But when the multitudes saw it, they marveled, and glorified God, which had given such power to men.
when.
Matthew 12:23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
Matthew 15:31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.
Mark 2:12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
and.
Matthew 15:31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.
Luke 5:25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
Luke 17:15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
they were filled with awe
The Greek word used here can also be translated as "fear" or "reverence." This reaction is common in the Gospels when people witness the miraculous works of Jesus, indicating a recognition of divine intervention. The awe experienced by the crowd is a testament to the power and authority of Jesus, which surpasses human understanding and evokes a deep sense of wonder and respect.
and glorified God
The glorification of God by the crowd suggests that they recognized the divine source of Jesus' authority and power. This response aligns with the Jewish tradition of giving glory to God for miraculous events. It also highlights the purpose of Jesus' miracles: to reveal God's glory and lead people to worship Him. This reaction is consistent with other biblical accounts where God's intervention leads to praise and worship.
who had given such authority to men
This phrase underscores the unique authority granted to Jesus, who, though fully human, exercises divine power. The crowd's acknowledgment of this authority reflects a partial understanding of Jesus' identity as the Messiah. In the broader biblical narrative, this authority is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming of a Savior with divine power. It also prefigures the authority that Jesus would later bestow upon His disciples, as seen in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).
Jesus had just healed the paralyzed man and publicly declared, “the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (Matthew 9:6). The miracle was visible, undeniable evidence that His claim was true. Much like in Mark 2:12 and Luke 5:26, eyewitnesses could not dismiss what their own eyes confirmed. The event compelled an immediate reaction because it proved that God was actively working in their midst—right then, right there.
• The word describes reverent amazement, a holy trembling when people encounter God’s power (Luke 7:16; Mark 1:27).
• Awe keeps the heart from casual indifference; it reminds us that God’s works are anything but ordinary (Acts 3:10).
• This response is the natural outcome whenever the Lord displays His might, as seen again after the calming of the storm (Matthew 8:27) and the resurrection of Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:42).
• Praise immediately followed awe, aligning with the pattern throughout Scripture: witness a divine act, give God the glory (Matthew 15:31; Luke 18:43).
• Glorifying God means acknowledging His character—mercy, power, authority—and lifting His reputation before others (Acts 4:21).
• Their worship shows the event’s purpose: not only relief for one man, but public honor for the Father who sent the Son (John 12:28).
• The crowd rightly recognized that Jesus’ authority came from God (John 5:19-23).
• His authority included both the visible (physical healing) and the invisible (forgiveness of sins), fulfilling the messianic prophecies of Isaiah 35:5-6.
• After His resurrection, Jesus affirmed, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Matthew 28:18), reinforcing the truth they glimpsed that day.
• Acts 2:22 later echoes this: God attested to Jesus by “miracles, wonders, and signs.”
• The phrase underscores the incarnation: divine authority was operating through a true man standing before them (John 1:14; Philippians 2:7-8).
• It also hints at the delegation Jesus would extend to His followers—first to the Twelve (Matthew 10:1), then to the Seventy-Two (Luke 10:19), and ultimately to the Church empowered by the Spirit (Acts 1:8; Acts 3:6).
• Nevertheless, the source remains God; any authority exercised by believers is derived and subordinate (John 20:21-23).
Matthew 9:8 records the crowd’s reaction to a tangible miracle that authenticated Jesus’ divine authority. They saw, they trembled, they worshiped, and they recognized that God Himself had entrusted unparalleled authority to the Son of Man—authority that would later overflow to His people. The verse invites every reader to respond in the same way: stand in awe, glorify God, and acknowledge the heavenly authority revealed in Christ.
(8) They marvelled.--The better reading, adopted by most editors, gives they were afraid. This agrees better with St. Mark's "they were amazed, and glorified God," and St. Luke's "they were filled with fear." St. Mark gives the words they uttered, "We never saw it after this fashion;" St. Luke, "We saw strange things to-day."Which had given such power unto men.--It was natural that this should be the impression made on the great body of the hearers. They rested in the thought of a delegated authority, a "power given to men," as such, without passing on to the deeper truth of the union of the manhood with God.
Verse 8. - But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled; were afraid (Revised Version); ἐφοβήθησαν. A more solely physical effect than the ἐθαύμασαν of the Textus Receptus. (For a similar instance of fear at miraculous events, cf. Mark 5:15.) Resch's supposition ('Agrapha,' p. 62), that the difference of words here and in the parallel passages is due to various translations of the Aramaic, or rather of the Hebrew according to his theory, is in this case not improbable (cf. supra, ver. 4, and Introduction, p. 14.). And glorified God (cf Matthew 15:31), which had given such power (authority, as ver. 6) unto men (τοῖς ἀνθρώποις); i.e. the human race. Observe that though the phrase recalls ver. 6, there is here no mention of forgiving sins: the multitudes appear to have thought only of authority to perform the miracle; further, that although the multitudes seem to have heard Christ's words, they did not understand his expression to refer to Messiah.