Mark 2:1-4

Healing and Forgiving a Paralytic

2:1 Now ¹  after some days, when he returned to Capernaum, ²  the news spread ³  that he was at home. 2:2 So many gathered that there was no longer any room, not even by ⁴  the door, and he preached the word to them. 2:3 Some people ⁵  came bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. ⁶  2:4 When they were not able to bring him in because of the crowd, they removed the roof ⁷  above Jesus. ⁸  Then, ⁹  after tearing it out, they lowered the stretcher the paralytic was lying on.

[2:1]  ¹ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[2:1]  ² sn Capernaum was a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region.

[2:1]  ³ tn Grk “it was heard.”

[2:2]  ⁴ tn Some translations (e.g., NIV, NLT) take the preposition πρός (pro"), which indicates proximity, to mean “outside the door.” Others render it as “in front of the door” (TEV, CEV), and still others, “around the door” (NAB). There is some ambiguity inherent in the description here.

[2:3]  ⁷ tn Grk “they”; the referent (some unnamed people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:3]  ⁸ tn The redundancy in this verse is characteristic of the author’s rougher style.

[2:4]  ¹⁰ sn A house in 1st century Palestine would have had a flat roof with stairs or a ladder going up. This access was often from the outside of the house.

[2:4]  ¹¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:4]  ¹² tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.