John 12:39 BSB — MannaFest

John 12:39

For this reason they were unable to believe. For again, Isaiah says:

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

For this cause they could not believe, for that Isaiah said again,

KJV

Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,

⋯

Commentary

2 voices

Cyril of Alexandria

Commentary on the Gospel of John, Book 8 (Fragments) (444)

It was not however with intent to fulfil the prophecies that the Jews slew the Lord, for in that case they would not have been impious; but it was by reason of their own malignity. For although the prophets foretold the things which were certainly to be brought to pass by their determined evil counsel, they foretold it for this cause, that the sober might leap over the pitfalls of the devil: for surely they who heard might also have taken heed. On which, account also the prediction was needful. That it was not God Who blinded the Jews.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)

Therefore they could not believe,.... God had determined to leave them to the blindness and hardness of their hearts, and to deny them his grace, which only could cure them of it, and enable them to believe: he had foretold this in prophecy, and they were manifestly the persons spoken of; and therefore considering the decrees of God, the predictions of the prophet, and the hardness of their hearts, they were left unto, it was morally impossible they should believe, because that Esaias said again, in Isa 6:9.

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

Therefore now they could not believe - That is, by the just judgment of God, for their obstinacy and wilful resistance of the truth, they were at length so left to the hardness of their hearts, that neither the miracles nor doctrines of our Lord could make any impression upon them.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

They could not believe - See Mar 6:5; “He could there do no mighty works,” etc. The works can and could are often used in the Bible to denote the existence of such obstacles as to make a result certain, or as affirming that while one thing exists another thing cannot follow. Thus, Joh 5:44; “How can ye believe which receive honor one of another.” That is, while this propensity to seek for honor exists, it will effectually prevent your believing.

Voices on this verse

loading…

Original language & word study

9 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
διὰ	dia	Because of	G1223 →
τοῦτο	touto	this	G3778 →
οὐκ	ouk	not	G3756 →
ἠδύναντο	ēdunanto	they were able	G1410 →
πιστεύειν,	pisteuein	to believe,	G4100 →
ὅτι	hoti	for	G3754 →
πάλιν	palin	again	G3825 →
εἶπεν	eipen	said	G2036 →
Ἠσαΐας·	Ēsaias	Isaiah:	G2268 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
John 6:44
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
leads to
- John 6:65
  Then Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to him.”
- Matthew 11:25–27
  At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
- John 6:39–40
  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day.
- Ephesians 2:4–10
  But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
- Matthew 16:17
  Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven.
Through
John 5:44
How can you believe if you accept glory from one another, yet do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
leads to
- John 12:43
  For they loved praise from men more than praise from God.
- Romans 2:29
  No, a man is a Jew because he is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise does not come…
Through
John 10:38
But if I am doing them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works themselves, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I am in…
leads to
- John 10:30
  I and the Father are one.”

Featured studies on this passage

Jesus Teaches the People by the Sea — James Tissot

On John 12:39

Why Jesus Spoke in Parables

The disciples asked the question outright — Matthew 13:10 — and Jesus answered it from Isaiah 6. One form of speech that reveals and conceals at once, and the text says both without blushing.

Open the study →

Walks through John 12

The Bronze Serpent

Christ's own chosen picture of his death. A four-moment story across 1,400 years: sin and plague, command and cure, idolatry and smashing, crucifixion and fulfillment.

Open the study →

Walks through John 12

Theological Words

Eight words that carry the Bible's theology — agape, chesed, logos, hilastērion, berith, shalom, emunah, doxa — each a door into its full workbench page.

Open the study →