Bible Strands
Mark 2:9
“Which is easier: to say to a paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’?
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus poses this question to the scribes and the paralytic’s companions immediately after perceiving their unspoken doubts about His authority. He speaks at the precise moment the religious leaders privately judge His claim to forgive sins.
The words — The Greek term εὐκοπώτερον (eukopōteron) translates literally to “easier,” establishing the comparative framework of the verse. The verb ἀφίενταί (aphientai) means “are forgiven,” describing a completed divine action that leaves no external evidence.
The thread — This exact rhetorical structure appears in Matthew 9:5 and Luke 5:22, where Jesus repeats the same contrast to address identical objections. The parallel passages preserve the identical sequence of questioning and the identical purpose statement that follows.
Why it lands — The text explicitly records Jesus asking which statement is easier to make, then immediately follows with a command to demonstrate healing. The verse requires the reader to acknowledge that a claim to forgive sins demands visible proof of divine authority to be credible.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
Cross-references
- Luke 5:22 Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus replied, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?
- Matthew 9:5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?