Matthew 9:3

 Matthew 9:3

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

a. ASV:  And behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

b. YLT: And lo, certain of the scribes said within themselves, 'This one doth speak evil.'  [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. Classic Amplified: And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, This man blasphemes [He claims the rights and prerogatives of God]!  [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. Peshitta Eastern Text: Some of the scribes said among themselves, This man blasphemes. [HOLY BIBLE FROM THE ANCIENT EASTERN TEXT. Copyright  Ⓒ 1933 by A.J. Holmon Co.; copyright  Ⓒ renewed 1968 by A.J. Holmon Co.; All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.]

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

a. And [Strong: 2532. kai kahee apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:--and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.]

b. behold [Strong: 2400. idou id-oo' second person singular imperative middle voice of 1492; used as imperative lo!; --behold, lo, see.]

c. certain [Strong: 5100. tis tis an enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object:--a (kind of), any (man, thing, thing at all), certain (thing), divers, he (every) man, one (X thing), ought, + partly, some (man, -body, - thing, -what), (+ that no-)thing, what(-soever), X wherewith, whom(-soever), whose(-soever).]

d. [of] the [Strong: 3588. [tōn] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [tōn] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn, ta, tēs, tois, tais, tō, tōn, tou, hé  hē, hai, tas.]

e. scribes [Strong: 1122. grammateus gram-mat-yooce' from 1121. a writer, i.e. (professionally) scribe or secretary:--scribe, town-clerk.]

f. said 2036. epo ep'-o a primary verb (used only in the definite past tense, the others being borrowed from 2046, 4483, and 5346); to speak or say (by word or writing):--answer, bid, bring word, call, command, grant, say (on), speak, tell.]

g. within [Strong: 1722. en en a primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or state), and (by implication) instrumentality (medially or constructively), i.e. a relation of rest (intermediate between 1519 and 1537); "in," at, (up-)on, by, etc.:--about, after, against, + almost, X altogether, among, X as, at, before, between, (here-)by (+ all means), for (... sake of), + give self wholly to, (here-)in(-to, -wardly), X mightily, (because) of, (up-)on, (open-)ly, X outwardly, one, X quickly, X shortly, (speedi-)ly, X that, X there(-in, -on), through(-out), (un-)to(-ward), under, when, where(-with), while, with(-in). Often used in compounds, with substantially the same import; rarely with verbs of motion, and then not to indicate direction, except (elliptically) by a separate (and different) preposition.]

h. themselves [Strong: 1438. heautou heh-ow-too' from a reflexive pronoun otherwise obsolete and the genitive case (dative case or accusative case) of 846; him- (her-, it-, them-, also (in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons) my-, thy-, our-, your-) self (selves), etc.:--alone, her (own, -self), (he) himself, his (own), itself, one (to) another, our (thine) own(-selves), + that she had, their (own, own selves), (of) them(-selves), they, thyself, you, your (own, own conceits, own selves, -selves).]

i. This [man] [Strong: 3778. houtos hoo'-tos, including nominative masculine plural houtoi hoo'-toy, nominative feminine singular haute how'-tay, and nominative feminine plural hautai how'-tahee from the article 3588 and 846; the he (she or it), i.e. this or that (often with article repeated):--he (it was that), hereof, it, she, such as, the same, these, they, this (man, same, woman), which, who.

j. blasphemeth [Strong: 987. blasphemeo blas-fay-meh'-o from 989; to vilify; specially, to speak impiously:--(speak) blaspheme(-er, -mously, -my), defame, rail on, revile, speak evil.]

1). When I first got saved I would read accounts such as this one and think, “Well, Jesus could read their thoughts because He was God.” But that is not the reason he could read their thoughts. When the Second Person of the Godhead (the pre-incarnate Christ), became a man He laid aside all his God like abilities. In Philippians 2:7 it says he emptied himself. This is referring to his God-like abilities, His Omnipotence, Omniscience, Omnipresence and so on. When Jesus worked miracles He did so because he was filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38; Luke 3:21, 22; Luke 4:14-21; Matthew 12:28). Every miracle that Jesus worked while in his earthly ministry can be explained by him being filled with the Holy Ghost and operating in the gifts of the Spirit of 1 Corinthians 12:7-11.

2). The same Greek word used in this verse for Jesus “knowing” their thoughts is the same Greek word translated “perceiving” used in Acts 14:8-10 when Paul by the Spirit discerned that man had faith to be healed.

a). Acts 14:8-10  And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked:

14:9  The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,

14:10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.