Mat 9:2 | NETfull | STEP | Just then some people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Have courage, son! Your sins are forgiven.”

Matthew 9:2

2 Just then ^{▼▼ 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.} some people ^{▼▼ Grk “they”; the referent (some unnamed people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. ^{▼▼ 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.} When Jesus saw their ^{▼▼ The plural pronoun their makes it clear that Jesus was responding to the faith of the entire group, not just the paralyzed man.} faith, he said to the paralytic, “Have courage, son! Your sins are forgiven.” ^{▼▼ The passive voice here is a divine passive (ExSyn 437). It is clear that God does the forgiving.}