And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.
Parallel translations
- WEB Behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man blasphemes.”
- BSB On seeing this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!”
- NKJV And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!”
- NASB And some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!”
- NLT But some of the teachers of religious law said to themselves, “That’s blasphemy! Does he think he’s God?”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The scribes silently accuse Jesus of blasphemy for forgiving sins. They rightly know only God can forgive, but wrongly reject Jesus' identity.
Overview
The scribes reason correctly that forgiving sins is a divine prerogative, so for a man to claim it would be blasphemy. Their error is failing to see that Jesus truly is God in the flesh. Their charge unwittingly testifies to the high claim Jesus is making about himself.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Matt 26:65Then 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.
- Luke 5:21And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?
- Lev 24:16And 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 14:64Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.
- John 10:33–36The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
- Mark 2:6–7But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
- Luke 7:39–40Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.
- Mark 7:21For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
- Matt 7:29For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
- Acts 6:11–13Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 9:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.