And behold: see comments on 1.20 and 8.2.

They brought is translated “some people brought” by Good News Translation. New Jerusalem Bible has “some people”; New American Bible “the people”; New English Bible “some men.” The meaning is doubtless “some people from the town.”

In Greek a paralytic is a masculine form of an adjective meaning “a paralyzed person.” The Greek text itself gives no hint of the person’s age, whether he was a man or a boy. Most translations indicate that he was a man and consistently refer to him as a man throughout the narrative. Living Bible, perhaps on the basis of the manner in which Jesus addresses him (my son), refers to him as a “boy” in this verse and again in verse 7. However, in verses 5 and 6 he is twice referred to as a “man.” For the sake of consistency within the narrative, it is best to refer to him either as a man or a boy throughout, rather than to shift back and forth in this way. Moreover, though the person may be a boy, it is not legitimate to base it upon the noun of address used by Jesus. Technically, the term used here does mean “child,” but it may even be used in an extended sense of “descendant.” For example, the rich man is addressed by his ancestor Abraham with this same word in Luke 16.25. In the present context the best solution is to assume that this is merely a polite form of address from a superior to an inferior. Therefore paralytic may be rendered “a man who could not move” or “a man whose sickness made him so he couldn’t move.” See comments on 8.6.

The bed referred to was probably either a pallet or a rug. Therefore it is important to avoid using a word that would make it seem he was lying on a large bed with legs, springs, mattress, and so forth. “Cot” or “mat” are quite common translations.

It may not be best in some languages to say Jesus saw their faith, but rather that he “observed,” “perceived,” or “realized how much faith they had.”

Their faith, a noun phrase in Greek, is translated “how much faith they had” by Good News Translation. Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition renders “how much faith they had in him.” The text may also be expressed “that they believed he could heal the man” or “how strongly they believed he could heal the man.”

Note that the text says their faith, which refers to the faith of those who brought the paralyzed man, but it can also include the faith of the sick man himself.

Take heart, my son is difficult to render naturally in English. New American Bible translates “Have courage, son” and Jerusalem Bible “Courage, my child.” Take heart (Good News Translation “Courage”) may also mean “Don’t worry” or “Have no fear” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Some translations have had the equivalent of “Cheer up” or “Don’t be discouraged.” In many languages it will be more natural to have Jesus address the man first before he encourages him: “My son, cheer up.”

My son can be a problem. Here Jesus uses it as a term of endearment, as a friendly way to address the man. But in very many languages, to say “My son” or “My child” can only mean that Jesus was the man’s father. Then it may be better to say “Young man” or “My friend.” In some languages it may be more appropriate to omit the noun of address, as Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch does.

Your sins are forgiven is normally understood to mean “God has forgiven your sins,” since in Jewish thought only God could declare a person’s sins forgiven. The problem of understanding the meaning of the text is further complicated by the accusation of blasphemy made against Jesus. A person would not usually have been accused of blasphemy unless he had used the divine name. These problems have serious implications for translation, especially in those languages where passive verbs are not used or are used only rarely. Furthermore, any decision regarding the translation of your sins are forgiven will immediately affect the translation of the accusation made against Jesus in the next verse (“This man is blaspheming”). If a passive structure cannot be maintained, there are several possible alternatives: (1) “I say to you, ‘God has forgiven your sins.’ ” (2) “I forgive your sins” or “In the name of God I forgive your sins.”

For forgiven, see comments on 6.12.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .