MARK 2:9 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT Which is easier to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Get up and take up your mat and walk’?

UST You may think that it is easy to claim to forgive this man who cannot move for his sins, since it is difficult to prove whether this has happened. Similarly, you may think that it is difficult to tell this man who cannot move to stand up, carry his sleeping pad, and walk around, since it is easy to prove whether this has happened.

BSB “Which is easier: to say to a paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’?

MSB “Which is easier: to say to a paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,[fn]’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’?

BLB Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Arise, and take up your mat, and walk'?

AICNT Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins {are}[fn] forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your mat and walk’?

2:9, are: Some manuscripts read “have been.”

OEB Which is easier? – to say to the paralysed man, “Your sins are forgiven”? Or to say “Get up, and take up your mat, and walk”?

WEBBE Which is easier, to tell the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven;’ or to say, ‘Arise, and take up your bed, and walk’?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up, take your stretcher, and walk’?

LSV Which is easier? To say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven; or to say, Rise, and take up your pallet, and walk?

FBV What's easier: to say to the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’?

TCNT Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Yoʋr sins are [fn]forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up yoʋr mat, and walk’?

2:9 forgiven ¦ forgiven yoʋ TR

T4T It is not risky [RHQ] for someone to tell the man who is paralyzed, ‘Your sins are forgiven {I forgive your sins},’ because no one can prove that it has happened. But no one would say to him, ‘Get up, pick up your stretcher, and then walk away’, unless he really had the power to heal him, because people can easily see whether it happens or not.

LEB Which is easier to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say ‘Get up and pick up your stretcher and walk’?

BBE Which is the simpler, to say to a man who is ill, You have forgiveness for your sins, or, Get up, take up your bed, and go?

Moff Which is the easier thing, to tell the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to tell him, Rise, lift your pallet, and go away'?

Wymth Which is easier? —to say to this paralytic, `Your sins are pardoned,' or to say, `Rise, take up your mat, and walk?'

ASV Which is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins are forgiven; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?

DRA Which is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy: Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say: Arise, take up thy bed, and walk?

YLT which is easier, to say to the paralytic, The sins have been forgiven to thee? or to say, Rise, and take up thy couch, and walk?

Drby Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, [Thy] sins are forgiven [thee]; or to say, Arise, and take up thy couch and walk?

RV Whether is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins are forgiven; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
(Whether is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy/Your sins are forgiven; or to say, Arise, and take up thy/your bed, and walk? )

SLT Why is it easier to say to the paralytic, Sins have been remitted to thee? or to say, Arise, lift up thy couch, and walk?

Wbstr Which is easier, to say to the sick with the palsy, Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?

KJB-1769 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
( Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy/Your sins be forgiven thee/you; or to say, Arise, and take up thy/your bed, and walk? )

KJB-1611 Whether is it easier to say to the sicke of the palsie, Thy sinnes be forgiuen thee: or to say, Arise, and take vp thy bed and walke?
(Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy/Your sins be forgiven thee/you: or to say, Arise, and take up thy/your bed and walke?)

Bshps Whether is it easyer to say to the sicke of the paulsie, thy synnes be forgeuen thee: or to say, aryse, take vp thy bedde, and walke?
(Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, thy/your sins be forgiven thee/you: or to say, arise, take up thy/your bed, and walke?)

Gnva Whether is it easier to say to the sicke of the palsie, Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee? or to say, Arise, and take vp thy bed, and walke?
(Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy/Your sins are forgiven thee/you? or to say, Arise, and take up thy/your bed, and walke? )

Cvdl Whether is easier to saye to the sicke of the palsye: Thy synnes are forgeue the, or to saye: aryse, take vp thy bed and walke.
(Whether is easier to say to the sick of the palsy: Thy/Your sins are forgive them, or to say: arise, take up thy/your bed and walke.)

TNT Whether is it easyer to saye to the sicke of the palsie thy synnes are forgeven the or to saye aryse take vp thy beed and walke?
(Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy thy/your sins are forgiven the or to say arise take up thy/your bed and walke? )

Wycl What is liyter to seie to the sijk man in palesie, Synnes ben foryouun to thee, or to seie, Ryse, take thi bed, and walke?
(What is lighter to say to the sick man in palesie, Synnes been forgiven to thee/you, or to say, Rise, take thy/your bed, and walke?)

Luth Welches ist leichter, zu dem Gichtbrüchigen zu sagen: Dir sind deine Sünden vergeben, oder: Stehe auf, nimm dein Bett und wandele?
(Whichs is easier, to/for to_him gouty_(one) to/for say: You(sg) are your sins(n) forgive, or: Stand on/in/to, take your(s) bed and walk?)

ClVg Quid est facilius dicere paralytico: Dimittuntur tibi peccata: an dicere: Surge, tolle grabatum tuum, et ambula?[fn]
(What it_is easier to_say paralytic: Dimittuntur to_you sins: an to_say: Get_up, remove pallet your(sg), and walk? )

2.9 Quid est. ID. Quasi dicat: Qua potentia cordis occulta intueor, eadem peccata dimitto. Quasi dicat: Ex vobis intelligite quid consequatur paralyticus.

2.9 What it_is. ID. As_if let_him_say: Qua power of_the_heart hidden intueor, the_same sins dimitto. As_if let_him_say: From to_you(pl) understand what follow paralyticus.

UGNT τί ἐστιν εὐκοπώτερον, εἰπεῖν τῷ παραλυτικῷ, ἀφίενταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι, ἢ εἰπεῖν, ἔγειρε καὶ ἆρον τὸν κράβαττόν σου καὶ περιπάτει?
(ti estin eukopōteron, eipein tōi paralutikōi, afientai sou hai hamartiai, aʸ eipein, egeire kai aron ton krabatton sou kai peripatei?)

SBL-GNT τί ἐστιν εὐκοπώτερον, εἰπεῖν τῷ παραλυτικῷ· ⸀Ἀφίενταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι, ἢ εἰπεῖν· ⸀Ἔγειρε καὶ ἆρον ⸂τὸν κράβαττόν σου⸃ καὶ περιπάτει;
(ti estin eukopōteron, eipein tōi paralutikōi; ⸀Afientai sou hai hamartiai, aʸ eipein; ⸀Egeire kai aron ⸂ton krabatton sou⸃ kai peripatei;)

RP-GNT Τί ἐστιν εὐκοπώτερον, εἰπεῖν τῷ παραλυτικῷ, Ἀφέωνταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι, ἢ εἰπεῖν, Ἔγειραι, καὶ ἆρόν σου τὸν κράββατον, καὶ περιπάτει;
(Ti estin eukopōteron, eipein tōi paralutikōi, Afeōntai sou hai hamartiai, aʸ eipein, Egeirai, kai aron sou ton krabbaton, kai peripatei;)

TC-GNT Τί ἐστιν εὐκοπώτερον, εἰπεῖν τῷ παραλυτικῷ, [fn]Ἀφέωνταί [fn]σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι, ἢ εἰπεῖν, [fn]Ἔγειραι, καὶ ἆρόν [fn]σου τὸν κράββατον, καὶ περιπάτει;
(Ti estin eukopōteron, eipein tōi paralutikōi, Afeōntai sou hai hamartiai, aʸ eipein, Egeirai, kai aron sou ton krabbaton, kai peripatei; )

2:9 αφεωνται ¦ αφιενται ECM NA SBL WH

2:9 σου ¦ σοι TR

2:9 εγειραι ¦ εγειρε 𝔐^pt ANT ECM NA SBL TH ¦ εγειρου WH

2:9 σου τον κραββατον ¦ σου τον κραβαττον 𝔐^pt ¦ τον κραββατον σου PCK ¦ τον κραβαττον σου ANT CT

Key for above GNTs: red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:1–12: Jesus healed a paralyzed man and forgave his sins

In this section, some people brought a paralyzed man to Jesus. They hoped that Jesus would heal him. First, Jesus told the man that his sins were forgiven. Then Jesus proved that God had given him authority to both heal and forgive sins by healing the paralyzed man.

When Jesus said, “your sins,” he was referring to the sins that the man had done in his life. He was not implying that the man had offended him personally. The Jews thought that only God could forgive all of the sins that a person had done. They were offended that Jesus also claimed to have that authority.

You should translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Jesus showed that he has authority to forgive people’s sins

Jesus healed a paralyzed man

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 9:1–8 and Luke 5:17–26.

Paragraph 2:6–12

In this section the teachers of the law reacted to Jesus’ statement that the sins of the paralytic were forgiven. They thought that Jesus was an ordinary person who could not be the Messiah.

2:9

In this verse Jesus asked the teachers of the law a rhetorical question. He asked it because he wanted people to think carefully about his authority. He did not ask it to get information from them. There are two main ways to translate this rhetorical question.

As a question. For example:
I have said to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven.” Would it be easier to tell him, “Rise, take your mat, and walk?”
As a statement. For example:
Think about this: I have told the paralytic that his sins are forgiven. Consider whether it would be easier to tell him to get up and walk.

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

2:9a

“Which is easier: to say to a paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’

Which is easier to do: to tell this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
I said to the paralytic, ‘I forgive the sins you have done against God.’ Would it be easier
I have told the paralytic that I forgive his sins. Consider whether it would be easier

“Which is easier: to say…?: The phrase Which is easier: to say… introduces a rhetorical question that compares two sayings. These sayings represent two actions: forgiving the paralytic’s sins and healing the paralytic.

Both of these actions require God’s power. Forgiving sins requires great authority, so in that way, it is harder to do. However, the teachers could not see whether Jesus could really pardon the paralytic’s sins against God. They could see that he healed the paralytic if the paralytic really got up from his mat and walked.The majority view about the answer seems to be that saying “your sins are forgiven” is easier because there was no way for people to prove whether it had happened. However, there are other opinions. Some believe that Jesus’ question was a trick question because both actions that he mentioned were equally difficult. The question made the teachers of the law think and realize that both these things were impossible for men to do in their own power or authority. A third opinion is that Jesus and his audience would understand healing the man to be the easier of the two actions, since people who had power (from God) to heal were known, but God alone could forgive sins. Following the majority view, Deibler fills out the implied information in the argument in this way:It is easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven’ [because people won’t be able to tell if you are a fake or not]. [It is far more risky] to say ‘Rise up and walk’ [because people can see if it happens]. [I will do something that you consider to be God’s prerogative, but which can be easily verified], so that you may know that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins, [which you consider to be God’s prerogative, but which cannot be visibly verified.]

Consider the way that people in your language would ask such a question. If they do not use comparatives, you may need to express it in a different way. For example:

Is it easy for me to…? Or is easy for me to…?

Which is easy and which is hard…?

to say to a paralytic: The Greek words which the BSB translates as to say to a paralytic introduce a quote within a quote. Jesus was telling the teachers of the law what he had said to the paralytic. See the General Comment on 2:9a–b for an example of using indirect speech here.

paralytic: A paralytic is a person who cannot move some or all of his body. This particular paralytic could not walk. See the note on 2:3.

Your sins are forgiven: In 2:5 Jesus had already told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven. See the note on 2:5c.

2:9b

or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’?

or to tell him, ‘Stand up. Take your mat and walk’?
to say to him, ‘Stand on your feet, take your mat and walk’?
to tell him to get up and walk home, carrying his mat.

or to say: The phrase or to say introduces different words that Jesus could say to the paralytic. See the note on 2:9a.

‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’: This sentence is expressed as a command (or as three commands). If the man obeyed these commands, everyone would be able to see that Jesus had healed him.

mat: The mat refers to the thin mattress or stretcher on which the man was lying. See the note on 2:4c.

General Comment on 2:9a–b

This verse contains two quotes within a quote. Jesus was quoting something that he had said and something that he might say. In some languages it may be more natural to use indirect speech for these quotes. For example, the CEV says:

Is it easier for me to tell this crippled man that his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and pick up his mat and go on home?

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

τί ἐστιν εὐκοπώτερον, εἰπεῖν τῷ παραλυτικῷ, ἀφίενταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι, ἢ εἰπεῖν, ἔγειρε καὶ ἆρον τὸν κράβαττόν σου καὶ περιπάτει?

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τί ἐστίν εὐκοπώτερον εἰπεῖν τῷ παραλυτικῷ ἀφέωνται σοί Αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἤ εἰπεῖν Ἔγειρε καί ἆρον τόν κράββατον σοῦ καί περιπάτει)

Jesus is using the question form to show the scribes which of these things is easier to say. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or an exclamation. He could mean: (1) that saying Your sins are forgiven is easier than saying Get up and take up your mat and walk. This is because it is easy to show that someone is lying when they try to heal a paralytic, but it is not easy to show that someone is lying when they claim to forgive sins. Alternate translation: [It is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ than to say, ‘Get up and take up your mat and walk.] (2) that both things are equally easy to say. Alternate translation: [Saying ‘Your sins are forgiven’ is just as easy as saying, ‘Get up and take up your mat and walk.]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / quotesinquotes

εἰπεῖν τῷ παραλυτικῷ, ἀφίενταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι, ἢ εἰπεῖν, ἔγειρε καὶ ἆρον τὸν κράβαττόν σου καὶ περιπάτει

˓to˒_say ˱to˲_the paralytic ˓to˒_say (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τί ἐστίν εὐκοπώτερον εἰπεῖν τῷ παραλυτικῷ ἀφέωνται σοί Αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἤ εἰπεῖν Ἔγειρε καί ἆρον τόν κράββατον σοῦ καί περιπάτει)

If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this sentence so that there are no quotations within a quotation. Alternate translation: [to say to the paralytic that his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and take up his mat and walk]

Note 3 topic: translate-unknown

τῷ παραλυτικῷ

˱to˲_the paralytic

See how you translated the word paralytic in [2:3](../02/03.md). Alternate translation: [to the paralyzed person] or [to the person who could not move his limbs]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

ἀφίενταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who does the action, it is clear from the context that it is the person speaking. Alternate translation: [I have forgiven your sins]

Note 5 topic: translate-unknown

τὸν κράβαττόν σου

See how you translated mat in [2:4](../02/04.md). Alternate translation: [your stretcher]

Parallel MARK 2:9

Section 2:1–12: Jesus healed a paralyzed man and forgave his sins

Paragraph 2:6–12

2:9

2:9a

2:9b

General Comment on 2:9a–b