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Luke 5:19
ESV but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.
NIV When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
NASB But when they did not find any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.
CSB Since they could not find a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the roof tiles into the middle of the crowd before Jesus.
NLT but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
KJV And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.
NKJV And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.

What does Luke 5:19 mean?

Jesus is at home in Capernaum (Mark 2:1) teaching a packed house. Pharisees and their legal experts have arrived from as far away as Jerusalem (Luke 5:17). Outside, a group of men has brought their paralyzed friend hoping Jesus will heal him. The house is too crowded, however. They'll need to find another way.

Homes in New Testament-era Israel were usually two stories. Roofs typically consisted of a center beam that stretched from one wall to another and rafters that spanned from the beam to the parallel walls. The roof itself was a type of thatch with a coating of clay mixed with straw several inches thick; the "tiles" mentioned here likely refer to chunks of clay. The interior ceiling was only about six feet from the floor. Roofs were an extension of the living space and typically accessible by exterior stairs.

Taking their friend to the roof and making an opening would be simple. It would be a big hole, however, and undoubtedly the listeners directly below would be quick to get out of the way of the falling clay and thatch. This would also make space for the men to lower their friend to the floor.
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