement is complete. Touch and saliva are not a repeatable medical ritual. Medicine and rehabilitation remain ordinary good.

How this should shape us

Tell the truth about partial sight—in faith, in understanding, and in the body—without shaming blind people as morally unfinished. Seek real care for vision, do not fake a full recovery, and do not turn spit and touch into a technique.

Go deeper

The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.

Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties

Where do careful interpreters differ?

Best judgment: The unique two-stage healing functions near the disciples' partial perception, but the man is not merely a prop. Blindness metaphors must not stigmatize blind people, and the physical method is not a technique.

How certain? probable

Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph flags, supplied-word markup, and coverage.

Mark 8:22-26, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Supports: Greek wording, sentence relations, and material variants checked independently of the KJV.

Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/Mark.txt, 8:22-26

STEP Bible Data

Supports: Greek forms, morphology, and lexical ranges; context controls sense.

STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT Matthew–Acts data, rows for 8:22-26

NET Bible — Mark with translators' and textual notes

Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, older-English clarification, variants, background, and alternatives.

NET Bible Mark PDF, printed pp. 1868–1901, 8:22-26 and attached translator/textual notes

Mark, Second Edition

Supports: Narrative boundaries, plot, characterization, kingdom, Christology, discipleship, conflict, Passion, and ending.

Broadhead, Mark, printed pp. 55–73, Mark 6.6b–8.27a; subsection covering 8:22-26

Mark course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world

Supports: Authorship/date limits, whole-book movement, secrecy, disciple failure, Passion, Sonship, and reader-first context.

Enter the Bible Mark course, Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, Theological Themes, and related passage index; applied to 8:22-26

Mark

Supports: A complete confessional evangelical interpretation used as one traditioned voice, not consensus.

McKinley, “Mark,” Introduction and commentary heading covering Mark 8:22-26

Sources for This Section

These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.

Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph flags, supplied-word markup, and coverage.

Exact location: Mark 8:22-26, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus

Open source ↗

Greek textual evidence

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos

Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010

Supports: Greek wording, sentence relations, and material variants checked independently of the KJV.

Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/Mark.txt, 8:22-26

Open the Mark Greek text file ↗

Lexical and grammatical evidence

STEP Bible Data

Tyndale House Cambridge

Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026

Supports: Greek forms, morphology, and lexical ranges; context controls sense.

Exact location: STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT Matthew–Acts data, rows for 8:22-26

Open source ↗

Translation and textual notes

NET Bible — Mark with translators' and textual notes

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition

Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, older-English clarification, variants, background, and alternatives.

Exact location: NET Bible Mark PDF, printed pp. 1868–1901, 8:22-26 and attached translator/textual notes

Open the official NET Mark PDF ↗

modern scholarly narrative commentary

Mark, Second Edition

Edwin K. Broadhead

Sheffield Phoenix Press; distributed online by the Society of Biblical Literature, 2009

Supports: Narrative boundaries, plot, characterization, kingdom, Christology, discipleship, conflict, Passion, and ending.

Exact location: Broadhead, Mark, printed pp. 55–73, Mark 6.6b–8.27a; subsection covering 8:22-26

Open Broadhead's complete Mark commentary ↗

modern scholarly book introduction

Mark course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world

Paul S. Berge; revised by Kristofer Phan Coffman

Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, 2023 revision; current online course inspected 2026

Supports: Authorship/date limits, whole-book movement, secrecy, disciple failure, Passion, Sonship, and reader-first context.

Exact location: Enter the Bible Mark course, Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, Theological Themes, and related passage index; applied to 8:22-26

Open the Enter the Bible Mark course ↗

modern open confessional commentary

Mark

Mike McKinley

The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023 online edition

Supports: A complete confessional evangelical interpretation used as one traditioned voice, not consensus.

Exact location: McKinley, “Mark,” Introduction and commentary heading covering Mark 8:22-26

Open McKinley's Mark commentary ↗