Matthew 9:1–2

Healing and Forgiving a Paralytic

9:1 After getting into a boat he crossed to the other side and came to his own town.1 9:2 Just then2 some people3 brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.4 When Jesus saw their5 faith, he said to the paralytic, “Have courage, son! Your sins are forgiven.”6

1	sn His own town refers to Capernaum. It was a town of approximately 1000–1500, though of some significance.
2	tn Grk “And behold, they were bringing.” Here καὶ ἰδού (kai idou) has been translated as “just then” to indicate the somewhat sudden appearance of the people carrying the paralytic. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1), especially in conjunction with the suddenness of the stretcher bearers’ appearance.
3	tn Grk “they”; the referent (some unnamed people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4	tn Traditionally, “on a bed,” but this could be confusing to the modern reader who might envision a large piece of furniture. In various contexts, κλίνη (klinē) may be translated “bed, couch, cot, stretcher, or bier” (in the case of a corpse). See L&N 6.106.
5	sn The plural pronoun their makes it clear that Jesus was responding to the faith of the entire group, not just the paralyzed man.
6	sn The passive voice here is a divine passive (ExSyn 437). It is clear that God does the forgiving.