5:24a
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins…: This clause expresses Jesus’ purpose for healing the paralyzed man. He wanted the teachers of the law and everyone else to know that he had the power or authority to forgive sins.
In the Greek text, as in the Berean Standard Bible, this is not a complete sentence. The Berean Standard Bible uses an ellipsis mark (…) to show that this is not a complete sentence. Other translations, such as the English Standard Version and the NET Bible, use a dash. In your language, it may be necessary to express this purpose as a complete sentence. For example:
I will prove to you, then, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. (Good News Translation)
-or-
In order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, ⌊I do this⌋.
-or-
I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. (God’s Word)
But so that: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But so that introduces a purpose clause. There are several ways to translate this phrase. For example:
But now you will see that (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
So I will prove to you that (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
I want you to know that (God’s Word)
the Son of Man: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Son of Man is literally “the Son of the human/person.” Jesus used this title to imply that:
(a) he was a true human being, and he represented all people;
(b) he came from God and had authority from God.
Try to use an expression that implies both meanings. Some expressions that translators have used are:
the Man whom God Sent
-or-
the True Man from God/Heaven
-or-
the Representative of Mankind
-or-
The Older Brother of All People
In some cases, an unusual title may correctly suggest a deeper meaning. For example:
the Child of a Person
-or-
the One who was Born as a Human
Translators have also used expressions that are more literal. These more literal expressions may be appropriate where readers are familiar with a literal title in another version.
In some languages it may be necessary to use a form like “I” or “me” to indicate that Jesus was referring to himself. For example:
I, the Son of Man
-or-
I who became man/human
See Son of Man in Key Biblical Terms.
has authority on the earth: The term authority means that Jesus has the “power,” “ability,” or “right” to forgive sins here on earth. The people listening to Jesus already knew that God had this authority in heaven. The term earth, for the place where people live, contrasts with heaven, the place where God dwells. Some other ways to translate this are:
has the power here on earth
-or-
has authority in the world ⌊of men⌋
-or-
has the right…here on earth (Contemporary English Version)
to forgive sins: Use the same expression that you used in 5:21c.
5:24b
He said to the paralytic: Jesus stopped talking to the religious leaders and turned to give a command to the paralyzed man. In some languages it may be more natural to note explicitly that Jesus changed whom he was addressing. For example:
Then he said to the paralyzed man (God’s Word)
-or-
So he said to the paralyzed man (Good News Translation)
-or-
Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said (New Living Translation (2004))
The verb said here introduces a command. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit:
Jesus ordered the paralyzed man
5:24c
I tell you: The pronoun you is singular and refers to the paralyzed man. The phrase I tell you emphasizes that Jesus was now speaking to the paralyzed man. Some other ways to translate this are:
I say to you (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Listen to me
-or-
I order you
get up: The phrase get up here means “stand up.” By his words Jesus gave the man the ability to do as he was commanded. He caused the man to become well and able to stand up.
pick up your mat, and go home: The phrase pick up your mat, and go home here means “pick up your mat, carry it, and return to your house/home.”
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