John 2:25
in John 2He did not need any testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and because he needed not that any one should bear witness concerning man; for he himself knew what was in man.
KJV
And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.
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This verse in John 2
Commentary
19 notes on this verseFor inasmuch as the Word of God was man from the root of Jesse, and son of Abraham, in this respect did the Spirit of God rest upon Him, and anoint Him to preach the Gospel to the lowly. But inasmuch as He was God, He did not judge according to glory, nor reprove after the manner of speech. For "He needed not that any should testify to Him of man, for He Himself knew what was in man."
This site's exposition
believed in His name
on John 2:23-25
Many people believed in His name at the feast on the strength of the signs they had watched. The Greek turns the same verb back on itself: they trusted Him, and He did not entrust Himself to them. He already knew what was in a man.
This site's exposition
He knew what was in a man
Albert Barnes takes this knowledge as evidence that Jesus was omniscient and therefore divine. Irenaeus sets it beside His anointing: as man He received the Spirit, and as God He judged beyond outward show. John Wesley names what He found there, a deceitful heart.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
(Tr. xi. c. 2) The Maker knew better what was in His own work, than the work knew what was in itself. Peter knew not what was in himself when he said, I will go with Thee unto death; (Luke 22:33. ver. 61) but our Lord's answer showed that He knew what was in man; Before the cock crow, thou shalt thrice deny Me.
If they believed, why did he not entrust himself to them? Clearly the words "many believed in him" are not said about a firm and true faith, such as the faith of those who, after believing once that his words were true, considered him as …
A commentator
Cyril of AlexandriaCommentary on the Gospel of John, Book 2 · Written before 444.
proposed
Divine is this excellence too along with the rest which are in Christ, and in no one of created beings is it. For to Him Alone Who is truly God doth the Psalmist ascribe it, saying, He fashioneth their hearts alike, He considereth all their works. But if while God Alone understandeth what is in us, Christ understandeth them: how shall He not be God by Nature, Who knoweth the secrets, and knoweth the deep and secret things, as it is written? For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Though no man knoweth, God will not be ignorant, for neither is He reckoned in the number of all, of whom "No man" may rightly be predicated, but as being external to all, and all things under His Feet, He will know. And Paul too will testify, saying, For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart: neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight, but all things are naked and opened unto the Eyes of Him. For as having planted the ear, He hears all things, and as having formed the eye, He observeth. And indeed He is introduced saying in Job, Who is this that hideth counsel from Me, holding words in his heart, and thinketh to conceal them from Me? In order then that we might acknowledge that the Son is by Nature God, needs does the Evangelist say that He needed not that any should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.
Was He one of us, I say, who by one act of intervention at once healed a hundred or more afflicted with various infirmities and diseases; at whose word only the raging and maddened seas were still, the whirlwinds and tempests were lulled; who walked …
Of the men of that time some clung to their error, others laid hold on the truth, while of these last, some having retained it for a little while again fell off from it. Alluding to these, Christ compared them to seeds not deeply sown, but having their roots upon the surface of the earth; and He said that they should quickly perish. And these the Evangelist has here pointed out to us, saying, "When He was in Jerusalem, at the Passover, in the feast, many believed on Him, when they saw the miracles which He did." "But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them." For they were the more perfect among His disciples, who came to Him not only because of His miracles, but through His teaching also. The grosser sort the miracles attracted, but the better reasoners His prophecies and doctrines; and so they who were taken by His teaching were more steadfast than those attracted by His miracles. And Christ also called them "blessed," saying, "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." But that these here mentioned were not real disciples, the following passage shows, for it saith, "Jesus did not commit Himself unto them." Wherefore? "Because He knew all things," "And needed not that any should testify of man, for He knew what was in man." The meaning is of this kind. […]
11 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers1 voice
"Because He knew all men, and needed not that any should bear witness of man: for Himself knew what was in man." The artificer knew what was in His own work better than the work knew what was in itself. The Creator of man knew what was in man, which the created man himself knew not. Do we not prove this of Peter, that he knew not what was in himself, when he said, "With Thee, even to death"? Hear that the Lord knew what was in man: "Thou with me even to death? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice." The man, then, knew not what was in himself; but the Creator of the man knew what was in the man.
The Medieval Church3 voices
The universal knowledge of Christ is then described: for he knew not only those who were on close terms with him, but strangers too. And therefore he says, for he knew all men; and this by the power of his divinity: "The eyes of the …
An admonition to us not to be confident of ourselves, but ever anxious and mistrustful; knowing that what escapes our own knowledge, cannot escape the eternal Judge.
And because there was no need that anyone should bear witness to him concerning man: for he himself knew what was in man: Jeremiah 17: "I the Lord, searching hearts and reins"; Hebrews 4: "The word of God is living and effective and more piercing …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
He - To whom all things are naked, knew what was in man - Namely, a desperately deceitful heart.
And needed not that any should testify of man,....
Note, [1.] Those that follow Christ shall feast with him, they shall fare as he fares, so he has bespoken for them ( ch. xii. 26 ): Where I am, there shall my servant be also. [2.] Love to Christ is testified by a love to those that are his, for his sake; our goodness extendeth not to him, but to the saints.
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Should testify of man - Should give him the character of any man. He knew what was in man - This he did because he had made all Joh 1:3, and because he was God, Joh 1:1. There can be no higher evidence than this that he was omniscient, and was therefore divine.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1869)
The second miracle which our Lord is recorded to have wrought demands our attention in these verses. Like the first miracle at Cana, it is eminently typical and significant of things yet to come. To attend a marriage feast, and cleanse the temple from profanation were among the first acts of our Lord's ministry at His first coming. To purify the whole visible Church, and hold a marriage supper, will be among His first acts, when He comes again. We see, for one thing, in this passage, how much Christ disapproves all irreverent behavior in the house of God .
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
knew what was in man--It is impossible for language more clearly to assert of Christ what in Jer 17:9, 10, and elsewhere, is denied of all mere creatures.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1869)
proposed
The second miracle which our Lord is recorded to have wrought demands our attention in these verses. Like the first miracle at Cana, it is eminently typical and significant of things yet to come. To attend a marriage feast, and cleanse the temple from profanation were among the first acts of our Lord's ministry at His first coming. To purify the whole visible Church, and hold a marriage supper, will be among His first acts, when He comes again. We see, for one thing, in this passage, how much Christ disapproves all irreverent behavior in the house of God . We are told that He drove out of the temple those whom He found selling oxen and sheep and doves within its walls—that He poured out the changers' money and overthrew their tables—and that He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away from here! Do not make my Father’s house a marketplace!" On no occasion in our Lord's earthly ministry do we find Him acting so energetically, and exhibiting such righteous indignation, as on the occasion now before us. Nothing seems to have called from Him such a marked display of holy wrath as the gross irreverence which the priests permitted in the temple, notwithstanding all their boasted zeal for God's law. Twice, it will be remembered, He discovered the same profanation of His Father's house going on, within three years, once at the beginning of His ministry and once at the end. Twice we see Him expressing his displeasure in the strongest terms. "The thing is doubled" in order to impress a lesson more strongly on our minds. The passage is one that ought to raise deep searchings of heart in many quarters. Are there none who profess and call themselves Christians, behaving every Sunday just as badly as these Jews? Are there none who secretly bring into the house of God their money, their lands, their houses, their cattle, and a whole train of worldly affairs?
How the passage was read
On John 2:13-25On John 2:13-25
Why there were money-changers in the Temple
It was Passover, one of the three feasts when the Law brought all Israel to Jerusalem, and the courts were a marketplace by design: pilgrims needed animals guaranteed fit for sacrifice, and the Temple tax could not be paid in Roman coins bearing the emperor's image, so approved silver had to be exchanged. The Mishnah records the system plainly: from the 25th of the month Adar, the money-changers' tables were set up IN THE TEMPLE itself (Shekalim 1:3).
So Jesus is not objecting to a black market that snuck in; He is overturning licensed furniture, in the outer court, the one court open to the nations, and calling the whole arrangement what it had made His Father's house.
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 Shekalim 1:3 (the tables in the Temple) · Exodus 30:13 (the half-shekel the changers served)
The words behind it
19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ὅτι | hoti | because | G3754 → | 1292 times |
| οὐ | ou | no | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| χρείαν | chreian | need | G5532 → | 49 times |
| εἶχεν | eichen | He had | G2192 → | 707 times |
| ἵνα | ina | that | G2443 → | 668 times |
| τις | tis | anyone | G5100 → | 528 times |
| μαρτυρήσῃ | marturese | may testify | G3140 → | 76 times |
| περὶ | peri | concerning | G4012 → | 332 times |
| τοῦ | tou | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀνθρώπου· | anthropou | man; | G444 → | 549 times |
| αὐτὸς | autos | He Himself | G846 → | 5565 times |
| γὰρ | gar | for | G1063 → | 1039 times |
| ἐγίνωσκεν | eginosken | was knowing | G1097 → | 221 times |
| τί | ti | what | G5101 → | 563 times |
| ἦν | en | was | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| τῷ | to | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀνθρώπῳ.¶ | anthropo | man. | G444 → | 549 times |
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ὅτιbecause
hotiG3754 →1292 times
οὐno
ouG3756 →1664 times
χρείανneed
chreianG5532 →49 times
εἶχενHe had
eichenG2192 →707 times
ἵναthat
inaG2443 →668 times
τιςanyone
tisG5100 →528 times
μαρτυρήσῃmay testify
martureseG3140 →76 times
περὶconcerning
periG4012 →332 times
τοῦthe
touG3588 →19766 times
ἀνθρώπου·man;
anthropouG444 →549 times
αὐτὸςHe Himself
autosG846 →5565 times
γὰρfor
garG1063 →1039 times
ἐγίνωσκενwas knowing
eginoskenG1097 →221 times
τίwhat
tiG5101 →563 times
ἦνwas
enG1510 →2333 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
τῷthe
toG3588 →19766 times
ἀνθρώπῳ.¶man.
anthropoG444 →549 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
Matthew 9:4But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you harbor evil in your hearts?
it leads to
- Revelation 2:23
Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Luke 6:8
But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and stand among us.” So he got up and stood there.
- Matthew 12:25
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.
- John 16:30
Now we understand that You know all things and that You have no need for anyone to question You. Because of this, we believe that You came from God.”
- Psalms 44:21
would not God have discovered, since He knows the secrets of the heart?
- Revelation 2:23
Through
John 6:64However, there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him.)
it leads to
- Hebrews 4:13
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- John 10:26
But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe.
- 2 Timothy 2:19
Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.”
- Hebrews 4:13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies17
On this verse
On this chapter
About John
This page draws on 17 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Arnobius of Sicca, Against the Heathen Book 1; Augustine of Hippo, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Augustine of Hippo, Tractates on John 11; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bonaventure, Commentary on John, Chapter 2; Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Book 2; Irenaeus, Against Heresies Book III, Chapter IX; 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, Homily on the Gospel of John 24; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theodore of Mopsuestia, COMMENTARY ON JOHN 2.2.24-25 and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on John.