Paragraph 5:20–24

5:20a

When Jesus saw their faith: The phrase Jesus saw their faith means “Jesus realized that they had faith.” Jesus saw what the men did and understood from it that they had confidence in him. They trusted him to heal the paralyzed man.

their faith: The phrase their faith probably refers to the faith of the whole group who had come to Jesus. It probably includes both the faith of the man on the mat and the faith of his friends who had brought him.

faith: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as faith refers here to the action of believing and trusting Jesus. The men believed that Jesus would heal the paralyzed man. In some languages, it may be more natural to translate faith as a verb. If that is true in your language, you may also need to say what they believed. For example:

Jesus realized that the paralytic and those who brought him believed ⌊that he could heal the paralytic⌋
-or-
When Jesus understood that they trusted in him ⌊to heal the paralyzed man⌋

See believe, Meaning 2, in the Glossary.

5:20b

Friend: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Friend is literally “man.” It was a general term that one man might use to address another. It does not mean that the paralyzed man was already a friend of Jesus. Some other ways to translate it are:

• Use a term of address in your language that is fairly neutral in terms of status, familiarity, and politeness.

• Use a term that is polite and indicates a good relationship between the speakers, if you do not have a neutral term.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

Young man (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
My friend (Contemporary English Version)

your sins are forgiven: The clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as your sins are forgiven is literally “your sins have been forgiven to you.” This clause is a passive clause. Jesus was implying that he had authority from God to forgive the paralyzed man’s sins. If it is more natural in your language to use an active verb you can say:

I forgive your sins

In some languages, it is more natural to say that a person is forgiven, rather than that his sins are forgiven. If this is the case in your language, you may need to say:

you are forgiven for/of all your sins
-or-
I forgive you for the sins you have committed

your sins: In this context the phrase your sins refers to the paralyzed man’s offenses against God. Jesus used the word in a general way. He was not implying that the paralyzed man had offended him personally.

If this is not clear in your language, it may be necessary to make it explicit. For example:

your sins ⌊against God⌋

sins: The word sins refers to offenses against God or another person. Sins include acts, thoughts, and attitudes that are not what God wants or approves. A person can also offend God by not doing what God wants him to do.

Translate sins with a general term that can include any offense against God. Here are problems to avoid:

(a) The term should not imply that only serious crimes like murder or stealing are sins. Other offenses like gossip and greed are also sins.

(b) The term should not include accidents or mistakes that are not against God’s will.

Some ways to translate sins are:

wrong acts
-or-
offenses ⌊against God⌋
-or-
evil deeds

In some languages it may be natural to translate sins with a phrase that includes a verb. For example:

wrong things that ⌊you⌋ have done

are forgiven: In this context the verb are forgiven indicates that as Jesus spoke, he canceled the paralyzed man’s sins. The verb form emphasizes a state of being forgiven. God would not punish the man for his sins. God would treat him as though he had not offended him in any way.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

are taken away
-or-
are canceled
-or-
are pardoned

In many languages there may be an idiom for this. For example:

are erased
-or-
are wiped away

For more information, see forgive in Key Biblical Terms.

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