John 9:24
in John 9So a second time they called for the man who had been blind and said, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
So they called a second time the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give glory to God: we know that this man is a sinner.
KJV
Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.
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This verse in John 9
Commentary
16 notes on this verseGive God the praise - Having called the man a second time, they proceeded to deal with him in the most solemn manner; and therefore they put him to his oath; for the words above were the form of an oath, proposed by the chief magistrate to those who were to give evidence to any particular fact, or to attest any thing, as produced by or belonging to the Lord. See Jos 7:19; 1Sa 6:5, and Luk 17:
This site's exposition
Give glory to God
on John 9:24-25
Give glory to God was the courtroom oath to tell the truth, the words Joshua used with Achan at Joshua 7:19. Here it is pressure to recant, and the verdict is announced ahead of the testimony. The man holds his one fact, blind once and seeing now.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
"Then again called they the man who had been blind, and said unto him, Give God the glory." What is that, "Give God the glory"? Deny what thou hast received. Such conduct is manifestly not to give God the glory, but rather to blaspheme Him. "Give God," they say, "the glory: we know that this man is a sinner. Then said he, If he is a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see."
(Tr. xliv. s. 11) Deny that thou hast received the benefit. This is not to give God the glory, but rather to blaspheme Him.
"Give," saith one, "the glory to God." For to have said to the parents, "Deny that he is your son, and that he was born blind," would have seemed very ridiculous. And again, to have said this to himself would have been manifest shamelessness. Wherefore they say not so, but manage the matter in another way, saying, "Give God the glory," that is, "confess that this man hath wrought nothing." "We know that this man is a sinner." "Why then did ye not convict Him when He said, 'Which of you convinceth Me of sin?' Whence know ye that He is a sinner?" After that they had said, "Give God the glory," and the man had made no reply, Christ meeting praised him, and did not rebuke him, nor say, "Wherefore hast thou not given glory to God?" But what said He? "Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" that thou mayest learn that this is "to give glory to God." Now had He not been equal in honor to the Father, this would not have been giving glory; but since he that honoreth the Son honoreth the Father also, the blind is with good reason not rebuked.
A commentator
Cyril of AlexandriaCommentary on the Gospel of John, Book 6 · Written before 444.
proposed
Being unable to stop the man from speaking well of Christ, they attempt to attain a similar end by another method, and proceed to entice him in a sort of coaxing way to fulfil their private aim. Trying by many arguments to make him forget Christ altogether, and not even mention Him as a Physician, they say most craftily that he ought to ascribe glory to God on account of the marvellous deed, thus pretending piety.
The Medieval Church1 voice
For they were fainthearted; not like their son, that intrepid witness to the truth, the eyes of whose understanding had been enlightened by God.
9 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church4 voices
As the parents insisted that their son should be asked, so the arrogant ones do. They bring him, but not in order to question him, rather to suggest to him an accusation against the Healer. For the suggestion "give glory to God" means: confess that …
They therefore called again the man who had been blind and said to him: Give glory to God, namely, by confessing the truth. For to give glory to God is to confess the truth about something, as if in God's presence; Joshua 7: "My son, …
They wished him to give glory to God, by calling Christ a sinner, as they did: We know that this man is a sinner.
1335 After the questioning of the blind man and his parents, an attempt is made to make him deny the truth and affirm what is false. First, they attempt to make him deny the truth; secondly, they revile him (v 28); and thirdly, they condemn …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
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 required; see Jos 7:19; and this may be the meaning of it here; confess this fraud and imposture before the omniscient God, the searcher of hearts, and in so doing glorify that perfection of his.
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)
Give God the praise; we know that this man is a sinner--not wishing him to own, even to the praise of God, that a miracle had been wrought upon him, but to show more regard to the honor of God than ascribe any such act to one who was a sinner.
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
Give God the praise - This expression seems to be a form of administering an oath. It is used in Jos 7:19, when Achan was put on his oath and entreated to confess his guilt. Joshua said, “My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel (in the Greek of the Septuagint, the very expression used in John, ‘Give God the praise’), and make confession unto him.” It is equivalent to an adjuration in the presence of God to acknowledge the truth; as the truth would be giving God praise, confessing the case before him, and trusting to his mercy. Compare 1Sa 6:5 The meaning here is not “give God praise for healing you,” for they were not willing to admit that he had been cured Joh 9:18, but confess that there is imposture in the case; that you have declared to us a falsehood, that you have endeavored to impose on us; and by thus confessing your sin, give praise and honor to God, who condemns all imposture and falsehood, and whom you will thus acknowledge to be right in your condemnation. To induce him to do this, they added that they knew, or were satisfied that Jesus was a sinner. As they considered that point settled, they urged him to confess that he had attempted to impose on them. We know - We have settled that. He has broken the Sabbath, and that leaves no doubt. A sinner - A violator of the law respecting the Sabbath, and an impostor. See Joh 9:16.
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
24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ἐφώνησαν | ephonesan | They called | G5455 → | 43 times |
| οὖν | oun | therefore | G3767 → | 497 times |
| τὸν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἄνθρωπον | anthropon | man | G444 → | 549 times |
| ἐκ | ek | out | G1537 → | 911 times |
| δευτέρου, | deuterou | a second time | G1208 → | 43 times |
| ὃς | hos | who | G3739 → | 1405 times |
| ἦν | en | were | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| τυφλὸς | tuphlos | blind | G5185 → | 50 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| εἶπαν | eipan | they said | G2036 → | 925 times |
| αὐτῷ· | auto | to him; | G846 → | 5565 times |
| δὸς | dos | do give | G1325 → | 412 times |
| δόξαν | doxan | glory | G1391 → | 165 times |
| τῷ | to | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θεῷ· | theo | to God! | G2316 → | 1312 times |
| ἡμεῖς | hemeis | We ourselves | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| οἴδαμεν | oidamen | know | ||
| ὅτι | hoti | that | G3754 → | 1292 times |
| οὗτος | houtos | this | G3778 → | 1381 times |
| ὁ | ho | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἄνθρωπος | anthropos | man | G444 → | 549 times |
| ἁμαρτωλός | hamartolos | a sinner | G268 → | 47 times |
| ἐστιν.¶ | estin | is. | G1510 → | 2333 times |
ἘφώνησανThey called
ephonesanG5455 →43 times
οὖνtherefore
ounG3767 →497 times
τὸνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
ἄνθρωπονman
anthroponG444 →549 times
ἐκout
ekG1537 →911 times
δευτέρου,a second time
deuterouG1208 →43 times
ὃςwho
hosG3739 →1405 times
ἦνwere
enG1510 →2333 times
τυφλὸςblind
tuphlosG5185 →50 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
εἶπανthey said
eipanG2036 →925 times
αὐτῷ·to him;
autoG846 →5565 times
δὸςdo give
dosG1325 →412 times
δόξανglory
doxanG1391 →165 times
τῷ<the>
toG3588 →19766 times
θεῷ·to God!
theoG2316 →1312 times
ἡμεῖςWe ourselves
hemeisG3165 →1936 times
οἴδαμενknow
oidamen
ὅτιthat
hotiG3754 →1292 times
οὗτοςthis
houtosG3778 →1381 times
ὁ<the>
hoG3588 →19766 times
ἄνθρωποςman
anthroposG444 →549 times
ἁμαρτωλόςa sinner
hamartolosG268 →47 times
ἐστιν.¶is.
estinG1510 →2333 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
2 Corinthians 5:21God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
it leads to
- 1 Peter 2:22–24
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.”
- 1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit,
- Romans 5:19
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
- Galatians 3:13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
- 1 Corinthians 1:30
It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.
- 1 Peter 2:22–24
Through
Joshua 7:19So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and make a confession to Him. I urge you to tell me what you have done; do not…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 6:5
Make images of your tumors and of the rats that are ravaging the land. Give glory to the God of Israel, and perhaps He will lift His hand from you and your gods and…
- Jeremiah 13:16
Give glory to the LORD your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the dusky mountains. You wait for light, but He turns it into deep gloom and thick darkness.
- 1 Samuel 6:5
Through
John 9:16Because of this, some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there…
it leads to
- John 10:19
Again there was division among the Jews because of Jesus’ message.
- John 10:19
Where this verse is studied
About John
This page draws on 16 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; Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, John; Augustine of Hippo, Tractates on John 44; Augustine of Hippo, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bonaventure, Commentary on John, Chapter 9; 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 (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theophylact of Ohrid, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on John and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on John.