A.T. Robertson Commentary Luke 5:18

"And behold, men bring on a bed a man that was palsied: and they sought to bring him in, and to lay him before him." — Luke 5:18 (ASV)

That was palsied (ος ην παραλελυμενος). Periphrastic past perfect passive where Mr 2:3; Matthew 9:2 have παραλυτικον (our paralytic). Luke's phrase is the technical medical term (Hippocrates, Galen, etc.) rather than Mark's vernacular word (Ramsay, Luke the Physician, pp. 57f.).

They sought (εζητουν). Conative imperfect.