Discovery BoxMatthew 8:23--9:8
Context8:23 As he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 1 8:24 And a great storm developed on the sea so that the waves began to swamp the boat. But he was asleep. 8:25 So they came 2 and woke him up saying, “Lord, save us! We are about to die!” 8:26 But 3 he said to them, “Why are you cowardly, you people of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked 4 the winds and the sea, 5 and it was dead calm. 8:27 And the men 6 were amazed and said, 7 “What sort of person is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him!” 8
8:28 When he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, 9 two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were extremely violent, so that no one was able to pass by that way. 8:29 They 10 cried out, “Son of God, leave us alone! 11 Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 12 8:30 A 13 large herd of pigs was feeding some distance from them. 8:31 Then the demons begged him, 14 “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” 8:32 And he said, 15 “Go!” So 16 they came out and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake and drowned in the water. 8:33 The 17 herdsmen ran off, went into the town, 18 and told everything that had happened to the demon-possessed men. 8:34 Then 19 the entire town 20 came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
9:1 After getting into a boat he crossed to the other side and came to his own town. 21 9:2 Just then 22 some people 23 brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. 24 When Jesus saw their 25 faith, he said to the paralytic, “Have courage, son! Your sins are forgiven.” 26 9:3 Then 27 some of the experts in the law 28 said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!” 29 9:4 When Jesus saw their reaction he said, “Why do you respond with evil in your hearts? 9:5 Which is easier, 30 to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? 9:6 But so that you may know 31 that the Son of Man 32 has authority on earth to forgive sins” – then he said to the paralytic 33 – “Stand up, take your stretcher, and go home.” 34 9:7 And he stood up and went home. 35 9:8 When 36 the crowd saw this, they were afraid 37 and honored God who had given such authority to men. 38
[8:23] 1 sn A boat that held all the disciples would be of significant size.
[8:25] 2 tn The participle προσελθόντες (proselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
[8:26] 3 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[8:26] 4 tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).
[8:26] 5 sn Who has authority over the seas and winds is discussed in the OT: Ps 104:3; 135:7; 107:23-30. When Jesus rebuked the winds and the sea he was making a statement about who he was.
[8:27] 6 tn It is difficult to know whether ἄνθρωποι (anqrwpoi) should be translated as “men” or “people” (in a generic sense) here. At issue is whether (1) only the Twelve were with Jesus in the boat, as opposed to other disciples (cf. v. 23), and (2) whether any of those other disciples would have been women. The issue is complicated further by the parallel in Mark (4:35-41), where the author writes (4:36) that other boats accompanied them on this journey.
[8:27] 7 tn Grk “the men were amazed, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) has been translated as a finite verb to make the sequence of events clear in English.
[8:27] 8 sn Jesus’ authority over creation raised a question for the disciples about his identity (What sort of person is this?). This verse shows that the disciples followed Jesus even though they did not know all about him yet.
[8:28] 9 tc The textual tradition here is quite complicated. A number of
[8:29] 10 tn Grk “And behold, they cried out, saying.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1). The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated.
[8:29] 11 tn Grk “what to us and to you?” (an idiom). The phrase τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί (ti Jhmin kai soi) is Semitic in origin, though it made its way into colloquial Greek (BDAG 275 s.v. ἐγώ). The equivalent Hebrew expression in the OT had two basic meanings: (1) When one person was unjustly bothering another, the injured party could say “What to me and to you?” meaning, “What have I done to you that you should do this to me?” (Judg 11:12, 2 Chr 35:21, 1 Kgs 17:18). (2) When someone was asked to get involved in a matter he felt was no business of his own, he could say to the one asking him, “What to me and to you?” meaning, “That is your business, how am I involved?” (2 Kgs 3:13, Hos 14:8). These nuances were apparently expanded in Greek, but the basic notions of defensive hostility (option 1) and indifference or disengagement (option 2) are still present. BDAG suggests the following as glosses for this expression: What have I to do with you? What have we in common? Leave me alone! Never mind! Hostility between Jesus and the demons is certainly to be understood in this context, hence the translation: “Leave us alone….”
[8:29] 12 sn There was an appointed time in which demons would face their judgment, and they seem to have viewed Jesus’ arrival on the scene as an illegitimate change in God’s plan regarding the time when their sentence would be executed.
[8:30] 13 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[8:31] 14 tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[8:32] 15 tn Grk “And he said to them.”
[8:32] 16 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate a conclusion and transition in the narrative.
[8:33] 17 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[8:33] 18 tn Or “city.” But see the sn on “Gadarenes” in 8:28.
[8:34] 19 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
[9:1] 21 sn His own town refers to Capernaum. It was a town of approximately 1000-1500, though of some significance.
[9:2] 22 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.
[9:2] 23 tn Grk “they”; the referent (some unnamed people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:2] 24 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.
[9:2] 25 sn The plural pronoun their makes it clear that Jesus was responding to the faith of the entire group, not just the paralyzed man.
[9:2] 26 sn The passive voice here is a divine passive (ExSyn 437). It is clear that God does the forgiving.
[9:3] 27 tn Grk “And behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1). Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events in the narrative.
[9:3] 28 tn Or “some of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[9:3] 29 sn Blaspheming meant to say something that dishonored God. To claim divine prerogatives or claim to speak for God when one really does not would be such an act of offense. The remark raised directly the issue of the nature of Jesus’ ministry.
[9:5] 30 sn Which is easier is a reflective kind of question. On the one hand to declare sins are forgiven is easier, since one does not need to see it, unlike telling a paralyzed person to walk. On the other hand, it is harder, because for it to be true one must possess the authority to forgive the sin.
[9:6] 31 sn Now Jesus put the two actions together. The walking of the man would be proof (so that you may know) that his sins were forgiven and that God had worked through Jesus (i.e., the Son of Man).
[9:6] 32 sn The term Son of Man, which is a title in Greek, comes from a pictorial description in Dan 7:13 of one “like a son of man” (i.e., a human being). It is Jesus’ favorite way to refer to himself. Jesus did not reveal the background of the term here, which mixes human and divine imagery as the man in Daniel rides a cloud, something only God does. He just used it. It also could be an idiom in Aramaic meaning either “some person” or “me.” So there is a little ambiguity in its use here, since its origin is not clear at this point. However, the action makes it clear that Jesus used it to refer to himself here.
[9:6] 33 sn Jesus did not finish his sentence with words but with action, that is, healing the paralytic with an accompanying pronouncement to him directly.
[9:6] 34 tn Grk “to your house.”
[9:7] 35 tn Grk “to his house.”
[9:8] 36 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[9:8] 37 tc Most witnesses (C L Θ 0233 Ë13 Ï) have ἐθαύμασαν (eqaumasan; “marveled, were amazed”) instead of ἐφοβήθησαν (efobhqhsan) here, effectively turning the fearful reaction into one of veneration. But the harder reading is well supported by א B D W 0281 Ë1 33 892 1424 al lat co and thus is surely authentic.
[9:8] 38 tn Grk “people.” The plural of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") usually indicates people in general, but the singular is used in the expression “Son of Man.” There is thus an ironic allusion to Jesus’ statement in v. 6: His self-designation as “Son of Man” is meant to be unique, but the crowd regards it simply as meaning “human, person.” To maintain this connection for the English reader the plural ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated here as “men” rather than as the more generic “people.”
