Mat 9:2 Son, be of good cheer;

KJV Verse: 

Mat 9:2 Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

Greek Verse: 

Literal Alternative: 

Be brave, child. Your mistakes are letting go of themselves.

Hidden Meaning: 

This is the first mention of "sin" by Christ in the KJV of the gospels, even though the Greek words used do not actually mean either "sin" or "forgive" in Greek. More about these and related words in this article.

The verb translated as "be of good cheer" is from a noun that means courage. It is best translated as "have courage" or "be brave."

The word translated as "son" is not the usual word for example, used in "son of man" but another word that is usually translated as "child."


The word translated as "be forgiven" primarily means "to let go" or "to send away." This same word is translated as "leave", "forgive", "suffer," and "let" in the New Testament. With the word translated as "sin" it is translated as "forgive" even though it doesn't really mean that in Greek. Its form is that in which the subject is acted upon by itself. It is in the present tense so "are being let go by themselves".

There is no Greek word "thou" in today's sources.


 Mistakes leave of their own accord. 


Θάρσει (2nd sg pres imperat act) "Be of good cheer" is from tharseô (tharseo), which means "fear not", "have courage", "have confidence", "have no fear," and "make bold."

τέκνον: (noun sg neut nom /acc/voc) "Son" is from teknon, which means "that which is born", "child," and "the young."


σου (adj sg masc/neut gen) ​"Thy" is from sou which means "you" and "your."

αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. (noun pl fem nom) ​"Sin" is from hamartia, which means "to miss the mark", "failure", "fault," and "error." Only in religious contexts does it become "guilt" and "sin."

Related Verses: 

May 1 2017