Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Luke 5:23
Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?
23. Whether is easier, to say ] An impostor might say ‘thy sins have been forgiven’ without any visible sign whether his words had any power or not; no one could by a word make a man ‘rise and walk’ who had not received power from God. But our Lord had purposely used words which while they brought the earthly miracle into less prominence, went to the very root of the evil, and implied a yet loftier prerogative.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Whether is it easier to say,…. Mark adds, “to the sick of the palsy”; to whom Christ had said that his sins were forgiven him, which had given offence to the Scribes and Pharisees, imagining that he had assumed too much to himself: wherefore he proposes the following case to them, which they thought was most easy for man, or more proper and peculiar to God to say,
thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say, rise up and walk? Neither of them could be said by a mere man, with effect, so as that sins would be really remitted on so saying; or that a man sick of a palsy, by such a word speaking, would be able to stand upon his feet and walk; but both of them were equally easy to him, that is truly God; and he that could say the one effectually, could also say the other: or in other words, he that could cure a man of a palsy with a word speaking, ought not to be charged with blasphemy, for taking upon him to forgive sin: our Lord meant, by putting this question, and acting upon it, to prove himself to be God, and to remove the imputation of blasphemy from him;
[See comments on Mt 9:5].
[See comments on Mr 2:9].
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Walk [] . Lit., walk about.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “Whether is easier, to say,” (ti estin eukopoteron eipein) “Just which (what is) easier to say,” to this paralyzed man, this or that, to claim power to do one or the other, both of which would require supernatural power, one demonstrated from within the soul, and one upon the body from without.
2) “Thy sins be forgiven thee;” (apheontai soi hai hamertiai sou) “Your sins have been forgiven, remitted, or pardoned,” which He had done, Luk 5:20; Mat 9:2-5. An impostor might say “thy sins be forgiven thee,” without any visible result, but no one could speak a word and cause a paralytic to walk, except he received power from God, is the idea.
3) “Or to say, Rise up and walk?” (he eipein egeire kai peripatei) “Or to say rise (get up) and walk or dance around?” It takes but little speculation to suspect the cynical grin and their attitude of “yah,” you just make him walk! Perhaps their attitude was much as that later expressed when He was on the cross, “if he be the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross and we will believe him,” Mat 27:40-44; Mar 2:9.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?
22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?
23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?
Ver. 23. Whether is easier ] q.d. Neither of either: for both are equally hard, and feasible to God alone.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
be = have been.
thee = to thee.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Mat 9:5, Mar 2:9
Reciprocal: Rth 2:11 – and how
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Verse 23
The meaning is this: Is not divine power required as truly to heal the sick by a miracle as to forgive sin?