12:20 He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick,
until he brings justice to victory.
1:18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn 9 from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things. 10
1 tn Grk “And behold, they were bringing.” Here καὶ ἰδού (kai idou) has been translated as “just then” to indicate the somewhat sudden appearance of the people carrying the paralytic. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1), especially in conjunction with the suddenness of the stretcher bearers’ appearance.
2 tn Grk “they”; the referent (some unnamed people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 tn Traditionally, “on a bed,” but this could be confusing to the modern reader who might envision a large piece of furniture. In various contexts, κλίνη (klinh) may be translated “bed, couch, cot, stretcher, or bier” (in the case of a corpse). See L&N 6.106.
4 sn The plural pronoun their makes it clear that Jesus was responding to the faith of the entire group, not just the paralyzed man.
5 sn The passive voice here is a divine passive (ExSyn 437). It is clear that God does the forgiving.
6 tn Or “has delivered you”; Grk “has saved you.” This should not be understood as an expression for full salvation in the immediate context; it refers only to the woman’s healing.
7 tn Grk “saved.”
8 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
9 tn See the note on the term “firstborn” in 1:15. Here the reference to Jesus as the “firstborn from among the dead” seems to be arguing for a chronological priority, i.e., Jesus was the first to rise from the dead.
10 tn Grk “in order that he may become in all things, himself, first.”