AND AS [JESUS] PASSED BY,.... The word "Jesus" is not in the Greek text, but is rightly supplied by us, as it is in the Vulgate Latin, and as the word "Christ" is in the Persic version; for of his passing from the temple, and by the multitude that were there, and on his way to the place he designed... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HIS DISCIPLES ASKED HIM,.... It may be that some of the twelve apostles, or others of his disciples, might put the following question to him on sight of this blind man, who by some means or another knew was born blind: SAYING, MASTER, WHO DID MAN, OR HIS PARENTS, THAT HE WAS BORN BLIND? the fir... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS ANSWERED, NEITHER HATH THIS MAN SINNED, NOR HIS PARENTS,.... Not but that both were guilty of original sin, and had committed actual transgressions; but Christ's answer is to be considered agreeable to the design of the question; and the sense is, that it was not any sin that either of them ha... [ Continue Reading ]
I MUST WORK THE WORKS OF HIM THAT SENT ME,.... This shows, that the works of God, that were to be manifest, were to be done by Christ: many were the works which the Father gave him to do, and which he undertook to perform; and therefore there was a necessity of doing them, as principally the work of... [ Continue Reading ]
AS LONG AS I AM IN THE WORLD,.... Which had been now two or three and thirty years; but was not to be much longer. I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD; John 8:12. Though doubtless he said this with some view to the cure he was about to perform, it being agreeable to his character and work, while he was in... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN HE HAD THUS SPOKEN,.... In answer to the disciples' question, and declaring his own work and office in the world, and the necessity he was under of performing it: HE SPAT ON THE GROUND, AND MADE CLAY OF THE SPITTLE; the Misnic doctors speak c of טיט נרוק, "clay that is spitted", or "spittl... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SAID UNTO HIM, GO WASH IN THE POOL OF SILOAM,.... A fountain of this name is called Siloah, Isaiah 8:6, and according to the Jewish writers, sometimes Gihon e; and this, they say f, was without Jerusalem, though near unto it: hither the Jews went at the feast of tabernacles g, and drew water wit... [ Continue Reading ]
THE NEIGHBOURS THEREFORE, AND THEY WHICH BEFORE HAD SEEN HIM,.... For it seems the blind man was not a stranger, one that came out of the country to the city to beg; but a native of Jerusalem, that had long lived in a certain neighbourhood in it, and was well known to be what he was; THAT HE WAS BL... [ Continue Reading ]
SOME SAID, THIS IS HE,.... It is the same man that was blind, and begged: OTHERS [SAID]; in one of Beza's copies it is added "no", and so read the Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions; though they owned and said, HE IS LIKE HIM. This discourse of the neighbours concerning the blind man res... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE SAID THEY UNTO HIM,.... When the case was clear, and it was out of question that he was the man: HOW WERE THINE EYES OPENED? or made to see: they might well ask this question, since such a thing was never known before, that one born blind received his sight; and as great a miracle it is i... [ Continue Reading ]
HE ANSWERED AND SAID, A MAN THAT IS CALLED JESUS,.... Whom he had as yet little knowledge of, only by some means or another he had learned his name; MADE CLAY AND ANOINTED MINE EYES, c. John 9:6, John 9:7.... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THEY SAID UNTO HIM, WHERE IS HE?.... For Christ had withdrawn himself and was gone; whether on account of the Jews, who he knew would be irritated by this miracle, or whether to avoid all popular applause and glory, which he sought not, is not certain; it may be on both accounts: this question,... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY BROUGHT TO THE PHARISEES,.... That is, to the sanhedrim, which chiefly consisted of Pharisees; and so Nonnus calls them the priests and chief priests: HIM THAT WAS AFORETIME BLIND; to be examined by them. And something like this is the method used by carnal relations and friends, who when they... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT WAS THE SABBATH DAY WHEN JESUS MADE THE CLAY,.... Which was reckoned a violation of the sabbath, John 9:16, and was one reason why they had the man to the Pharisees to be examined, and why they were desirous of knowing where Jesus was: AND OPENED HIS EYES; by putting on the clay, and sending... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN AGAIN THE PHARISEES ASKED HIM,.... Not that they had put any question of this kind to him before; but they also, as well as the neighbours, inquired of him, HOW HE HAD RECEIVED HIS SIGHT; from whom, and by what means: HE SAID UNTO THEM, HE PUT CLAY UPON MINE EYES, AND I WASHED AND DO SEE. Thi... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE SAID SOME OF THE PHARISEES,.... Or sanhedrim, for they were not all of one mind, as appears by what follows: THIS MAN IS NOT OF GOD; meaning not the blind man, but Jesus; and their sense is, he is not sent of God, he does not come from him to do his will and work, nor does he seek his glo... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY SAY UNTO THE BLIND MAN AGAIN,.... After they had discoursed among themselves, and could not agree about the author of the miracle, they turn to him that had been blind, who is called the blind man, because he had been so, and ask him his sentiments of him: WHAT SAYEST THOU OF HIM, THAT HE HATH... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE JEWS DID NOT BELIEVE CONCERNING HIM,.... Not Jesus, but the blind man; THAT HE HAD BEEN BLIND, AND RECEIVED HIS SIGHT; they imagine there was a fraud in the case, that it was collusion between Jesus and this man; that he was a man who had never been blind, but only had given out that he was... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY ASKED THEM, SAYING, IS THIS YOUR SON,.... The first question they put was, whether the man that stood before them, pointing to him, was their son or not; whether they knew him by any marks to be their son, and would own him as such: had they answered to this in the negative, they would have... [ Continue Reading ]
HIS PARENTS ANSWERED THEM, AND SAID,.... What follows, which contains distinct answers to the several questions: and to the first they reply very freely, and with great confidence, WE KNOW THAT THIS IS OUR SON; for though his receiving his sight made a considerable alteration in him, yet his featur... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT BY WHAT MEANS HE NOW SEETH WE KNOW NOT,.... As to the third question they could say nothing to it, they were not present when the cure was wrought, and knew nothing of the matter, but what they had heard from their son, or from others, or both: OR WHO HATH OPENED HIS EYES WE KNOW NOT; they had... [ Continue Reading ]
THESE WORDS SPAKE HIS PARENTS,.... these were the answers they returned to the three questions put to them: and the reason why they answered in the manner they did to the third, was, BECAUSE THEY FEARED THE JEWS; the Jewish sanhedrim, otherwise they were Jews themselves: FOR THE JEWS HAD AGREED AL... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE SAID HIS PARENTS, HE IS OF AGE,.... John 9:21.... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN AGAIN CALLED THEY THE MAN THAT WAS BLIND,.... That had been blind. After they had examined his parents, and could get nothing from them for their purpose, they try a second time what they could do with the son: AND SAID UNTO HIM, GIVE GOD THE PRAISE; a phrase used when confession of sin was re... [ Continue Reading ]
HE ANSWERED AND SAID,.... That is, the man who had been blind, who takes no notice of the confession they pressed him to, which is what he could not do; there being no collusion in this case, he only replies to the reproachful character they had given of his benefactor. WHETHER HE BE A SINNER OR NO... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SAID THEY TO HIM AGAIN,.... Finding they could not bring him to deny the fact, or cause him to entertain an ill opinion of him that did it, they examine him again about the manner of it: WHAT DID HE TO THEE? HOW OPENED HE THINE EYES? These questions they had put before, John 9:15, and propose... [ Continue Reading ]
HE ANSWERED THEM, I HAVE TOLD YOU ALREADY,..... As he had, John 9:15, AND YE DID NOT HEAR; the Vulgate Latin version reads, and ye have heard; and so some copies of Stephens's; that is, an account had been given of the manner how his eyes were opened, and they had heard the account with their bodil... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THEY REVILED HIM,.... Called him an impertinent, saucy, impudent fellow, for talking in this pert manner to them, the great sanhedrim of the nation; or, as the Vulgate Latin version reads, they cursed him; they thundered out their anathemas against him, and pronounced him an execrable and an ac... [ Continue Reading ]
WE KNOW THAT GOD SPOKE TO MOSES,.... Out of the bush, and told him who he was, and sent him to deliver the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, and spoke the ten words, or law unto him, and by him delivered them to the children of Israel, and to whom he spake face to face, as a man does to hi... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MAN ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO THEM,.... Very appropriately and pertinently, WHY HEREIN IS A MARVELLOUS THING; strange and unaccountable, THAT YE KNOW NOT FROM WHENCE HE IS; that you learned doctors, men of sagacity and penetration, should not be able to discern that this man is of God, is a proph... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW WE KNOW THAT GOD HEARETH NOT SINNERS,.... All mankind are sinners, even God's elect; yea, such who are truly gracious and righteous persons; for there is no man without sin; and God hears such who cry unto him day and night; such Christ came to save; for such he died; and these he calls to repen... [ Continue Reading ]
SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN,.... εκ του αιωνος, "from eternity", or never: the phrase answers to מעולם, frequently used by the Jews m, for never; and so the Arabic version renders it, "it was never heard", c. since time was: WAS IT NOT HEARD, THAT ANY MAN OPENED THE EYES OF ONE THAT WAS BORN BLIND as not... [ Continue Reading ]
IF THIS MAN WERE NOT OF GOD,.... If he had not his mission, commission, and credentials from God; if he had not been sent by him, and had not authority from him, and was not assisted by him, as man, or God was not with him, HE COULD DO NOTHING; or "not do these things", as the Syriac version reads;... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO HIM,.... Being nettled, and stung at what he said, and not able to confute his reasoning; and it is amazing that a man that could never read the Scriptures, who had had no education, was not only blind, but a beggar from his youth, should be able to reason in so strong an... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS HEARD THAT THEY HAD CAST HIM OUT,.... this being perhaps the first instance, of putting in execution the act they had made, John 9:22, and was a stretching of that act; which only threatened with an ejection, in case any should confess Jesus to be the Messiah; which this man had not done as ye... [ Continue Reading ]
HE ANSWERED AND SAID,.... That is, "he that was healed", as the Syriac version reads: WHO IS THE LORD THAT I MIGHT BELIEVE IN HIM? which shows, that though he knew there was a Messiah expected, and he believed in him as to come, yet he knew not that he was already come, nor the particular person in... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JESUS SAID UNTO HIM,.... Giving him the tokens by which he might know him: thou hast both seen him; not that he had seen him before now, with his bodily eyes; for he was blind when Christ anointed him, and sent him to Siloam to wash; nor when he came back, since Jesus was gone, and he knew not w... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID, LORD, I BELIEVE,.... He immediately found faith in his soul, and that in exercise, moving towards, and acting upon Christ, as the Son of God, and true Messiah, for everlasting life and salvation; and as soon as he did perceive it, he made an open and hearty profession of it: AND HE WOR... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JESUS SAID, FOR JUDGMENT I AM COME INTO THIS WORLD,.... The Syriac version reads, "for the judgment of this world I am come"; and with which agrees the Ethiopic version, "for the judgment of the world I am come into the world"; and the Arabic and Persic versions still more expressly, "to judge t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SOME OF THE PHARISEES WHICH WERE WITH HIM,.... Who had followed him, and were watching him, and observing what he said and did, in order to take all advantages, and every opportunity against him, they could, HEARD THESE WORDS, AND SAID UNTO HIM, ARE WE BLIND ALSO? they perceived he pointed at t... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS SAID UNTO THEM, IF YE WERE BLIND,.... And sensible of it, and knew yourselves to be blind, and were desirous of light and knowledge, YE WOULD HAVE NO SIN: or your sin would not be so aggravated; it would not be imputed to you; it would be pardoned and taken away from you: for the sense cannot... [ Continue Reading ]