“They were not able
To bring him
To Jesus
Because of the crowd.
Thus,
They removed
The roof above him.
After having dug
Through it,
They let down
The paralytic
With the pallet mat
On which
He was lying.”
καὶ μὴ δυνάμενοι προσενέγκαι αὐτῷ διὰ τὸν ὄχλον ἀπεστέγασαν τὴν στέγην ὅπου ἦν, καὶ ἐξορύξαντες χαλῶσι τὸν κράβαττον ὅπου ὁ παραλυτικὸς κατέκειτο.
Matthew, chapter 9:2, had no mention of this roof opening. Luke, chapter 5:19, on the other hand, has the same story as Mark here. Mark said that they were not able to bring this paralytic to Jesus (καὶ μὴ δυνάμενοι προσενέγκαι αὐτῷ) because of the crowd there (διὰ τὸν ὄχλον). Thus, they removed the roof of this house (ἀπεστέγασαν τὴν στέγην ὅπου ἦν). They dug through or gouged out a hole in the roof (καὶ ἐξορύξαντες), so that they let down the paralyzed man lying on the pallet mat (χαλῶσι τὸν κράβαττον ὅπου ὁ παραλυτικὸς κατέκειτο), through the hole in the roof. This large crowd of people would have this paralyzed man on a bed come through the roof in the middle of the house. What a sight!