Luke 5:20

20 And seeing their faith, he said, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

Luke 5:20 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 5:20

And when he saw their faith
That is, Jesus, as the Syriac and Persic versions express it; when he saw the faith both of the paralytic man, and of the men that brought him, which was shown in the pains they took, and trouble they were at, in getting him to him;

he said unto him.
The Vulgate Latin only reads, "he said"; but the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions, still more fully express the sense, rendering it, "he said to the paralytic man"; and the Ethiopic version, "he said to the infirm man"; as follows:

man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
The other evangelists say, he said "son"; perhaps he used both words: however, all agree that he pronounced the forgiveness of sins, which were the cause of his disease; and which being removed, the effect must cease; so that he had healing both for soul and body; (See Gill on Matthew 9:2).

Luke 5:20 In-Context

18 And behold, men bring on a bed a man that was palsied: and they sought to bring him in, and to lay him before him.

19 And not finding by what [way] they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went up to the housetop, and let him down through the tiles with his couch into the midst before Jesus.

20 And seeing their faith, he said, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this that speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?

22 But Jesus perceiving their reasonings, answered and said unto them, Why reason ye in your hearts?