“And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.”
My Notes
What Does Mark 7:37 Mean?
"And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak." After Jesus heals a deaf man with a speech impediment, the crowd responds with a superlative that echoes creation itself. "He hath done all things well" mirrors Genesis 1:31: "God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." The crowd is unknowingly identifying Jesus with the Creator — the one who made all things good is now restoring what sin and brokenness have damaged.
The specification "the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak" fulfills Isaiah 35:5-6, which prophesied that in the messianic age, the deaf would hear and the mute would sing. The crowd sees a miracle; the text signals a fulfillment. Jesus isn't just healing bodies — he's inaugurating the age the prophets promised.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What part of your 'original design' feels most broken or damaged right now?
- 2.How does connecting Jesus' healing to Genesis creation ('He hath done all things well') change how you see his work in your life?
- 3.In what ways has your ability to 'hear' God or 'speak' truth been impaired — and what caused it?
- 4.What would full restoration look like for you — not just repair, but return to original design?
Devotional
"He hath done all things well." The crowd meant it as astonished praise, but they were saying more than they knew. Those words echo the first chapter of Genesis — "God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." The Creator who made everything well is now repairing everything that broke.
There's something deeply comforting about this. The same hands that shaped the human ear in the first place are the hands that restored this man's hearing. Jesus isn't improvising. He's returning things to their original design. The deaf hearing and the mute speaking isn't just a miracle — it's a restoration. A return to how things were supposed to be before sin fractured creation.
If something in your life feels broken — if your capacity to hear God feels damaged, if your ability to speak truth feels impaired, if something fundamental about how you were designed has been corrupted — this verse promises that the one who made you can restore you. Not as a patch job. Not as a workaround. "He hath done all things well" — the restoration is as good as the original creation. Maybe better, because this time you'll know what it cost.
You were designed to hear and speak, to receive truth and declare it. If those capacities feel damaged, bring them to the same hands that made the first ear, the first tongue, the first good thing. He does all things well.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Beyond measure - Exceedingly; very much. In the Greek, “Very abundantly.” He hath done all things well - All things in a…
He hath done all things well - This has been, and ever will be, true of every part of our Lord's conduct. In creation,…
Our Lord Jesus seldom staid long in a place, for he knew where his work lay, and attended the changes of it. When he had…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture