John 7:41
in John 7Others declared, “This is the Christ.” But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee?
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, What, doth the Christ come out of Galilee?
KJV
Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?
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This verse in John 7
Commentary
16 notes on this verseOthers said, this is the Christ,.... The true Messiah, which they concluded, not only from the miracles, Joh 7:31, but from his speaking of rivers of living water flowing from him that believes in him; for the same prophecy that speaks of miracles to be performed in the times of the Messiah, speaks also of waters breaking out in the wilderness, and streams in the desert, of the parched ground becoming a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water, Isa 35:
This site's exposition
This is truly the Prophet
on John 7:40-41
The crowd splits three ways over one saying. Some name Him the Prophet, others the Christ, and others object on a point of geography, how the Christ can come from Galilee. These are the highest titles the crowd has, and both belong to Him.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
(Hom. li. 2.) But be it so, they knew not His birth-place: were they ignorant also of His extraction? that He was of the house and family of David? Why did they ask, Hath not the Scripture said, that Christ cometh of the seed of David? They wished to conceal His extraction, and therefore put forward where He had been educated. For this reason, they do not go to Christ and ask, How say the Scriptures that Christ must come from Bethlehem, whereas Thou comest from Galilee? purposely and of malice prepense they do not do this. And because they were thus inattentive, and indifferent about knowing the truth, Christ did not answer them: though He had lauded Nathanael, when he said, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? and called Him an Israelite indeed, as being a lover of truth, and well learned in the ancient Scriptures.
Others said, "When Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence He is" (ver. 27); and there was a difference of opinion, as might be expected in a confused multitude; for not attentively did they listen to His words, nor for the sake of learning. Wherefore He maketh them no answer; yet they said, "Doth Christ come out of Galilee?" And He had praised, as being "an Israelite indeed," Nathanael, who had said in a more forcible and striking manner, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (c. i. 46.) But then these men, and they who said to Nicodemus, "Search and look, for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet" (ver. 52), said it not seeking to learn, but merely to overturn the opinion concerning Christ. Nathanael said this, being a lover of the truth, and knowing exactly all the ancient histories; but they looked only to one thing, and that was to remove the opinion that He was the Christ, on which account He revealed nothing to them. For they who even contradicted themselves, and said at one time, "No man knoweth whence He cometh," at another, "From Bethlehem," would manifestly even if they had been informed have opposed Him. For be it that they knew not the place of His birth, that He was from Bethlehem, because of His dwelling in Nazareth, (yet this cannot be allowed, for He was not born there,) were they ignorant of His race also, that He was "of the house and lineage of David"? How then said they, "Doth not Christ come of the seed of David?" (Ver. 42.) Because they wished to conceal even this fact by that question, saying all that they said with malicious intent. Why did they not come to Him and say, "Since we admire thee in other respects, and thou biddest us believe thee according to the Scriptures, tell us how it is that the Scriptures say that Christ must come from Bethlehem, when thou art come from Galilee?" But they said nothing of the kind, but all in malice. […]
A commentator
Cyril of AlexandriaCommentary on the Gospel of John, Book 5 · Written before 444.
proposed
Astonishment-stricken are they at His confidence as being God-befitting, and seeing that His words no longer suit the measures of man, they betake themselves to memory of the Law, as having already fore-declared of Christ, and saying that a Prophet should be raised up like to the all-wise Moses who should interpret to Israel the words from God.
A commentator
Cyril of AlexandriaCommentary on the Gospel of John, Book 5 · Written before 444.
proposed
Astonishment-stricken are they at His confidence as being God-befitting, and seeing that His words no longer suit the measures of man, they betake themselves to memory of the Law, as having already fore-declared of Christ, and saying that a Prophet should be raised up like to the all-wise Moses who should interpret to Israel the words from God.
The Medieval Church1 voice
"But others were saying: This is the Christ;" and these were more enlightened, whence they were divinely inspired: Matthew 16: "Whom do men say that the Son of man is? And they said: Some John the Baptist, and others Elijah, and others Jeremiah, or one …
9 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church4 voices
These had now begun to drink in that spiritual thirst, and had laid aside the unbelieving thirst. But others still remained dried up in their unbelief: But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the Scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? They knew what were the predictions of the Prophets respecting Christ, but knew not that they all were fulfilled in Him. They knew that He had been brought up at Nazareth, but the place of His birth they did not know; and did not believe that it answered to the prophecies.
Another opinion was of those who said, This is the Christ. These people had drawn closer to that spiritual drink, and had slaked the thirst of unbelief to a greater extent. This is what Peter himself professed: "You are the Christ, the Son of the …
Others, from among the unlearned and undiscerning, said that He is the Christ, not understanding that Christ and that Prophet are one and the same person, and not different.
The one, that is, who was expected. Others, i. e. the people said, This is the Christ.
The Nineteenth Century5 voices
Shalt Christ come out of Galilee? - As the prophets had declared that the Messiah was to come from the tribe of Judah, and from the family of David, and should be born in the city of Bethlehem, these Jews, imagining that Christ had been born in Galilee, concluded that he could not be the Messiah. Had they examined the matter a little farther, they would have found that he had his birth exactly as the prophets had foretold; but, for want of this necessary examination, they continued in unbelief, and rejected the Lord that bought them.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1869)
These verses show us, for one thing, how useless is knowledge in religion, if it is not accompanied by grace in the heart. We are told that some of our Lord's hearers knew clearly where Christ was to be born. They referred to Scripture, like men familiar with its contents. "Has not the Scripture said that Christ comes of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?" And yet the eyes of their understanding were not enlightened. Their own Messiah stood before them, and they neither received, nor believed, nor obeyed Him.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Others said, This is the Christ--(See on Joh 1:21). Shall Christ come out of Galilee?
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:87%@v39-41
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1869)
proposed
These verses show us, for one thing, how useless is knowledge in religion, if it is not accompanied by grace in the heart. We are told that some of our Lord's hearers knew clearly where Christ was to be born. They referred to Scripture, like men familiar with its contents. "Has not the Scripture said that Christ comes of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?" And yet the eyes of their understanding were not enlightened. Their own Messiah stood before them, and they neither received, nor believed, nor obeyed Him. A certain degree of religious knowledge, beyond doubt, is of vast importance. Ignorance is certainly not the mother of true devotion, and helps nobody toward heaven. An "unknown God" can never be the object of a reasonable worship. Happy indeed would it be for Christians if they all knew the Scriptures as well as the Jews seem to have done, when our Lord was on earth! But while we value religious knowledge, we must take care that we do not overvalue it. We must not think it enough to know the facts and doctrines of our faith, unless our hearts and lives are thoroughly influenced by what we know. The very devils know the creed intellectually, and "believe and tremble," but remain devils still. (James 2:19.) It is quite possible to be familiar with the letter of Scripture, and to be able to quote texts appropriately, and reason about the theory of Christianity, and yet to remain dead in trespasses and sins. Like many of the generation to which our Lord preached, we may know the Bible well, and yet remain faithless and unconverted. Heart-knowledge, we must always remember, is the one thing needful. It is something which schools and universities cannot confer. It is the gift of God.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
See the notes at Mat 2:4-6. Where David was - 1Sa 16:1-4.
How the passage was read
On John 7:1-53On John 7:1-53
The water ceremony He interrupted
“The Feast of Booths” is Tabernacles, in Hebrew Sukkot: the autumn week when Israel lived (and Jewish families still eat) in leafy shelters remembering the wilderness. In Temple times each morning of the feast a priest carried water in gold from the pool of Siloam up to the altar and poured it out, praying for the year's rain, while the crowds sang: the Mishnah calls it the Rejoicing at the Place of the Water-Drawing, and the Talmud says whoever never saw it “has never seen rejoicing in his life” (Sukkah 51a).
That is the scene on “the last day of the feast, the great day,” when Jesus stood and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink”: a claim staged inside the feast's own ceremony, at the moment all Jerusalem was thinking about water from God.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Sources: Mishnah Sukkah 4:9 (the water-drawing rite) · Sukkah 51a (“has never seen rejoicing”)
The words behind it
17 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἄλλοι | alloi | Others | G243 → | 155 times |
| ἔλεγον· | elegon | were saying; | G3004 → | 1325 times |
| οὗτός | houtos | This | G3778 → | 1381 times |
| ἐστιν | estin | is | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| ὁ | ho | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| χριστός· | christos | Christ; | G5547 → | 523 times |
| οἱ | hoi | Those | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δὲ | de | however | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| ἔλεγον· | elegon | were saying; | G3004 → | 1325 times |
| μὴ | me | Surely not | G3361 → | 1066 times |
| γὰρ | gar | for | G1063 → | 1039 times |
| ἐκ | ek | out of | G1537 → | 911 times |
| τῆς | tes | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| Γαλιλαίας | galilaias | Galilee | G1056 → | 61 times |
| ὁ | ho | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| χριστὸς | christos | Christ | G5547 → | 523 times |
| ἔρχεται; | erchetai | comes? | G2064 → | 628 times |
ἄλλοιOthers
alloiG243 →155 times
ἔλεγον·were saying;
elegonG3004 →1325 times
οὗτόςThis
houtosG3778 →1381 times
ἐστινis
estinG1510 →2333 times
ὁthe
hoG3588 →19766 times
χριστός·Christ;
christosG5547 →523 times
οἱThose
hoiG3588 →19766 times
δὲhowever
deG1161 →2765 times
ἔλεγον·were saying;
elegonG3004 →1325 times
μὴSurely not
meG3361 →1066 times
γὰρfor
garG1063 →1039 times
ἐκout of
ekG1537 →911 times
τῆς<the>
tesG3588 →19766 times
ΓαλιλαίαςGalilee
galilaiasG1056 →61 times
ὁthe
hoG3588 →19766 times
χριστὸςChrist
christosG5547 →523 times
ἔρχεται;comes?
erchetaiG2064 →628 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 1:46“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.
it leads to
- John 7:52
“Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”
- John 7:41–42
Others declared, “This is the Christ.” But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee?
- John 4:29
“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”
- John 7:52
Through
John 1:49“Rabbi,” Nathanael answered, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
it leads to
- Zephaniah 3:15
The LORD has taken away your punishment; He has turned back your enemy. Israel’s King, the LORD, is among you; no longer will you fear any harm.
- Zephaniah 3:15
Through
John 6:69We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”
it leads to
- Luke 9:20
“But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
- John 11:27
“Yes, Lord,” she answered, “I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
- Mark 8:29
“But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”
- Luke 9:20
Through
John 7:52“Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”
it leads to
- John 1:46
“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.
- John 1:46
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About John
This page draws on 14 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Alcuin of York, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bonaventure, Commentary on John, Chapter 7; Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Book 5; J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, John; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of John 51; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on John; Theophylact of Ohrid, Catena Aurea by Aquinas and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on John.