John 5:8-9

5:8 Jesus said to him, “Stand up! Pick up your mat ¹  and walk.” 5:9 Immediately the man was healed, ²  and he picked up his mat ³  and started walking. (Now that day was a Sabbath.) ⁴ 

John 5:14-16

5:14 After this Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “Look, you have become well. Don’t sin any more, ⁵  lest anything worse happen to you.” 5:15 The man went away and informed the Jewish leaders ⁶  that Jesus was the one who had made him well.

Responding to Jewish Leaders

5:16 Now because Jesus was doing these things ⁷  on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders ⁸  began persecuting ⁹  him.

[5:8]  ¹ tn Or “pallet,” “mattress,” “cot,” or “stretcher.” Some of these items, however, are rather substantial (e.g., “mattress”) and would probably give the modern English reader a false impression.

[5:9]  ² tn Grk “became well.”

[5:9]  ³ tn Or “pallet,” “mattress,” “cot,” or “stretcher.” See the note on “mat” in the previous verse.

[5:9]  ⁴ tn Grk “Now it was Sabbath on that day.”

[5:14]  ⁵ tn Since this is a prohibition with a present imperative, the translation “stop sinning” is sometimes suggested. This is not likely, however, since the present tense is normally used in prohibitions involving a general condition (as here) while the aorist tense is normally used in specific instances. Only when used opposite the normal usage (the present tense in a specific instance, for example) would the meaning “stop doing what you are doing” be appropriate.

[5:15]  ⁶ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 10.

[5:16]  ⁷ sn Note the plural phrase these things which seems to indicate that Jesus healed on the Sabbath more than once (cf. John 20:30). The synoptic gospels show this to be true; the incident in 5:1-15 has thus been chosen by the author as representative.

[5:16]  ⁸ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 10.

[5:16]  ⁹ tn Or “harassing.”