Matthew 9:4

Easy-to-Read Version

Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said, "Why are you thinking such evil thoughts?

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Perceiving their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?

King James Version (1611)
And Iesus knowing their thoughts, said, Wherefore thinke yee euill in your hearts?

King James Version
And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

English Standard Version
But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?

New American Standard Bible
And Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, "Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?

New Century Version
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why are you thinking evil thoughts?

Amplified Bible
But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?

Geneva Bible (1587)
But when Iesus saw their thoughts, he said, Wherefore thinke yee euil things in your hearts?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, "Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?

Legacy Standard Bible
And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, "Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?

Berean Standard Bible
But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, "Why do you harbor evil in your hearts?

Contemporary English Version
But Jesus knew what was in their minds, and he said, "Why are you thinking such evil things?

Complete Jewish Bible
Yeshua, knowing what they were thinking, said, "Why are you entertaining evil thoughts in your hearts?

Darby Translation
And Jesus, seeing their thoughts, said, Why do *ye* think evil things in your hearts?

George Lamsa Translation
But Jesus knew their thoughts; so he said to them, Why do you think evil in your hearts?

Good News Translation
Jesus perceived what they were thinking, and so he said, "Why are you thinking such evil things?

Lexham English Bible
And knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?

Literal Translation
And seeing their thoughts, Jesus said, Why do you think evil in your hearts?

American Standard Version
And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

Bible in Basic English
And Jesus, having knowledge of what was in their minds, said, Why are your thoughts evil?

Hebrew Names Version
Yeshua, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?

International Standard Version
But Jesus knewsaw">[fn] their thoughts and said, "Why do you have such evil thoughts in your hearts?Psalm 139:2; Matthew 12:25; Mark 12:15; Luke 5:22; 6:8; 9:47; 11:17;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
But Jeshu knew their reasonings, and said to them, Why reason ye evil in your hearts?

Murdock Translation
But Jesus knew their thoughts: and he said to them, Why do ye think evil [fn] in your heart?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And whe Iesus saw their thoughtes, he sayde: Wherefore thynke ye euyll in your heartes?

English Revised Version
And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

World English Bible
Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And Jesus seeing their thoughts said, Why think ye evil in your hearts?

Weymouth's New Testament
Knowing their thoughts Jesus said, "Why are you cherishing evil thoughts in your hearts?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne Jhesus hadde seyn her thouytis, he seide, Wherto thenken ye yuele thingis in youre hertis?

Update Bible Version
And Jesus seeing their thoughts said, Why do you think evil in your hearts?

Webster's Bible Translation
And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Why think ye evil in your hearts?

New English Translation
When Jesus perceived their thoughts he said, "Why do you respond with evil in your hearts?

New King James Version
But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?

New Living Translation
Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, "Why do you have such evil thoughts in your hearts?

New Life Bible
Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said, "Why do you think bad thoughts in your hearts?

New Revised Standard
But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Jesus, knowing, their inward thoughts, said, - To what end are ye cherishing evil thoughts within your hearts?

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Jesus seeing their thoughts, said: Why do you think evil in your hearts?

Revised Standard Version
But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And whe Iesus sawe their thoughtes he sayd: wherfore thinke ye evill in youre hertes?

Young's Literal Translation
And Jesus, having known their thoughts, said, `Why think ye evil in your hearts?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But when Iesus sawe their thoughtes, he sayde: wherfore thinke ye euill in youre hertes?.

Mace New Testament (1729)
and Jesus perceiving their reflections, said, why do you entertain so bad an opinion?

THE MESSAGE
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, "Why this gossipy whispering? Which do you think is simpler: to say, ‘I forgive your sins,' or, ‘Get up and walk'? Well, just so it's clear that I'm the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both...." At this he turned to the paraplegic and said, "Get up. Take your bed and go home." And the man did it. The crowd was awestruck, amazed and pleased that God had authorized Jesus to work among them this way.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Jesus knew what they were thinking and saying. He said to them, "Why are your minds filled with evil?

Contextual Overview

¹ Jesus got into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. ² Some people brought to him a man who was paralyzed and was lying on a mat. Jesus saw that these people had much faith. So he said to the paralyzed man, "Young man, you will be glad to hear this. Your sins are forgiven." ³ Some of the teachers of the law heard what Jesus said. They said to themselves, "What an insult to God for this man to say that!" ⁴ Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said, "Why are you thinking such evil thoughts? ⁵The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. But how can I prove this to you? Maybe you are thinking it was easy for me to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven.' There's no proof that it really happened. But what if I say to the man, ‘Stand up and walk'? Then you will be able to see that I really have this power." So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "Stand up. Take your mat and go home." ⁷ The man stood up and went home. ⁸ The people saw this and they were amazed. They praised God for letting someone have such power.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

knowing: Matthew 12:25, Matthew 16:7, Matthew 16:8, Psalms 44:21, Psalms 139:2, Mark 2:8, Mark 8:16, Mark 8:17, Mark 12:15, Luke 5:22, Luke 6:8, Luke 7:40, Luke 9:46, Luke 9:47, Luke 11:17, John 2:24, John 2:25, John 6:61, John 6:64, John 16:19, John 16:30, John 21:17, Hebrews 4:12, Hebrews 4:13, Revelation 2:23

Wherefore: Ezekiel 38:10, Acts 5:3, Acts 5:4, Acts 5:9, Acts 8:20-22

Reciprocal: Exodus 16:8 - the Lord heareth Proverbs 23:7 - as Proverbs 24:9 - thought Isaiah 66:18 - their thoughts Daniel 11:24 - forecast his devices Amos 4:13 - and declareth Matthew 15:19 - evil Mark 7:21 - evil 1 Corinthians 13:5 - thinketh

Cross-References

Genesis 9:10
I make my promise to all the birds, and to all the cattle, and to all the animals that came out of the boat with you. I make my promise to every living thing on earth.

Genesis 9:14
When I bring clouds over the earth, you will see the rainbow in the clouds.

Leviticus 3:17
This rule will continue forever through all your generations. Wherever you live, you must never eat fat or blood."

Leviticus 7:26
"No matter where you live, you must never eat blood from any bird or any animal.

Leviticus 19:26
"You must not eat any meat with blood still in it. "You must not try to use different kinds of magic to tell the future.

Deuteronomy 12:16
But you must not eat the blood. You must pour the blood on the ground like water.

Deuteronomy 12:23
But be especially careful not to eat the blood, because the life is in the blood. You must not eat meat that still has its life in it.

Deuteronomy 14:21
"Don't eat any animal that has died by itself. You may give the dead animal to the foreigner in your town, and he can eat it. Or you may sell the dead animal to a foreigner. But you yourselves must not eat the dead animal, because you belong to the Lord your God. You are his special people. "Don't cook a baby goat in its mother's milk.

Deuteronomy 15:23
But you must not eat the blood from the animal. You must pour the blood out on the ground like water.

Acts 15:20
Instead, we should send a letter telling them only the things they should not do: Don't eat food that has been given to idols. This makes the food unclean. Don't be involved in sexual sin. Don't eat meat from animals that have been strangled or any meat that still has the blood in it.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Jesus knowing their thoughts,.... Which was a clear evidence, and full demonstration of his deity; for none knows the thoughts of the heart but God; and since he knew the thoughts of men's hearts, it could be no blasphemy in him to take that to himself which belonged to God, even to forgive sins. And this, one would think, would have been sufficient to have approved himself to them as the true Messiah; since this is one of the ways of knowing the Messiah, according to the Jews, and which they made use of to discover a false one.

"Bar Coziba, (they say g,) reigned two years and a half: he said to the Rabbins, I am the Messiah; they replied to him, it is written of the Messiah, that he is "of quick understanding, and judges", (referring to Isaiah 11:3) let us see whether this man is of quick understanding, and can make judgment, i.e. whether a man is wicked, or not, without any external proof; and when they saw he was not of quick understanding, and could not judge in this manner, they slew him.''

But now Christ needed not any testimony of men; he knew what was in the hearts of men, of which this instance is a glaring proof: hence he said,

wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? it was no evil in them to think that God only could forgive sin; but the evil was, that they thought Christ was a mere man, and ought not to have took so much upon him; and that, for so doing, he was a wicked man, and a blasphemer.

g T. Bab. Sanhedrim, fol. 93. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Jesus, knowing their thoughts - Mark says, “Jesus perceived “in his spirit” that they so reasoned.” The power of searching the heart, and of knowing the thoughts of people, belongs only to God, 1 Chronicles 28:9; Romans 8:27; Revelation 2:23; Jeremiah 17:10. In claiming this, as Jesus did here, and often elsewhere, he gave clear proofs of his omniscience, John 2:24-25.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 9:4. Jesus knowing (ιδων seeing) their thoughts — In telling them what the thoughts of their hearts were, (for they had expressed nothing publicly,) he gave them the fullest proof of his power to forgive sins; because God only can forgive sins, and God only can search and know the heart. Jesus pronounced the man's sins forgiven; and gave the scribes the fullest proof of his power to do so, by telling them what, in the secret of their souls, they thought on the subject.

God sounds the secrets of all hearts-no sin escapes his notice; how senseless then is the sinner to think he sins securely when unseen by men! Let us take heed to our hearts, as well as to our conduct, for God searches out and condemns all that does not spring from, and leads not to himself.