John 10:22-24
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Feast of the Dedication. 22 The feast of the Dedication[a] was then taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter.(A) 23 [b]And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense?[c] If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”(B)
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- 10:22 Feast of the Dedication: an eight-day festival of lights (Hebrew, Hanukkah) held in December, three months after the feast of Tabernacles (Jn 7:2), to celebrate the Maccabees’ rededication of the altar and reconsecration of the temple in 164 B.C., after their desecration by Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Dn 8:13; 9:27; cf. 1 Mc 4:36–59; 2 Mc 1:18–2:19; 10:1–8).
- 10:23 Portico of Solomon: on the east side of the temple area, offering protection against the cold winds from the desert.
- 10:24 Keep us in suspense: literally, “How long will you take away our life?” Cf. Jn 11:48–50. If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly: cf. Lk 22:67. This is the climax of Jesus’ encounters with the Jewish authorities. There has never yet been an open confession before them.
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