5:23

Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’: This is a rhetorical question. Jesus asked this question because he wanted the religious leaders to think carefully about his authority. He did not ask it to get information from them.

Some ways to translate this are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Is it easier for me to tell this crippled man that his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and walk? (Contemporary English Version)

• As a statement. For example:

Consider whether it would be easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk.’

Use a form that will express the meaning most clearly in your language.

Which is easier: The phrase Which is easier introduces a question that compares two things. Jesus compared these two ideas: forgiving sins and healing a paralyzed man. He did not say that either one of these things was easy. They are both impossible for man to do by himself. Only someone with God’s power and authority can do either one of them.

Consider how people in your language would ask such a question. If they do not use comparatives such as easier, you may be able to say:

Which is easy and which is difficult…?
-or-
Is this easy to say…or is this easy to say…?
-or-
Saying to the man your sins are forgiven or get up and go, between these two things, which one is easy?

Jesus wanted the religious leaders to think about the answer to this question. He implied that it was easier to say “your sins are forgiven,” because there would be no way to prove whether this had happened. However, both actions are impossible for anyone to do by himself. They are only possible by the power and authority of God.

5:23b

to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’: The sentence ‘Your sins are forgiven’ is a quotation within a quotation. In some languages it may be difficult to understand such an embedded quotation. It may be more natural to translate the embedded quotation as indirect speech. For example:

Is it easier for ⌊a man⌋ to say that ⌊he⌋ forgives ⌊someone’s⌋ sins…?
-or-
Is it easier for me to tell this crippled man that his sins are forgiven…? (Contemporary English Version)

Your sins are forgiven: Use the same expression that you used in 5:20b.

5:23c

or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’: The sentence ‘Get up and walk’ is also an embedded quotation. As with “Your sins are forgiven,” some languages may prefer to use indirect speech here. For example:

…or for ⌊a man⌋ to tell ⌊a paralyzed person⌋ to get up and walk?
-or-
…or to tell him to get up and walk? (Contemporary English Version)

General Comment on 5:23a–c

It may be clearer to change the order in this verse. Here are two examples:

23bThere are two things I could say to this man: “Your sins are forgiven” 23cand “Get up and walk.” 23aWhich one is easier?
-or-

23bI can say to the paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven.” 23cOr I can say, “Get up and walk.” 23aWhich one is easy ⌊and which one is difficult⌋?

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