Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Mark: Chapter 2]
They unroofed the roof (note paronomasia in the Greek and cognate
accusative). The only instance of this verb in the N.T. A rare
word in late Greek, no papyrus example given in Moulton and
Milligan _Vocabulary_. They climbed up a stairway on the outside
or ladder to the flat tile roof and dug out or broke up
(\exoruxantes\) the tiles (the roof). There were thus tiles (\dia
t•n keram•n\, Lu 5:19) of laths and plaster and even slabs of
stone stuck in for strength that had to be dug out. It is not
clear where Jesus was (\hopou •n\), either downstairs,
(Holtzmann) or upstairs (Lightfoot), or in the quadrangle
(_atrium_ or _compluvium_, if the house had one). "A composition
of mortar, tar, ashes and sand is spread upon the roofs, and
rolled hard, and grass grows in the crevices. On the houses of
the poor in the country the grass grows more freely, and goats
may be seen on the roofs cropping it" (Vincent). {They let down
the bed} (\chal•si ton krabatton\), historical present again,
aorist tense in Lu 5:19 (\kath•kan\). The verb means to lower
from a higher place as from a boat. Probably the four men had a
rope fastened to each corner of the pallet or poor man's bed
(\krabatton\, Latin _grabatus_. So one of Mark's Latin words).
Matthew (Mt 9:2) has \klin•\, general term for bed. Luke has
\klinidion\ (little bed or couch). Mark's word is common in the
papyri and is spelled also \krabbatos\, sometimes \krabatos\,
while W, Codex Washingtonius, has it \krabbaton\.
2:5 {Their faith} (\t•n pistin aut•n\). The faith of the four men
and of the man himself. There is no reason for excluding his
faith. They all had confidence in the power and willingness of
Jesus to heal this desperate case. {Are forgiven} (\aphientai\,
aoristic present passive, cf. punctiliar action, Robertson's
_Grammar_, pp. 864ff.). So Mt 9:3, but Lu 5:20 has the Doric
perfect passive \aphe•ntai\. The astonishing thing both to the
paralytic and to the four friends is that Jesus forgave his sins
instead of healing him. The sins had probably caused the
paralysis.
2:6 {Sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts} (\ekei
kath•menoi kai dialogizomenoi en tais kardiais aut•n\). Another
of Mark's pictures through Peter's eyes. These scribes (and
Pharisees, Lu 5:21) were there to cause trouble, to pick flaws
in the teaching and conduct of Jesus. His popularity and power
had aroused their jealousy. There is no evidence that they spoke
aloud the murmur in their hearts, "within themselves" (Mt 9:3).
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/MR2.RWP.html (2 of 7) [28/08/2004 09:03:36 a.m.]