Matthew 8:2

προσελθὼν for ἐλθών. The termination of λεπρὸς caused the omission of πρὸς before ἐλθών.

2. λεπρός. St Luke has ἀνὴρ πλήρης λέπρας, a term implying the gravity of the disease. In Leviticus 13:13, where a man appears to be pronounced clean if ‘the leprosy have covered all his flesh,’ there is probably, as it is pointed out in the Speaker’s Commentary, a misconception which has caused much difficulty to commentators. The plague there described is not true leprosy or elephantiasis, but the common white leprosy. The priest shall consider and pronounce clean the plague, i.e. declare that it is not true leprosy. Leprosy is to be regarded as especially symbolic of sin: (1) the beginning of the disease is almost unnoticed, (2) it is contagious (this point is disputed, but see in Speaker’s Commentary note preceding Leviticus 13:13, and Belcher, Our Lord’s Miracles of Healing, ch. IV., also Meyer ad loc. who takes the same view), (3) in its worst form it is incurable except by the touch of Christ; (4) it separated a man and classed him with the dead.

προσεκύνει. The imperfect marks that persistency in prayer, which Jesus had just promised should win acceptance; while the leper’s words imply a faith which is another condition of acceptance.

For the word see note ch. Matthew 2:2. Κύριε bears out the idea of Oriental sovereignty conveyed by the verb. In Mark the reading γονυπετῶν is doubtful, St Luke has πεσὼν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον.