Messiah in Yom HaBikkurim Chapter 98
Miracle #28. Healed man’s speech and hearing.
- The Twenty-eighth Miracle of Messiah
- Healing hearing and speech
- The Ten Cities
- Yeshua speaks in Aramaic
- Fulfillment of Messianic Prophecy
- Spiritual Deafness and Muteness
- The Reversal of the Fall
- Direct, Intimate Spiritual Awakening
- Spiritual Liberation
The Twenty-eighth Miracle of Messiah:
Markos 7:31-37
וַיָּשָׁב וַיֵּצֵא מִגְּבוּל צוֹר וְצִידוֹן וַיָּבֹא אֶל־יָם הַגָּלִיל בְּתוֹךְ גְּבוּל עֶשֶׂר הֶעָרִים׃ וַיָּבִיאוּ אֵלָיו אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הָיָה חֵרֵשׁ וְאִלֵּם וַיִּתְחַנֲנוּ לוֹ לָשׂוּם עָלָיו אֶת־יָדוֹ׃ וַיִּקַּח אֹתוֹ לְבַדּוֹ מִקֶּרֶב הֶהָמוֹן וַיָּשֶׂם אֶת־אֶצְבְּעוֹתָיו בְּאָזְנָיו וַיָּרָק וַיַּגַּע עַל־לְשֹׁנוֹ׃ וַיַּבֵּט הַשָּׁמַיְמָה וַיֵּאָנַח וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אִפַּתַּח וּפֵרוּשׁוֹ הִתְפַּתֵּחַ׃ וּבְרֶגַע נִפְתְּחוּ אָזְנָיו וַיֻּתַּר אֵסוּר לְשׁוֹנוֹ וַיְדַבֵּר בְּשָׂפָה בְרוּרָה׃ וַיְצַו עֲלֵיהֶם שֶׁלּא־יַגִּידוּ לְאִישׁ וְכַאֲשֶׁר יַזְהִירֵם כֵּן יַרְבּוּ לְהַשְׁמִיעַ׃ וַיִּשְׁתּוֹמֲמוּ עַד־מְאֹד וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶת־הַכֹּל עָשָׂה יָפֶה גַּם־הַחֵרְשִׁים הוּא עֹשֶׂה לְשֹׁמְעִים גַּם־הָאִלְּמִים לִמְדַבְּרִים׃
יֵשׁוּעַ יָצָא מֵאֵזוֹר צוֹר וְחָזַר דֶּרֶךְ צִידוֹן אֶל יַַם הַגָּלִיל, דֶּרֶךְ אֵזוֹר עֶשֶׂר הֶעָרִים. הֵבִיאוּ אֵלָיו אִישׁ חֵרֵשׁ וּמִתְקַשֶּׁה בְּדִבּוּר וּבִקְשׁוּ מִמֶּנּוּ שֶׁיָּשִׂים אֶת יָדוֹ עָלָיו. לָקַח אוֹתוֹ יֵשׁוּעַ אֶל מִחוּץ לֶהָמוֹן בִּיחִידוּת, שָׂם אֶת אֶצְבְּעוֹתָיו בְּאָזְנָיו וּלְאַחַר שֶׁיָּרַק נָגַע בִּלְשׁוֹנוֹ, וּבְהַבִּיטוֹ הַשָּׁמַיְמָה נֶאֱנַח וְאָמַר אֵלָיו: “הִפָּתַח!” אָזְנָיו נִפְתְּחוּ וּמִיָּד הֻתַּר קֶשֶׁר לְשׁוֹנוֹ וְהוּא דִּבֵּר בְּבֵרוּר. אָז צִוָּה עֲלֵיהֶם שֶׁלֹּא יְסַפְּרוּ לְאִישׁ, אַךְ כְּכָל שֶׁצִּוָּה זֹאת עֲלֵיהֶם כֵּן הִרְבּוּ לְהַכְרִיז עַל כָּךְ. הֵם הִשְׁתּוֹמְמוּ עַד מְאֹד וְאָמְרוּ: “הַכֹּל עָשָׂה יָפֶה! אֶת הַחֵרְשִׁים הוּא עוֹשֶׂה לְשׁוֹמְעִים וְאֶת הָאִלְּמִים לִמְדַבְּרִים!” פ
Again, he came out from the region of Tzor (Tyre) and Tzidon (Sidon) returning to the Sea of Galil within the region of the Ten Cities (the Decapolis). They (the people) brought him a man who was deaf and mute, and they begged him to place his hand on him. Yeshua took him out alone from the midst of the crowd. He placed his fingers in his ears, spat, and touched his tongue. He looked intently toward heaven and sighed. (Then) He said to him, “Hiffatach!”(הִפָּתַח) which is interpreted, “Open!” Immediately his ears were opened and the binding of his tongue was loosened, and he spoke with clear language. He commanded them not to tell anyone, but the more he warned them, the more they made it heard. They were extremely astonished and said, “He does everything well; he even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!”
Healing hearing and speech:
Rabbeinu Yeshua heals a man who is deaf and has a speech impediment. Yeshua takes him aside privately, places His fingers in the man’s ears, touches his tongue with His spit, looks up to heaven, and commands, “Ephphatha,” meaning “Be opened!” Instantly, the man’s hearing and speech are restored.
The Physical Setting: This event takes place in the region of the Decapolis, the Ten Cities, a predominantly Gentile area. By healing a non-Jewish woman’s daughter in the previous miracle and now man in today’s miracle Yeshua is demonstrating that the LORD’s saving grace now extends beyond His people of Israel to all the nations, peoples, and families of the earth.
The Actions of Yeshua: This time rather than speaking a word from a distance, Yeshua uses tangible, physical actions. By putting his fingers in the man’s ears and using his saliva on the tongue, Yeshua accommodates himself to the man’s condition, using physical signs to communicate that God’s healing power is flowing through him.
The Ten Cities:
Jews were not the majority of the population in the Decapolis. The area of the “Ten Cities” was a distinct region of Hellenistic and Roman city-states located primarily east of the Jordan River. When Roman General Pompey conquered the region in 63 BCE, the Decapolis cities were granted autonomous status under Roman protection, separate from Jewish rule.
The vast majority of the population consisted of Gentiles (non-Jews), including Greeks, Romans, and Hellenized Semitic peoples like the Nabataeans. It stood in stark contrast to the heavily Jewish majorities found in neighboring Judea and Galilee.
The cities operated along Greek cultural lines. They featured Greek architecture, theaters, gymnasiums, and pagan temples dedicated to deities like Zeus and Dionysus. The non-Jewish character of the region is illustrated in the large herds of pigs that were located in the region. Swine were strictly forbidden by Jewish dietary laws (Kashrut) but were commonly farmed by the Gentile population of the Decapolis.
While they were not the majority, substantial Jewish communities lived within the Ten Cities. For instance, first-century historian Josephus recorded large Jewish populations in Decapolis cities like Scythopolis (modern Beit She’an) and Damascus.
Yeshua speaks in Aramaic:
The Aramaic Word: The word “Ephphatha” is recorded in the original Aramaic language that Yeshua spoke. Mark preserves this detail to show the intimacy and authority of Yeshua’s command.
Aramaic was the common everyday language of the Near East and Judea during the first century. Hebrew had largely shifted to a sacred language used for scripture and synagogue worship following the Babylonian exile, meaning Aramaic was the natural language for speaking with public.
The Public Reaction: Despite Yeshua commanding the crowd not to tell anyone, the people are completely astonished and proclaim that:
“He has done all things well.”
Fulfillment of Messianic Prophecy:
The Isaiah Prophecy: Markos uses a specific Greek word for “speech-impaired”—mogilalos. In the entire ancient Greek translation of the Tanakh (the Septuagint), this word appears only once: in Isaiah 35:5-6.
אָ֥ז תִּפָּקַ֖חְנָה עֵינֵ֣י עִוְרִ֑ים וְאָזְנֵ֥י חֵרְשִׁ֖ים תִּפָּתַֽחְנָה׃ אָ֣ז יְדַלֵּ֤ג כָּֽאַיָּל֙ פִּסֵּ֔חַ וְתָרֹ֖ן לְשׁ֣וֹן אִלֵּ֑ם כִּֽי־נִבְקְע֤וּ בַמִּדְבָּר֙ מַ֔יִם וּנְחָלִ֖ים בָּעֲרָבָֽה׃
“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute shall sing for joy; for waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.”
The New Creation: Isaiah prophesied that when the Messiah comes, “the ears of the deaf will be unstopped… and the mute tongue will shout for joy.” By deliberately linking these texts, Markos signals that Yeshua is the long-awaited Savior ushering in God’s new creation.
Spiritual Deafness and Muteness:
Inability to Hear God: In a spiritual sense, humanity is born “deaf” to the voice of God. Sin numbs the spiritual senses, leaving people unable to truly perceive, comprehend, or welcome the Good News message.
Inability to Praise God: Spiritual muteness follows spiritual deafness. If a person cannot hear or understand God’s truth, they cannot accurately profess faith, speak truth to others, or offer genuine praise.
The Reversal of the Fall
“He Has Done All Things Well.” When the onlookers witness the miracle, they exclaim, “He has done all things well” (Markos 7:37).
Return to Perfect Creation: This phrase deliberately mirrors the creation narrative in Genesis 1:31, where God looked at His creation and saw that it was “very good.” The miracle shows Yeshua systematically undoing the brokenness, decay, and sickness introduced into the world by sin.
.וַיַּ֤רְא אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֔ה וְהִנֵּה־ט֖וֹב מְאֹ֑ד
“And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.”
Direct, Intimate Spiritual Awakening:
Private Encounter: Yeshua takes the man away from the chaotic noise of the multitude. Spiritually, this demonstrates that saving faith and inner healing require personal, intimate communion with God’s Messiah, separate from the distracting, loud and dissonant voices of secular culture.
Personal Touch: Yeshua uses physical actions—touching the ears, using saliva, and looking up to heaven—acting out a visible “sign language” to communicate his intentions to the deaf man. It represents the Holy Spirit personally reaching (stooping) down into human frailty to spark faith.
Compassionate: When Yeshua looks up and sighs (or groans), it reflects His deep, empathetic grief over the fractured state of humanity, showcasing the incredible destructive consequences of sin and the immense cost of our redemption.
Spiritual Liberation:
“Be Opened“: When Yeshua commands “Ephphatha”, Markos notes that the man’s tongue was “released” or “loosed.”
Breaking the Chains: The original text uses a word that literally translates to the breaking of bonds or chains. This highlights that the Messiah’s primary mission is a ministry of liberation—breaking the spiritual chains of sin, guilt, and spiritual isolation that imprison human hearts.