John 9
New King James Version
A Man Born Blind Receives Sight
9 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, (A)who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, (B)but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 (C)I[a] must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is (D)day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, (E)I am the light of the world.”
6 When He had said these things, (F)He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash (G)in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So (H)he went and washed, and came back seeing.
8 Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was [b]blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?”
9 Some said, “This is he.” Others said, [c]“He is like him.”
He said, “I am he.”
10 Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”
11 He answered and said, (I)“A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to [d]the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.”
12 Then they said to him, “Where is He?”
He said, “I do not know.”
The Pharisees Excommunicate the Healed Man
13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”
16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not [e]keep the Sabbath.”
Others said, (J)“How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And (K)there was a division among them.
17 They said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?”
He said, (L)“He is a prophet.”
18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. 19 And they asked them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”
20 His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said these things because (M)they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he (N)would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, (O)“Give God the glory! (P)We know that this Man is a sinner.”
25 He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”
26 Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”
27 He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”
28 Then they reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. 29 We know that God (Q)spoke to (R)Moses; as for this fellow, (S)we do not know where He is from.”
30 The man answered and said to them, (T)“Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! 31 Now we know that (U)God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. 32 Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. 33 (V)If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.”
34 They answered and said to him, (W)“You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they [f]cast him out.
True Vision and True Blindness
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had (X)found him, He said to him, “Do you (Y)believe in (Z)the Son of [g]God?”
36 He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?”
37 And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and (AA)it is He who is talking with you.”
38 Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he (AB)worshiped Him.
39 And Jesus said, (AC)“For judgment I have come into this world, (AD)that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”
40 Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, (AE)and said to Him, “Are we blind also?”
41 Jesus said to them, (AF)“If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.
約翰福音 9
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
醫治盲人
9 耶穌在路上看見一個生來失明的人。 2 門徒問耶穌:「老師,這個人生下來便雙目失明,是因為他犯了罪呢,還是他父母犯了罪呢?」
3 耶穌說:「不是他犯了罪,也不是他父母犯了罪,而是要在他身上彰顯上帝的作為。 4 趁著白天,我們必須做差我來者的工作,黑夜一到,就沒有人能工作了。 5 我在世上的時候,是世界的光。」
6 耶穌講完後,便吐唾沫在地上,用唾沫和泥抹在那盲人的眼睛上, 7 對他說:「到西羅亞池去洗洗!」西羅亞是「奉差遣」的意思。那盲人照著去做,回來的時候已經能看見了。
8 他的鄰居和從前見他討飯的人說:「他不是那個常在這裡討飯的人嗎?」
9 有人說:「是他。」有人說:「不是他,只是長得像他。」
他自己說:「我就是那個人。」
10 他們問:「你的眼睛是怎麼好的?」
11 他回答說:「有一位叫耶穌的人和泥抹我的眼睛,叫我到西羅亞池子去洗。我照著去做,眼睛就能看見了。」
12 他們問:「那個人現在在哪裡?」他說:「我不知道。」
盤問復明的盲人
13 他們就把這個從前失明的人帶到法利賽人那裡。 14 耶穌和泥開他眼睛的那天是安息日。 15 法利賽人也查問他的眼睛是怎麼復明的。盲人便對他們說:「祂把泥抹在我的眼睛上,我去一洗,眼睛就看見了。」
16 有些法利賽人說:「那個人不是從上帝那裡來的,因為祂不守安息日。」有些人卻說:「如果祂是個罪人,又怎能行這樣的神蹟呢?」他們就爭論起來。
17 於是,他們又問那個盲人:「既然祂開了你的眼睛,你認為祂是什麼人?」
他說:「祂是先知。」
18 猶太人不相信他以前是瞎眼的,現在能看見了,便叫來他的父母, 19 問他們:「這是你們的兒子嗎?你們不是說他生來就瞎眼嗎?怎麼現在能看見了?」
20 他父母回答說:「我們知道他是我們的兒子,生來雙目失明。 21 至於他現在怎麼能看見了,我們就不知道了。是誰醫好了他,我們也不知道。他現在已經長大成人,你們可以去問他,他自己可以回答。」
22 他父母因為害怕那些猶太人,所以才這樣說,因為那些猶太人早就商量好了,誰承認耶穌是基督,就把他趕出會堂。 23 因此他父母才說他已經長大成人,叫他們去問他。
24 法利賽人又把那個從前失明的人叫來,對他說:「你應該把榮耀歸給上帝[a]!我們知道那個人是罪人。」
25 他說:「祂是不是罪人,我不知道;我只知道從前我是瞎眼的,現在能看見了。」
26 他們就問他:「祂向你做了些什麼?祂是怎樣醫好你眼睛的?」
27 他回答說:「我已經告訴過你們了,你們不聽,現在又問,難道你們也想作祂的門徒嗎?」
28 他們就罵他:「你才是祂的門徒!我們是摩西的門徒。 29 我們知道上帝曾對摩西講話,至於這個人,我們不知道祂是從哪裡來的。」
30 那人說:「祂開了我的眼睛,你們竟不知道祂從哪裡來,真是奇怪。 31 我們知道上帝不聽罪人的禱告,只聽那些敬拜祂、遵行祂旨意者的禱告。 32 從創世以來,從未聽過有人能把天生失明的人醫好。 33 如果這個人不是從上帝那裡來的,就什麼也不能做。」
34 法利賽人斥責他:「你這生來就深陷罪中的傢伙,居然敢教導我們!」於是把他趕了出去。
35 耶穌聽說了這事,後來祂找到這個人,對他說:「你信上帝的兒子嗎?」
36 他說:「先生,誰是上帝的兒子?我要信祂。」
37 耶穌說:「你已經看見祂了,現在跟你說話的就是祂。」
38 他說:「主啊!我信!」他就敬拜耶穌。
39 耶穌說:「我為了審判來到這世界,使瞎眼的可以看見,使看得見的反成了瞎眼的。」
40 有些跟祂在一起的法利賽人聽了這句話,就問:「難道我們也瞎了眼嗎?」
41 耶穌說:「如果你們是瞎眼的,就沒有罪了。但現在你們自稱看得見,所以你們的罪還在。」
John 9
New English Translation
Healing a Man Born Blind
9 Now as Jesus was passing by,[a] he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him,[b] “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man[c] or his parents?”[d] 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man[e] nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that[f] the acts[g] of God may be revealed[h] through what happens to him.[i] 4 We must perform the deeds[j] of the one who sent me[k] as long as[l] it is daytime. Night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”[m] 6 Having said this,[n] he spat on the ground and made some mud[o] with the saliva. He[p] smeared the mud on the blind man’s[q] eyes 7 and said to him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam”[r] (which is translated “sent”).[s] So the blind man[t] went away and washed, and came back seeing.
8 Then the neighbors and the people who had seen him previously[u] as a beggar began saying,[v] “Is this not the man[w] who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some people said,[x] “This is the man!”[y] while others said, “No, but he looks like him.”[z] The man himself[aa] kept insisting, “I am the one!”[ab] 10 So they asked him,[ac] “How then were you made to see?”[ad] 11 He replied,[ae] “The man called Jesus made mud,[af] smeared it[ag] on my eyes and told me,[ah] ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and was able to see.”[ai] 12 They said[aj] to him, “Where is that man?”[ak] He replied,[al] “I don’t know.”
The Pharisees’ Reaction to the Healing
13 They brought the man who used to be blind[am] to the Pharisees.[an] 14 (Now the day on which Jesus made the mud[ao] and caused him to see[ap] was a Sabbath.)[aq] 15 So the Pharisees asked him again how he had gained his sight.[ar] He replied,[as] “He put mud[at] on my eyes and I washed, and now[au] I am able to see.”
16 Then some of the Pharisees began to say,[av] “This man is not from God, because he does not observe[aw] the Sabbath.”[ax] But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform[ay] such miraculous signs?” Thus there was a division[az] among them. 17 So again they asked the man who used to be blind,[ba] “What do you say about him, since he caused you to see?”[bb] “He is a prophet,” the man replied.[bc]
18 Now the Jewish religious leaders[bd] refused to believe[be] that he had really been blind and had gained his sight until at last they summoned[bf] the parents of the man who had become able to see.[bg] 19 They asked the parents,[bh] “Is this your son, whom you say[bi] was born blind? Then how does he now see?” 20 So his parents replied,[bj] “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But we do not know how he is now able to see, nor do we know who caused him to see.[bk] Ask him, he is a mature adult.[bl] He will speak for himself.” 22 (His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish religious leaders.[bm] For the Jewish leaders had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus[bn] to be the Christ[bo] would be put out[bp] of the synagogue.[bq] 23 For this reason his parents said, “He is a mature adult,[br] ask him.”)[bs]
24 Then they summoned[bt] the man who used to be blind[bu] a second time and said to him, “Promise before God to tell the truth.[bv] We know that this man[bw] is a sinner.” 25 He replied,[bx] “I do not know whether he is a sinner. I do know one thing—that although I was blind, now I can see.” 26 Then they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he cause you to see?”[by] 27 He answered,[bz] “I told you already and you didn’t listen.[ca] Why do you want to hear it[cb] again? You people[cc] don’t want to become his disciples too, do you?”
28 They[cd] heaped insults[ce] on him, saying,[cf] “You are his disciple![cg] We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses! We do not know where this man[ch] comes from!” 30 The man replied,[ci] “This is a remarkable thing,[cj] that you don’t know where he comes from, and yet he caused me to see![ck] 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to[cl] sinners, but if anyone is devout[cm] and does his will, God[cn] listens to[co] him.[cp] 32 Never before[cq] has anyone heard of someone causing a man born blind to see.[cr] 33 If this man[cs] were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They replied,[ct] “You were born completely in sinfulness,[cu] and yet you presume to teach us?”[cv] So they threw him out.
The Man’s Response to Jesus
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, so he found the man[cw] and said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”[cx] 36 The man[cy] replied,[cz] “And who is he, sir, that[da] I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus told him, “You have seen him; he[db] is the one speaking with you.”[dc] 38 [He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.[dd] 39 Jesus[de] said,][df] “For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may gain their sight,[dg] and the ones who see may become blind.”
40 Some of the Pharisees[dh] who were with him heard this[di] and asked him,[dj] “We are not blind too, are we?”[dk] 41 Jesus replied,[dl] “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin,[dm] but now because you claim that you can see,[dn] your guilt[do] remains.[dp]
Footnotes
- John 9:1 tn Or “going along.” The opening words of chap. 9, καὶ παράγων (kai paragōn), convey only the vaguest indication of the circumstances. sn Since there is no break with chap. 8, Jesus is presumably still in Jerusalem, and presumably not still in the temple area. The events of chap. 9 fall somewhere between the feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2) and the feast of the Dedication (John 10:22). But in the author’s narrative the connection exists—the incident recorded in chap. 9 (along with the ensuing debates with the Pharisees) serves as a real-life illustration of the claim Jesus made in 8:12, I am the light of the world. This is in fact the probable theological motivation behind the juxtaposition of these two incidents in the narrative. The second serves as an illustration of the first, and as a concrete example of the victory of light over darkness. One other thing which should be pointed out about the miracle recorded in chap. 9 is its messianic significance. In the OT it is God himself who is associated with the giving of sight to the blind (Exod 4:11, Ps 146:8). In a number of passages in Isa (29:18; 35:5; 42:7) it is considered to be a messianic activity.
- John 9:2 tn Grk “asked him, saying.”
- John 9:2 tn Grk “this one.”
- John 9:2 tn Grk “in order that he should be born blind.”sn The disciples assumed that sin (regardless of who committed it) was the cause of the man’s blindness. This was a common belief in Judaism; the rabbis used Ezek 18:20 to prove there was no death without sin, and Ps 89:33 to prove there was no punishment without guilt (the Babylonian Talmud, b. Shabbat 55a, although later than the NT, illustrates this). Thus in this case the sin must have been on the part of the man’s parents, or during his own prenatal existence. Song Rabbah 1:41 (another later rabbinic work) stated that when a pregnant woman worshiped in a heathen temple the unborn child also committed idolatry. This is only one example of how, in rabbinic Jewish thought, an unborn child was capable of sinning.
- John 9:3 tn Grk “this one.”
- John 9:3 tn Grk “but so that.” There is an ellipsis that must be supplied: “but [he was born blind] so that” or “but [it happened to him] so that.”
- John 9:3 tn Or “deeds”; Grk “works.”
- John 9:3 tn Or “manifested,” “brought to light.”
- John 9:3 tn Grk “in him.”
- John 9:4 tn Grk “We must work the works.”
- John 9:4 tn Or “of him who sent me” (God).
- John 9:4 tn Or “while.”
- John 9:5 sn Jesus’ statement I am the light of the world connects the present account with 8:12. Here (seen more clearly than at 8:12) it is obvious what the author sees as the significance of Jesus’ statement. “Light” is not a metaphysical definition of the person of Jesus but a description of his effect on the world, forcing everyone in the world to ‘choose up sides’ for or against him (cf. 3:19-21).
- John 9:6 tn Grk “said these things.”
- John 9:6 tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency). The textual variant preserved in the Syriac text of Ephraem’s commentary on the Diatessaron (“he made eyes from his clay”) probably arose from the interpretation given by Irenaeus in Against Heresies: “that which the Artificer, the Word, had omitted to form in the womb, he then supplied in public.” This involves taking the clay as an allusion to Gen 2:7, which is very unlikely.
- John 9:6 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) was replaced by a third person pronoun and a new sentence started here in the translation.
- John 9:6 tn Grk “on his.”
- John 9:7 tn The pool’s name in Hebrew is shiloah from the Hebrew verb “to send.” In Gen 49:10 the somewhat obscure shiloh was interpreted messianically by later Jewish tradition, and some have seen a lexical connection between the two names (although this is somewhat dubious). It is known, however, that it was from the pool of Siloam that the water which was poured out at the altar during the feast of Tabernacles was drawn.
- John 9:7 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Why does he comment on the meaning of the name of the pool? Here, the significance is that the Father sent the Son, and the Son sent the man born blind. The name of the pool is applicable to the man, but also to Jesus himself, who was sent from heaven.
- John 9:7 tn Grk “So he”; the referent (the blind man) is specified in the translation for clarity.
- John 9:8 tn Or “formerly.”
- John 9:8 tn An ingressive force (“began saying”) is present here because the change in status of the blind person provokes this new response from those who knew him.
- John 9:8 tn Grk “the one.”
- John 9:9 tn Grk “Others were saying.”
- John 9:9 tn Grk “This is the one.”
- John 9:9 tn Grk “No, but he is like him.”
- John 9:9 tn Grk “That one”; the referent (the man himself) is specified in the translation for clarity.
- John 9:9 tn Grk “I am he.”
- John 9:10 tn Grk “So they were saying to him.”
- John 9:10 tn Grk “How then were your eyes opened” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
- John 9:11 tn Grk “That one answered.”
- John 9:11 tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).
- John 9:11 tn Grk “and smeared.” Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when obvious from the context.
- John 9:11 tn Grk “said to me.”
- John 9:11 tn Or “and I gained my sight.”
- John 9:12 tn Grk “And they said.”
- John 9:12 tn Grk “that one.” “Man” is more normal English style for the referent.
- John 9:12 tn Grk “He said.”
- John 9:13 tn Grk “who was formerly blind.”
- John 9:13 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
- John 9:14 tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).
- John 9:14 tn Grk “and opened his eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
- John 9:14 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
- John 9:15 tn Or “how he had become able to see.”sn So the Pharisees asked him. Note the subtlety here: On the surface, the man is being judged. But through him, Jesus is being judged. Yet in reality (as the discerning reader will realize) it is ironically the Pharisees themselves who are being judged by their response to Jesus who is the light of the world (cf. 3:17-21).
- John 9:15 tn Grk “And he said to them.”
- John 9:15 tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).
- John 9:15 tn The word “now” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate the contrast between the man’s former state (blind) and his present state (able to see).
- John 9:16 tn As a response to the answers of the man who used to be blind, the use of the imperfect tense in the reply of the Pharisees is best translated as an ingressive imperfect (“began to say” or “started saying”).
- John 9:16 tn Grk “he does not keep.”
- John 9:16 sn The Jewish religious leaders considered the work involved in making the mud to be a violation of the Sabbath.
- John 9:16 tn Grk “do.”
- John 9:16 tn Or “So there was discord.”
- John 9:17 tn Grk “the blind man.”
- John 9:17 tn Grk “since he opened your eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
- John 9:17 tn Grk “And he said, ‘He is a prophet.’”sn At this point the man, pressed by the Pharisees, admitted there was something special about Jesus. But here, since prophet is anarthrous (is not accompanied by the Greek article) and since in his initial reply in 9:11-12 the man showed no particular insight into the true identity of Jesus, this probably does not refer to the prophet of Deut 18:15, but merely to an unusual person who is capable of working miracles. The Pharisees had put this man on the spot, and he felt compelled to say something about Jesus, but he still didn’t have a clear conception of who Jesus was, so he labeled him a “prophet.”
- John 9:18 tn Or “the Jewish religious authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase refers mainly to the Pharisees, mentioned by name in John 9:13, 15, 16. References in this context to Pharisees and to the synagogue (v. 22) suggest an emphasis on the religious nature of the debate which is brought out by the translation “the Jewish religious leaders.”
- John 9:18 tn The Greek text contains the words “about him” at this point: “the Jewish authorities did not believe about him…”
- John 9:18 tn Grk “they called.”
- John 9:18 tn Or “the man who had gained his sight.”
- John 9:19 tn Grk “and they asked them, saying”; the referent (the parents) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- John 9:19 tn The Greek pronoun and verb are both plural (both parents are addressed).
- John 9:20 tn Grk “So his parents answered and said.”
- John 9:21 tn Grk “who opened his eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
- John 9:21 tn Or “he is of age.”
- John 9:22 tn Or “the Jewish religious authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Twice in this verse the phrase refers to the Pharisees, mentioned by name in John 9:13, 15, 16. The second occurrence is shortened to “the Jewish leaders” for stylistic reasons. See the note on the phrase “the Jewish religious leaders” in v. 18.
- John 9:22 tn Grk “confessed him.”
- John 9:22 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.
- John 9:22 tn Or “would be expelled from.”
- John 9:22 sn This reference to excommunication from the Jewish synagogue for those who had made some sort of confession about Jesus being the Messiah is dismissed as anachronistic by some (e.g., Barrett) and nonhistorical by others. In later Jewish practice there were at least two forms of excommunication: a temporary ban for thirty days, and a permanent ban. But whether these applied in NT times is far from certain. There is no substantial evidence for a formal ban on Christians until later than this Gospel could possibly have been written. This may be a reference to some form of excommunication adopted as a contingency to deal with those who were proclaiming Jesus to be the Messiah. If so, there is no other record of the procedure than here. It was probably local, limited to the area around Jerusalem. See also the note on synagogue in 6:59.
- John 9:23 tn Or “he is of age.”
- John 9:23 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author explaining the parents’ response.
- John 9:24 tn Grk “they called.”
- John 9:24 tn Grk “who was blind.”
- John 9:24 tn Grk “Give glory to God” (an idiomatic formula used in placing someone under oath to tell the truth).
- John 9:24 tn The phrase “this man” is a reference to Jesus.
- John 9:25 tn Grk “Then that one answered.”
- John 9:26 tn Grk “open your eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
- John 9:27 tn Grk “He answered them.” The indirect object αὐτοῖς (autois) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
- John 9:27 tn Grk “you did not hear.”
- John 9:27 tn “It” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when they were clearly implied in the context.
- John 9:27 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
- John 9:28 tn Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
- John 9:28 tn The Greek word means “to insult strongly” or “slander.”
- John 9:28 tn Grk “and said.”
- John 9:28 tn Grk “You are that one’s disciple.”
- John 9:29 tn Grk “where this one.”
- John 9:30 tn Grk “The man answered and said to them.” This has been simplified in the translation to “The man replied.”
- John 9:30 tn Grk “For in this is a remarkable thing.”
- John 9:30 tn Grk “and he opened my eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
- John 9:31 tn Grk “God does not hear.”
- John 9:31 tn Or “godly.”
- John 9:31 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- John 9:31 tn Or “hears.”
- John 9:31 tn Grk “this one.”
- John 9:32 tn Or “Never from the beginning of time,” Grk “From eternity.”
- John 9:32 tn Grk “someone opening the eyes of a man born blind” (“opening the eyes” is an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
- John 9:33 tn Grk “this one.”
- John 9:34 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.” This has been simplified in the translation to “They replied.”
- John 9:34 tn Or “From birth you have been evil.” The implication of this insult, in the context of John 9, is that the man whom Jesus caused to see had not previously adhered rigorously to all the conventional requirements of the OT law as interpreted by the Pharisees. Thus he had no right to instruct them about who Jesus was.
- John 9:34 tn Grk “and are you teaching us?”
- John 9:35 tn Grk “found him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- John 9:35 tc Although most witnesses (A L Θ Ψ 070 0250 ƒ1,13 33 M lat) have θεοῦ (theou, “of God”) instead of ἀνθρώπου (anthrōpou, “of man”) here, the better witnesses (P66,75 א B D W sys) have ἀνθρώπου. Not only is the external evidence decidedly on the side of ἀνθρώπου, but it is difficult to see such early and diverse witnesses changing θεοῦ to ἀνθρώπου. The wording “Son of Man” is thus virtually certain.
- John 9:36 tn Grk “That one.”
- John 9:36 tn Grk answered and said.” This has been simplified in the translation to “replied.”
- John 9:36 tn Or “And who is he, sir? Tell me so that…” Some translations supply elliptical words like “Tell me” (NIV, NRSV) following the man’s initial question, but the shorter form given in the translation is clear enough.
- John 9:37 tn Grk “that one.”
- John 9:37 tn The καί—καί (kai—kai) construction would normally be translated “both—and”: “You have both seen him, and he is the one speaking with you.” In this instance the English semicolon was used instead because it produces a smoother and more emphatic effect in English.
- John 9:38 sn Assuming the authenticity of John 9:38-39a (see the tc note following the bracket in v. 39), the man’s response after Jesus’ statement of v. 37 is extremely significant: He worshiped Jesus. In the Johannine context the word would connote its full sense: This was something due God alone. Note also that Jesus did not prevent the man from doing this. The verb προσκυνέω (proskuneō) is used in John 4:20-25 of worshiping God, and again with the same sense in 12:20. This would be the only place in John’s Gospel where anyone is said to have worshiped Jesus using this term. As such, it forms the climax of the story of the man born blind, but the uniqueness of the concept of worshiping Jesus at this point in John’s narrative (which reaches its ultimate climax in the confession of Thomas in John 20:28) may suggest it is too early for such a response and it represents a later scribal addition.
- John 9:39 tn Grk “And Jesus.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
- John 9:39 tc ‡ Some early and significant witnesses (P75 א* W b sams ac2 mf) lack the words, “He said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him. Jesus said,” (vv. 38-39a). This is weighty evidence for the omission of these words. It is difficult to overstate the value of P75 here, since it is the only currently available papyrus ms extant for the text of John 9:38-39. Further, א is a significant and early Alexandrian witness for the omission. The versional testimony and codex W also give strong support to the omission. Nearly all other mss, however, include these words. The omission may have been occasioned by parablepsis (both vv. 37 and 39 begin with “Jesus said to him”), though it is difficult to account for such an error across such a wide variety of witnesses. On the other hand, the longer reading appears to be motivated by liturgical concerns (so R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:375), since the verb προσκυνέω (proskuneō, “I worship”) is used in John 4:20-25 of worshiping God, and again with the same sense in 12:20. If these words were authentic here, this would be the only place in John’s Gospel where Jesus is the explicit object of προσκυνέω. Even if these words are not authentic, such an omission would nevertheless hardly diminish John’s high Christology (cf. 1:1; 5:18-23; 14:6-10; 20:28), nor the implicit worship of him by Thomas (20:28). Nevertheless, a decision is difficult, and the included words may reflect a very early tradition about the blind man’s response to Jesus.
- John 9:39 tn Or “that those who do not see may see.”
- John 9:40 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
- John 9:40 tn Grk “heard these things.”
- John 9:40 tn Grk “and said to him.”
- John 9:40 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mē) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “are we?”).
- John 9:41 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
- John 9:41 tn Grk “you would not have sin.”
- John 9:41 tn Grk “now because you say, ‘We see…’”
- John 9:41 tn Or “your sin.”
- John 9:41 sn Because you claim that you can see, your guilt remains. The blind man received sight physically, and this led him to see spiritually as well. But the Pharisees, who claimed to possess spiritual sight, were spiritually blinded. The reader might recall Jesus’ words to Nicodemus in 3:10, “Are you the teacher of Israel and don’t understand these things?” In other words, to receive Jesus was to receive the light of the world, to reject him was to reject the light, close one’s eyes, and become blind. This is the serious sin of which Jesus had warned before (8:21-24). The blindness of such people was incurable since they had rejected the only cure that exists (cf. 12:39-41).
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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