Matthew 9:3
New International Version
At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”

New Living Translation
But some of the teachers of religious law said to themselves, “That’s blasphemy! Does he think he’s God?”

English Standard Version
And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”

Berean Standard Bible
On seeing this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!”

Berean Literal Bible
And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This one blasphemes!"

King James Bible
And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.

New King James Version
And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!”

New American Standard Bible
And some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!”

NASB 1995
And some of the scribes said to themselves, “This fellow blasphemes.”

NASB 1977
And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This fellow blasphemes.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man blasphemes.”

Amplified Bible
And some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man blasphemes [by claiming the rights and prerogatives of God]!”

Christian Standard Bible
At this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “He’s blaspheming! ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
At this, some of the scribes said among themselves, “He’s blaspheming!”

American Standard Version
And behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.

Contemporary English Version
Some teachers of the Law of Moses said to themselves, "Jesus must think he is God!"

English Revised Version
And behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then some of the scribes thought, "He's dishonoring God."

Good News Translation
Then some teachers of the Law said to themselves, "This man is speaking blasphemy!"

International Standard Version
Then some of the scribes told themselves, "This fellow is blaspheming!"

Majority Standard Bible
On seeing this, some of the scribes said to themselves, ?This man is blaspheming!?

NET Bible
Then some of the experts in the law said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming!"

New Heart English Bible
And look, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man blasphemes."

Webster's Bible Translation
And behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.

Weymouth New Testament
"Such language is impious," said some of the Scribes among themselves.

World English Bible
Behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man blasphemes.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, “This One speaks evil.”

Berean Literal Bible
And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This one blasphemes!"

Young's Literal Translation
And lo, certain of the scribes said within themselves, 'This one doth speak evil.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And behold, certain of the scribes said in themselves, This defames.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And behold some of the scribes said within themselves: He blasphemeth.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And behold, some of the scribes said within themselves, “He is blaspheming.”

New American Bible
At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”

New Revised Standard Version
Then some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Some of the scribes said among themselves, This man blasphemes.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But some of the Scribes said among themselves, “This man blasphemes.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And behold, some of the scribes said within themselves: This man talks impiously.

Godbey New Testament
And behold, certain ones of the scribes said among themselves; This man blasphemeth.

Haweis New Testament
And lo! some of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.

Mace New Testament
whereupon certain of the scribes said within themselves, this man blasphemes.

Weymouth New Testament
"Such language is impious," said some of the Scribes among themselves.

Worrell New Testament
And, behold, some of the scribes said among themselves, "This Man is blaspheming! "

Worsley New Testament
Upon which, some of the scribes said in themselves, This man blasphemeth: but Jesus knowing their surmises,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
2Just then some men brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3On seeing this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!” 4But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you harbor evil in your hearts?…

Cross References
Mark 2:6-7
But some of the scribes were sitting there and thinking in their hearts, / “Why does this man speak like this? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Luke 5:21
But the scribes and Pharisees began thinking to themselves, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

John 10:33
“We are not stoning You for any good work,” said the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because You, who are a man, make Yourself out to be God.”

Matthew 12:24
But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.”

Matthew 26:65
At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.

John 5:18
Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

John 8:59
At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.

Acts 6:11
Then they prompted some men to say, “We heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.”

Acts 7:57-58
At this they covered their ears, cried out in a loud voice, and rushed together at him. / They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

Leviticus 24:16
Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD must surely be put to death; the whole assembly must surely stone him, whether he is a foreign resident or native; if he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.

Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

Psalm 32:1-2
Of David. A Maskil. Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. / Blessed is the man whose iniquity the LORD does not count against him, in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Psalm 103:3
He who forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases,

Daniel 7:13-14
In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. / And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Isaiah 43:25
I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.


Treasury of Scripture

And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemes.

certain.

Matthew 7:29
For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Mark 2:6,7
But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, …

Mark 7:21
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

This.

Matthew 26:65
Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.

Leviticus 24:16
And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death.

Mark 14:64
Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.

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Matthew 9
1. Jesus heals a paralytic
9. calls Matthew from the receipt of custom;
10. eats with tax collectors and sinners;
14. defends his disciples for not fasting;
20. cures the sick woman;
23. raises Jairus' daughter from death;
27. gives sight to two blind men;
32. heals a mute man possessed of a demon;
36. and has compassion on the multitude.














On seeing this
This phrase indicates the reaction of the scribes to the actions of Jesus. The context here is crucial; Jesus had just declared the paralytic's sins forgiven, which was a divine prerogative. The Greek word for "seeing" (ἰδόντες, idontes) implies not just physical sight but also perception and understanding. The scribes' perception was clouded by their preconceived notions of religious law and authority, highlighting the spiritual blindness that often accompanies legalism.

some of the scribes
The scribes were experts in the Jewish Law, often associated with the Pharisees. They were respected for their knowledge and interpretation of the Torah. Historically, scribes were seen as the guardians of the Law, and their role was crucial in maintaining religious traditions. However, their focus on the letter of the law often led to a lack of understanding of its spirit, as seen in their reaction to Jesus' actions.

said to themselves
This phrase suggests an internal dialogue or a whispered conversation among the scribes. The Greek word used here (εἶπαν, eipan) can imply speaking within oneself or among a group. This internal dialogue reflects their immediate judgment and skepticism, a common human reaction when faced with something that challenges established beliefs.

'This man
The scribes refer to Jesus dismissively as "this man," indicating their lack of recognition of His divine authority. In the cultural and historical context, addressing someone in this manner could imply disdain or disbelief. It underscores their inability to see Jesus as the Messiah, despite the miraculous signs He performed.

is blaspheming!'
The accusation of blasphemy was serious, as it involved showing contempt or lack of reverence for God. In Jewish law, blasphemy was punishable by death. The Greek word for blaspheming (βλασφημεῖ, blasphēmei) means to speak evil or slanderously. The scribes believed that by claiming to forgive sins, Jesus was usurping a role reserved for God alone. This accusation reveals their misunderstanding of Jesus' identity and mission. From a conservative Christian perspective, this moment highlights the profound truth of Jesus' divine nature and authority, which the scribes failed to recognize.

(3) This man blasphemeth.--The words were but an echo of the charge that had been brought at Jerusalem, that "He made Himself equal with God" (John 5:18), and may well have come from some of the same objectors. St. Mark and St. Luke give the grounds of their accusation: "What is this that this Man thus speaks? Who can forgive sins but One, that is, God?" Speaking abstractedly, they were affirming one of the first principles of all true religious belief. All sins are offences against God, and therefore, though men may forgive trespasses as far as they themselves are concerned, the ultimate act of forgiveness belongs to God only; and for a mere man, as such, to claim the right of forgiving thus absolutely, was to claim a divine attribute, and therefore to blaspheme--i.e., to utter words as disparaging as open profaneness to the majesty of God. What they forgot to take into account was the possibility (1) that God might so far delegate His power to His chosen servants that they, on sufficient evidence of that delegation, might rightly declare sins to be forgiven; or (2) that the Teacher might Himself be one with God, and so share in His perfections and prerogatives. On either of these suppositions the charge of blasphemy was fully answered, and the sin of the scribes lay in their ignoring the fact that He had given sufficient proof of the former, if not of the latter also.

Verse 3. - And certain of the scribes. From St. Luke's account (ver. 17) we learn that the miracle took place before a large assembly of "Pharisees and teachers of the Law, who had come out of every village of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem." 'Yet even among these there was a division (τινές). Said within themselves. So Mark, "reasoning in their hearts." This man (οῦτος). The word seems to convey a notion of contempt and of vindictive joy that they have caught him (cf. Mark, τί οῦτος οὕτως λαλεῖ; and perhaps Matthew 12:24). Blasphemeth (βλασφημεῖ). In its fullest meaning; through assumption of Divine authority (so also Matthew 26:65; John 10:33, 36). "No passage of the Old Testament affirms that the Messiah himself will forgive sins. Thus Jesus ascribes to himself what even the highest Old Testament prophecies of the Messianic time had reserved to God; e.g. Jeremiah 31:34; Isaiah 43:25" (Kubel). Observe that Mark lays more stress upon the process of their thoughts, Matthew and Luke on the conclusion at which they arrived, Luke also indicating that the supposed sin had many parts (λαλεῖ βλασφημίας) - they thought, "Every word he has uttered is blasphemy."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
On seeing this,
Καὶ (Kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

some
τινες (tines)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 5100: Any one, some one, a certain one or thing. An enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object.

of the
τῶν (tōn)
Article - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

scribes
γραμματέων (grammateōn)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 1122: From gramma. A writer, i.e. scribe or secretary.

said
εἶπαν (eipan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

to
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

themselves,
ἑαυτοῖς (heautois)
Reflexive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1438: Himself, herself, itself.

“This [man]
Οὗτος (Houtos)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

is blaspheming!”
βλασφημεῖ (blasphēmei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 987: From blasphemos; to vilify; specially, to speak impiously.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 9:3 Behold some of the scribes said (Matt. Mat Mt)
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