John 9:18
in John 9The Jews still did not believe that the man had been blind and had received his sight until they summoned his parents
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The Jews therefore did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight,
KJV
But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.
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This verse in John 9
Commentary
16 notes on this verseBut the Jews did not believe - All the subterfuge they could use was simply to sin against their conscience, by asserting that the man had not been blind; but out of this subterfuge they were soon driven by the testimony of the parents, who, if tried farther on this subject, might have produced as witness, not only the whole neighborhood, but nearly the whole city: for it appears the man got his bread by publicly begging, Joh 9:
This site's exposition
until they summoned his parents
on John 9:18-23
The leaders summon the parents, and the parents certify the two facts only they could: he is their son, and he was born blind. The third question they hand back to their son, who is old enough to speak for himself. Fear of expulsion from the synagogue governs the room.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
(Tr. xliv. s. 10) i. e. had been blind, and now saw.
"And they did not believe that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they had called his parents." Observe in how many ways they attempt to obscure and take away the miracle. But this is the nature of truth, by the very means by which it seems to be assailed by men, by these it becomes stronger, it shines by means of that by which it is obscured. For if these things had not taken place, the miracle might have been suspected by the many; but now, as if desiring to lay bare the truth, so do they use all means, and would not have acted otherwise, supposing they had done all in Christ's behalf. For they first attempted to cast Him down by occasion of this mode (of cure), saying, "How opened he thine eyes?" that is, "was it by some sorcery?" In another place also, when they had no charge to bring against Him, they endeavored to insult the mode of the cure, saying, "He doth not cast out devils save by Beelzebub." And here again, when they have nothing to say, they betake themselves to the time (of cure), saying, "He breaketh the Sabbath"; and again, "He is a sinner." Yet He asked you, who would slay Him, and who were ready to lay hold of His actions, most plainly, saying, "Which of you convinceth Me of sin?" and no man spake, nor said "Thou blasphemest because thou makest thyself without sin." But if they had had it in their power to say so, they would not have held their peace. For they who because they heard that He was before Abraham would have stoned Him, and said that He was not of God, who boasted that they, murderers as they were, were of God, but who said that One who did such wonders, after that He had wrought a cure, was not of God, because He kept not the Sabbath, if they had had but a shadow of a charge against Him, would never have let it pass. […]
Being therefore entangled on every side, they afterwards betake themselves to something else more shameless and impudent. What is that? They "did not believe," It saith, "that he had been blind, and received his sight." How then did they charge Christ with not keeping the Sabbath? Plainly, as having believed. But why gave ye not heed to the great number of people? to the neighbors who knew him? As I said, falsehood everywhere defeats itself by the very means by which it seems to annoy the truth, and makes the truth to appear more bright. Which was now the case. For that no one might say that his neighbors and those who had seen him did not speak with precision, but guessed from a likeness, they bring forward his parents, by whom they succeeded against their will in proving that what had taken place was real, since the parents best of all knew their own child. When they could not terrify the man himself, but beheld him with all boldness proclaim his Benefactor, they thought to wound the miracle by means of his parents.
A commentator
Cyril of AlexandriaCommentary on the Gospel of John, Book 6 · Written before 444.
proposed
The envy against the Healer which is hot within them does not allow them to believe what is acknowledged by all; and, swayed by the frenzy of madness, they of course care little for the discovery of truth, and speak falsely against Christ. First they applied pressure to the man himself, and now they are seen to be no less rashly distressing his parents, but with the very opposite result to that which they intended.
The Medieval Church1 voice
The hard-hearted and obstinate ones summon his parents with the purpose of putting them in a difficult position and thereby compelling them to deny their son's former blindness. Since they could not silence well-meaning mouths, they intimidate the parents, hoping to discredit the miracle. And …
9 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church3 voices
The Jews therefore did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind. Here is touched upon the hardness of the Jews in believing: for they were unwilling to believe, on this account namely, because he praised Christ; therefore they held him suspect. They did …
1330 Next (v 18), we see his parents questioned. First, we have the reason why they were questioned; secondly, the question itself (v 19); thirdly their answer (v 20); and fourthly, the reason for this answer (v 22). 1331 The reason for this second questioning …
Either, say they, it is not true that he now sees, or it is untrue that he was blind before: but it is evident that he now sees; therefore it is not true that he was born blind.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): They did not believe, that is, they would not, that he was born blind. Men that seek occasion to quarrel with the clearest truths may find it if they please; and they that resolve to hold fast deceit will never want a handle to hold it by. This was not a prudent caution, but a prejudiced infidelity.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
But the Jews did not believe concerning him,....
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1869)
These verses show us how little the Jews of our Lord's time understood the right use of the Sabbath day. We read that some of the Pharisees found fault because a blind man was miraculously healed on the Sabbath. They said, "This man is not of God, because He keeps not the Sabbath day." A good work had manifestly been done to a helpless fellow-creature. A heavy bodily infirmity had been removed. A mighty act of mercy had been performed. But the blind-hearted enemies of Christ could see no beauty in the act.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
They prevaricated, however, in saying they "knew not who had opened his eyes," for "they feared the Jews," who had come to an understanding (probably after what is recorded, Joh 7:50, &c.; but by this time well known), that whoever owned Him as the Christ would be put out of the synagogue--that is, not simply excluded, but excommunicated.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1869)
proposed
These verses show us how little the Jews of our Lord's time understood the right use of the Sabbath day. We read that some of the Pharisees found fault because a blind man was miraculously healed on the Sabbath. They said, "This man is not of God, because He keeps not the Sabbath day." A good work had manifestly been done to a helpless fellow-creature. A heavy bodily infirmity had been removed. A mighty act of mercy had been performed. But the blind-hearted enemies of Christ could see no beauty in the act. They called it a breach of the Fourth Commandment! These would-be wise men completely mistook the intention of the Sabbath. They did not see that it was "made for man," and meant for the good of man's body, mind, and soul. It was a day to be set apart from others, no doubt, and to be carefully sanctified and kept holy. But its sanctification was never intended to prevent works of necessity and acts of mercy. To heal a sick man was no breach of the Sabbath day. In finding fault with our Lord for so doing, the Jews only exposed their ignorance of their own law. They had forgotten that it is as great a sin to add to a commandment, as to take it away. Here, as in other places, we must take care that we do not put a wrong meaning on our Lord's conduct. We must not for a moment suppose that the Sabbath is no longer binding on Christians, and that they have nothing to do with the Fourth Commandment. This is a great mistake, and the root of great evil. Not one of the ten commandments has ever been repealed or put aside. Our Lord never meant the Sabbath to become a day of pleasure, or a day of business, or a day of traveling and idle dissipation. He meant it to be "kept holy" as long as the world stands. It is one thing to employ the Sabbath in works of mercy, in ministering to the sick, and doing good to the distressed.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Is this your son? ... - The Pharisees proposed three questions to the parents, by which they hoped to convict the man of falsehood: 1. Whether he was their son? 2. Whether they would affirm that he was born blind? and, 3. Whether they knew by what means he now saw? They evidently intended to intimidate the parents, so that they might give an answer to one of these questions that would convict the man of deception. We see here the art to which men will resort rather than admit the truth. Had they been half as much disposed to believe on Jesus as they were to disbelieve, there would have been no difficulty in the case. And so with all men: were they as much inclined to embrace the truth as they are to reject it, there would soon be an end of cavils.
How the passage was read
On John 9:1-41On John 9:1-41
Clay on the Sabbath, and the synagogue door
“He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle.” On the tradition's categories of Sabbath labor, kneading is forbidden work (one of the thirty-nine, Mishnah Shabbat 7:2), and mixing spittle with dust to a paste is kneading. Unlike the healings done by a word alone, here Jesus performs a nameable act, on a man blind FROM BIRTH, the definition of a chronic condition that, on the categories, could have waited until sundown. The scene reads as deliberate: the Light of the World (9:5) works on the day of rest precisely to force the question of who He is, and the interrogation that follows splits the Pharisees themselves: “How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles?” (9:16).
The parents fear being “put out of the synagogue” (9:22). Honesty about dating helps here: the formal liturgical measure some scholars connect with that phrase (birkat ha-minim, a synagogue benediction concerning heretics, discussed in the Talmud at Berakhot 28b) took shape at Yavneh after AD 70, and both its date and its original scope are debated among scholars. John narrates real local expulsion in Jesus' years; the entry does not read a later formal ban back into the scene. What the chapter itself gives is sharper than any institution: a man healed, cast out, and found by Jesus at the door: “Lord, I believe.”
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 Shabbat 7:2 (kneading among the categories) · Berakhot 28b (Babylonian Talmud, the later benediction; dating debated)
The words behind it
20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| οὐκ | ouk | Not | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| ἐπίστευσαν | episteusan | did believe | G4100 → | 237 times |
| οὖν | oun | then | G3767 → | 497 times |
| οἱ | hoi | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| Ἰουδαῖοι | ioudaioi | Jews | G2453 → | 192 times |
| περὶ | peri | concerning | G4012 → | 332 times |
| αὐτοῦ | autou | him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ὅτι | hoti | that | G3754 → | 1292 times |
| ἦν | en | he was being | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| τυφλὸς | tuphlos | blind | G5185 → | 50 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἀνέβλεψεν | aneblepsen | received sight | G308 → | 25 times |
| ἕως | he'os | until | G2193 → | 146 times |
| ὅτου | hotou | when | G3748 → | 144 times |
| ἐφώνησαν | ephonesan | they called | G5455 → | 43 times |
| τοὺς | tous | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γονεῖς | goneis | parents | G1118 → | 20 times |
| αὐτοῦ | autou | of him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| τοῦ | tou | who | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀναβλέψαντος, | anablepsantos | having received sight, | G308 → | 25 times |
οὐκNot
oukG3756 →1664 times
ἐπίστευσανdid believe
episteusanG4100 →237 times
οὖνthen
ounG3767 →497 times
οἱthe
hoiG3588 →19766 times
ἸουδαῖοιJews
ioudaioiG2453 →192 times
περὶconcerning
periG4012 →332 times
αὐτοῦhim
autouG846 →5565 times
ὅτιthat
hotiG3754 →1292 times
ἦνhe was being
enG1510 →2333 times
τυφλὸςblind
tuphlosG5185 →50 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἀνέβλεψενreceived sight
aneblepsenG308 →25 times
ἕωςuntil
he'osG2193 →146 times
ὅτουwhen
hotouG3748 →144 times
ἐφώνησανthey called
ephonesanG5455 →43 times
τοὺςthe
tousG3588 →19766 times
γονεῖςparents
goneisG1118 →20 times
αὐτοῦof him
autouG846 →5565 times
τοῦwho
touG3588 →19766 times
ἀναβλέψαντος,having received sight,
anablepsantosG308 →25 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
Hebrews 4:11Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same pattern of disobedience.
it leads to
- Matthew 11:28–30
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
- Luke 13:24
“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.
- Hebrews 3:18
And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed?
- Ephesians 5:6
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.
- Hebrews 6:11
We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.
- Matthew 11:28–30
Through
Luke 16:31Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 4:3
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
- 2 Corinthians 4:3
Through
Genesis 19:14So Lot went out and spoke to the sons-in-law who were pledged in marriage to his daughters. “Get up,” he said. “Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the…
it leads to
- Numbers 16:21
“Separate yourselves from this congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.”
- Numbers 16:21
Through
John 1:19And this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?”
it leads to
- Luke 3:15–18
The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John could be the Christ.
- Luke 3:15–18
Where this verse is studied
About John
This page draws on 15 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); Augustine of Hippo, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bonaventure, Commentary on John, Chapter 9; Brooke Foss Westcott, The Gospel according to St. John; Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Book 6; 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 58; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on John; Theophylact of Ohrid, Catena Aurea by Aquinas and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on John.