Palsied man lower through the roof for Jesus to cure. Jesus tell him his sins have been forgiven, Pharisees question that.
What is more tiring to say, "Those mistakes of yours have been let go for you? Or to say, wake up and walk around?
It should be easier to let go of mistakes, but it isn't always.
In Luke 5:23 ("Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Get up and walk’?) The "easier" is a funny Greek word. Its root meaning is a "better beating" or a "better fatigue," which becomes "less painful" and "less tiring" and this "easier." The "getting up" should be harder but the humor is that his challengers have just given him a beating for saying that the paraplegic's sins were let go. The Greek word translated as "forgive" means to "let go."
The "arise and "walk" statement has a double meaning of "awake and live." The word translated as "arise" and "get up" primarily means "awaken." "The "forgive" means "let go" is plural with "sin" meaning "mistakes" as its plural subject.
What is funny here is Jesus is doing all the talking. He says the paraplegic's sins have let go. His challengers accused him of blasphemy in unspoken thoughts that he puts into words. He then asks them about talking, what s harder to say when both things are easy to say, but the first was harder because it made them think of blasphemy, a death sentence. However, both are easy to say. The question is which can either be done?
Whether(WW) is easier, to say, Thy (MW) sins(CW) (WT) be forgiven (MW) thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "whether" should be "what."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "those" before "mistakes" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "sin" does not capture the word's general meaning.
- WT -- Wrong Tense -- This verb is the past perfect tense, which requires a "have forgiven" before the verb.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "for" is not shown in the English translation.
- WP -- Wrongly Placed -- The word "your" doesn't appear after "sins" but after the verb.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "those" before "mistakes" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "sin" does not capture the word's general meaning.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "forgiven" should be "let go."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "for"m thee" is not shown in the English translation.
Whether - (WW) The Greek word translated as "whether" primarily means "someone" and "something," but it has a lot of uses including the introduction of short questions such as "what", "why", etc.
is - The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition.
easier, The word translated as "easier" is a compound words. It is an uncommon word, appearing only a seven times in the NT and only five place in the rest of ancient Greek literature. The word is only used by Jesus in the NT, not other writers. The prefix here means "good" or rather, "better," because the word is comparative. The base word primarily means "beating" or "fatigue". So the sense is "more fatiguing", which has the sense of "less tiring".
to -- This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English.
say, - The word translated as "to say" is the primary verb used in the NT to refer to speaking, telling, or saying. It also means "proclaiming," which works pretty well when Christ is referring to this type of statement.
Thy - -- The word translated as "your" is the genitive form of the singular, second-person pronoun, which is most commonly the possessive form. This pronoun follows the noun so "of yours."
missing "the/those" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.
sins - (CW) The word translated as "sins" is a form of a word that means "to fail in one's purpose", "to neglect," and "to be deprived of." It has no sense of doing malicious evil in Greek. The best English translation is "mistake," "fault," or "failure" rather than what we commonly think of as the evils of "sin." More about this word in this article.
missing "have" -- (WT) The helping vcrb, "have," is needed to show the past perfect tense of the verb.
be -- This helping verb "be" indicates that the verb is passive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.
forgiven -- (WW) The word translated as "be forgiven" primarily means "to let go" or "to send away." This same word is translated as "leave", "forgive", "suffer," and "let" in the New Testament. With the word translated as "sin" it is translated as "forgive" even though it doesn't really mean that in Greek. Its form is that in which the subject is acted upon by itself. It is in the present tense so "are being let go by themselves".
missing "for" -- (MW) The untranslated word "for" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object. However, the translator can choose other prepositions: "with," "in," "of," "as," "by," "for," "at," or "on" depending on the context.
thee. --- The word translated as "thee" is the genitive form of the singular, second-person pronoun, which is most commonly the possessive form. However, if this were meant to describe the "mistakes," Jesus would almost always put it after that word. Here, it appears before the untranslated article and after the verb. This possibly makes it an "objective" genitive with a transitive verb where instead of inserting "of" we use words like ‘for’, ‘about’, ‘concerning’, ‘toward’ or ‘against. The sense is "being let go of you".
or - The word translated as "or" also means "than" in comparison.
to -- This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English.
say, - The word for "to say" is the same word in the same form as the earlier "to say."
Arise, - - The word for "arise" means "awaken" The word is the same word Christ uses to describe God raising the dead and false prophets arising.
and - The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
walk? -- The word translated as "walk" means "walk around" and it is a metaphor meaning "making your way", "progress", "to use your opportunities," and "to live." Jesus uses it somewhat humorously in the sense that we use "pace" or "parade."
is: Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition.
easier: The word translated as "easier" is a compound of two words. It is an uncommon word, appearing only a half dozen times in the NT and only five times in the rest of ancient Greek literature. The prefix here means "good" or "better" because the word is comparative. The base word primarily means "beating" or "fatigue". So the sense is "better fatigue", which has the sense of "less tiring".
to say: The word translated as "to say" is the primary verb used in the NT to refer to speaking, telling, or saying. It also means "proclaiming," which works pretty well when Christ is referring to this type of statement.
Thy: The word translated as "thy" is the possessive form of the second person pronoun.
sins: The word translated as "sins" is a form of a word that means "to fail in one's purpose", "to neglect," and "to be deprived of." It has no sense of doing malicious evil in Greek. The best English translation is "mistakes" or "failures" rather than what we commonly think of as the evils of "sin." More about this word in this article.
be forgiven: The word translated as "be forgiven" primarily means "to let go" or "to send away." This same word is usually translated as "leave", "forgive", "suffer," and "let" in the New Testament. It is in a form where the subject ("mistakes") is acted upon by itself, so "have let go of themselves."
thee; The word for "thee" is the indirect object form of the pronoun.
or: The word translated as "or" also means "than" in a comparison, as it is used here.
to say: The word for "to say" is the same word in the same form as the earlier "to say."
Rise up: The word for "rise up" is the same word Christ uses to describe God raising the dead and false prophets arising. It is a command.
and: The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
walk: "Walk" is an Greek verb that means "to walk up and down", "to walk about," and "to walk about while teaching."
The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
The word translated as "walk" means "walk around" and it is a metaphor meaning "making your way", "progress", "to use your opportunities," and "to live."
Which - The Greek word translated as "which" primarily means "someone" and "something," but it has a lot of uses including the introduction of short questions such as "what", "why", etc.
is - The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition.
easier, The word translated as "easier" is a compound words. It is an uncommon word, appearing only a seven times in the NT and only five times in the rest of ancient Greek literature. The word is only used by Jesus in the NT, not other writers. The prefix here means "good" or rather, "better," because the word is comparative. The base word primarily means "beating" or "fatigue". So the sense is "better fatigue", which has the sense of "less tiring".
to -- This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English.
say, - The word translated as "to say" is the primary verb used in the NT to refer to speaking, telling, or saying. It also means "proclaiming," which works pretty well when Christ is referring to this type of statement.
Your - -- The word translated as "your" is the genitive form of the singular, second-person pronoun, which is most commonly the possessive form. This pronoun follows the noun so "of yours."
missing "the/those" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.
sins - (CW) The word translated as "sins" is a form of a word that means "to fail in one's purpose", "to neglect," and "to be deprived of." It has no sense of doing malicious evil in Greek. The best English translation is "mistake," "fault," or "failure" rather than what we commonly think of as the evils of "sin." More about this word in this article.
are -- This helping verb "are" indicates that the verb is passive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.
forgiven -- (WW) The word translated as "be forgiven" primarily means "to let go" or "to send away." This same word is translated as "leave", "forgive", "suffer," and "let" in the New Testament. With the word translated as "sin" it is translated as "forgive" even though it doesn't really mean that in Greek. Its form is that in which the subject is acted upon by itself. It is in the present tense so "are being let go by themselves".
missing "for thee" -- (MW) The untranslated word "for the" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object. However, the translator can choose other prepositions: "with," "in," "of," "as," "by," "for," "at," or "on" depending on the context.
or - The word translated as "or" also means "than" in comparison, as it is used here.
to -- This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English.
say, - The word for "to say" is the same word in the same form as the earlier "to say."
Get up, - -The word for "arise" means "awaken" The word is the same word Christ uses to describe God raising the dead and false prophets arising.
and - The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
walk? -- The word translated as "walk" means "walk around" and it is a metaphor meaning "making your way", "progress", "to use your opportunities," and "to live."
τί [252 verses](irreg sg neut nom/acc) "Whether" is from tis which can mean "someone", "anyone", "everyone", "they [indefinite]", "many a one", "whoever", "anyone", "anything", "some sort", "some sort of", "each", "any", "the individual", "such," and so on. In a question, it can mean "who", "why," or "what."
ἐστιν [614 verses](3rd sg pres ind act ) "Is" is from eimi, which means "to be", "to exist", "to be the case," and "is possible."
εὐκοπώτερον, [7 verses](adj sg neut nom/acc comp) "Easier" is eukopo, which is a comparative form of "easy." It is a compound eu, the word for "well", "thoroughly", "competently", "fortunately," and "happily." and kopos, which means "striking", "beating", "toil and trouble", "fatigue," and "work." Its root meaning is a "good beating" or "good fatigue."
εἰπεῖν [162 verses](aor inf act ) "To say" is from eipon, which means "to speak", "to say", "to recite", "to address", "to mention", "to name", "to proclaim", "to plead", "to promise," and "to offer."
Ἀφέωνταί [73 verses](verb 3rd pl perf ind mp) "Be forgiven" is aphiemi, which means "to let fall," "to send away," "give up," "hand over," "to let loose," "to get rid of," "to leave alone," "to pass by," "to permit," and "to send forth from oneself." -- The word translated as "forgive" primarily means "to let go" or "to send away." It has the sense of leaving something alone and letting it drop. This same word is usually translated as "leave," "forgive," "suffer," and "let" in the New Testament. See this article for more.
σου [144 verses](pron 2nd sg gen ) "Thy" is from sou which means "you" and "your."
αἱ [821 verses] (article pl fem nom) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
ἁμαρτίαι, [28 verses](noun pl fem nom) "Sin" is from hamartia, which means "to miss the mark", "failure", "fault," and "error." Only in religious contexts does it become "guilt" and "sin."
ἢ [92 verses](conj) "Or" is e which is a particle meaning "either", "or," or "than."
εἰπεῖν [162 verses](aor inf act ) "To say" is from eipon, which means "to speak", "to say", "to recite", "to address", "to mention", "to name", "to proclaim", "to plead", "to promise," and "to offer."
Ἔγειρε [41 verses] (2nd sg pres imperat act) "Arise" is from egeiro, which means "to awaken", "to stir up," and "to rouse."
καὶ [1089 verses](conj) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even", "also," and "just."
περιπάτει; [13 verses](2nd sg pres imperat act) "Walk" is from peripateo, which means "to walk up and down", "to walk about," and "to walk about while teaching."
The phrase "awake and walk around" also has the sense of "awake and live"