Luke 5:19

19 They could not find a way to do this because of the crowd. So they went up on the roof. Then they lowered the man on his mat through the opening in the roof tiles. They lowered him into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

Luke 5:19 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 5:19

And when they could not find by what way
As by the door, or in at a window of the house:

they might bring him in;
to Jesus, in the house:

because of the multitude;
which was about the door, and all the fore part of the house:

they went upon the housetop;
by a ladder, or pair of stairs, which usually were on the outside of houses; (See Gill on Matthew 24:17) the houses of the Jews being flat roofed:

and let him down through the tiling with his couch,
into the midst before Jesus; that is, they untiled the roof, or took away the tiles which were about the trap door, or passage, into the inside of the house; and so making it wider, let down the man upon his couch, or bed, into the middle of the room and of the people, just before Jesus, where he was sitting; (See Gill on Mark 2:4).

Luke 5:19 In-Context

17 One day Jesus was teaching. Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. They heard that the Lord had given Jesus the power to heal the sick.

18 Some men came carrying a man who could not walk. He was lying on a mat. They tried to take him into the house to place him in front of Jesus.

19 They could not find a way to do this because of the crowd. So they went up on the roof. Then they lowered the man on his mat through the opening in the roof tiles. They lowered him into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

20 When Jesus saw that they had faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."

21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to think, "Who is this fellow who says such an evil thing? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"