15:30a

Large crowds: The Greek phrase the Berean Standard Bible translates as Large crowds can be translated more literally as “many crowds.” The plural crowds perhaps indicates that groups of people came from different areas. Perhaps one group came from one town, and another group came from another town.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

many groups of people
-or-
many people

15:30b

the lame: The word lame refers to those who could not walk or use their legs well. There was something wrong with one or both legs.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

the crippled
-or-
people who had crippled legs
-or-
those with bad legs
-or-
those who could not walk well

This word also occurs in 11:5a.

15:30c

the crippled: The word crippled refers to people who have something wrong with an arm or a leg. Their arm or leg was deformed in some way. Or they may be missing part of an arm or a leg.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

the maimed (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
those with ruined limbs
-or-
the handicapped

the mute: The word mute refers to people who are unable to talk. The Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation and New Jerusalem Bible use the word “dumb,” which in this context, means the same as mute. Here it does not mean “stupid.”

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

those unable to talk

15:30d

many others: This phrase refers to other people who had other types of handicaps. It may also refer to those who had diseases. And it may also refer to people who were demon possessed. Some languages use different words for people who are handicapped, those who are sick with diseases, and those who are demon possessed. So it may be necessary to use two or more different expressions here. For example:

many other ⌊afflicted⌋ people
-or-
many other people ⌊who had handicaps and who were sick⌋

15:30e

and laid them at His feet: This clause means “they placed the handicapped people in front of Jesus.” For example:

They placed them…in front of Jesus (Contemporary English Version)

and He healed them: Jesus miraculously healed everyone who was handicapped and everyone who was sick. He immediately made each person well. He did not heal them like a doctor heals.

As mentioned above, some languages use different words for people who are sick with a disease and people who are handicapped. In these languages, the verb healed may refer only to curing those who had a disease. Such languages may need to use a second verb to refer to Jesus restoring handicapped people. Or there may be a more general term to cover both. For example:

he made them all well

-or-

he ⌊miraculously⌋ healed them and made them well

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