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OET (OET-LV) And the Yaʸsous having_seen the thoughts of_them said:
For/Because_ why _reason are_you_all_considering evil in the hearts of_you_all?
OET (OET-RV) But Yeshua knew their thoughts and said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?
In this section, Matthew continued to write about the power that Jesus has to heal people. But more importantly, he showed that Jesus also has the authority and power to forgive sins (9:6a). In addition, he again showed that faith is important.
When Jesus first told the paralyzed man that his sins were forgiven (9:2d), it began a conflict with the Jewish leaders. (This is the first time that Matthew showed a conflict between Jesus and the Jewish leaders.) This conflict continues in the next sections.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
Jesus healed a paralyzed man
Jesus has the power to forgive sins
Healing and Forgiving a Paralytic (NET)
There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 2:1–12 and Luke 5:17–26.
But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said,
¶ But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said,
¶ Jesus knew what was in their hearts/minds, and so he said,
But: There is a contrast between 9:3b and 9:4a. The contrast is between the scribes thinking things without saying them out loud, and Jesus knowing what they were thinking.
Some English versions indicate this contrast with the conjunction But. Other English versions do not use a conjunction here. Indicate this contrast in a way that is natural in your language.
Jesus knew what they were thinking and said: The clause knew what they were thinking is what prompted Jesus to say what he said to the scribes (in 9:4b–6a). In some languages, this may be expressed grammatically as a reason for what Jesus says. For example:
Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them (NLT)
In other languages, it is best to translate this clause as a separate sentence. For example:
Jesus knew what they were thinking. He asked them (GW)
“Why do you harbor evil in your hearts?
“Why do you(plur) think evil thoughts in your hearts/insides?
“You are wrong to be thinking these evil thoughts concerning me!
Why do you harbor evil in your hearts?: This is a rhetorical question. It is a rebuke. Jesus did have authority to forgive sins. So he rebuked the scribes for thinking that he had blasphemed God.
Here are some other ways to translate the rebuke:
As a rhetorical question. For example:
Why are you thinking evil thoughts? (NCV)
How is it that you think evil thoughts in your hearts?
As a statement. For example:
You are wrong for having evil thoughts in your hearts!
You should not think such evil thoughts in your hearts about me!
Translate this rebuke in a way that is natural in your language.
harbor evil in your hearts: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as harbor evil in your hearts is more literally “think evil things in your hearts.” The phrase in your hearts refers to the innermost being. In some languages, it is more natural to say “in your mind” or “inside.” For example:
have such evil thoughts in your minds (JBP)
The meaning of the phrase in your hearts may be already understood from the expression harbor evil. So, in some languages, it may not be necessary to translate the phrase in your hearts. For example:
thinking such evil things (GNT)
thinking evil thoughts (NCV)
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἰδὼν & τὰς ἐνθυμήσεις αὐτῶν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἰδών ὁ Ἰησοῦς τάς ἐνθυμήσεις αὐτῶν εἶπεν Ἵνα τί ἐνθυμεῖσθε πονηρά ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν)
Matthew speaks as if Jesus could see people’s thoughts. He means that Jesus knew what they were thinking, even though they did not say it out loud. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [having known their thoughts] or [having perceived their thoughts]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion
ἵνα τί ἐνθυμεῖσθε πονηρὰ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν?
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἰδών ὁ Ἰησοῦς τάς ἐνθυμήσεις αὐτῶν εἶπεν Ἵνα τί ἐνθυμεῖσθε πονηρά ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν)
Jesus is using the question form to rebuke the scribes. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: [You should not think evil in your hearts.] or [Do not think evil in your hearts!]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / yousingular
ἐνθυμεῖσθε & ὑμῶν
˱you_all˲_˓are˒_considering & ˱of˲_you_all
Here, the words you and you are plural because Jesus is speaking to the scribes.
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj
πονηρὰ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἰδών ὁ Ἰησοῦς τάς ἐνθυμήσεις αὐτῶν εἶπεν Ἵνα τί ἐνθυμεῖσθε πονηρά ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν)
Jesus is using the adjective evil as a noun to mean evil thoughts. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [evil thoughts]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy
ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν
in the hearts ˱of˲_you_all
In Matthew’s culture, hearts are the places where humans think and feel. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate heart by referring to the places where humans think and feel in your culture or by expressing the idea plainly. Alternate translation: [in your heads] or [in your minds]
OET (OET-LV) And the Yaʸsous having_seen the thoughts of_them said:
For/Because_ why _reason are_you_all_considering evil in the hearts of_you_all?
OET (OET-RV) But Yeshua knew their thoughts and said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.