John 1:24

1:24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. ¹ ) ² 

John 3:1

Conversation with Nicodemus

3:1 Now a certain man, a Pharisee ³  named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council, ⁴ 

John 7:48

7:48 None of the rulers ⁵  or the Pharisees have believed in him, have they? ⁶ 

John 9:40

9:40 Some of the Pharisees ⁷  who were with him heard this ⁸  and asked him, ⁹  “We are not blind too, are we?” ¹⁰ 

John 18:3

18:3 So Judas obtained a squad of soldiers ¹¹  and some officers of the chief priests and Pharisees. ¹²  They came to the orchard ¹³  with lanterns ¹⁴  and torches and weapons.

John 9:16

9:16 Then some of the Pharisees began to say, ¹⁵  “This man is not from God, because he does not observe ¹⁶  the Sabbath.” ¹⁷  But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform ¹⁸  such miraculous signs?” Thus there was a division ¹⁹  among them.

[1:24]  ¹ sn Pharisees were members of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.

[1:24]  ² sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[3:1]  ³ sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[3:1]  ⁴ tn Grk “a ruler of the Jews” (denoting a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[7:48]  ⁵ sn The chief priests and Pharisees (John 7:45) is a comprehensive term for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:45; 18:3; Acts 5:22, 26. Likewise the term ruler here denotes a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews. Note the same word (“ruler”) is used to describe Nicodemus in John 3:1, and Nicodemus also speaks up in this episode (John 7:50).

[7:48]  ⁶ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “have they?”).

[9:40]  ⁷ sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[9:40]  ⁸ tn Grk “heard these things.”

[9:40]  ⁹ tn Grk “and said to him.”

[9:40]  ¹⁰ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “are we?”).

[18:3]  ⁹ tn Grk “a cohort.” The word σπεῖραν (speiran) is a technical term for a Roman cohort, normally a force of 600 men (one tenth of a legion). It was under the command of a χιλίαρχος (ciliarco", v. 12). Because of the improbability of an entire cohort being sent to arrest a single man, some have suggested that σπεῖραν here refers only to a maniple, a force of 200. But the use of the word here does not necessarily mean the entire cohort was present on this mission, but only that it was the cohort which performed the task (for example, saying the fire department put out the fire does not mean that every fireman belonging to the department was on the scene at the time). These Roman soldiers must have been ordered to accompany the servants of the chief priests and Pharisees by Pilate, since they would have been under the direct command of the Roman prefect or procurator. It is not difficult to understand why Pilate would have been willing to assist the Jewish authorities in such a way. With a huge crowd of pilgrims in Jerusalem for the Passover, the Romans would have been especially nervous about an uprising of some sort. No doubt the chief priests and Pharisees had informed Pilate that this man Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah, or in the terms Pilate would understand, king of Israel.

[18:3]  ¹⁰ tn The phrase “officers of the chief priests and Pharisees” is a comprehensive name for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:32, 45; 18:3, 12, 18, 22; 19:6. They are different from the Levites who served as “temple police” according to K. H. Rengstorf (TDNT 8:540). In John 7:32ff. these officers had made an unsuccessful attempt to arrest Jesus, and perhaps this is part of the reason why their leaders had made sure they were accompanied by Roman soldiers this time. No more mistakes were to be tolerated.

[18:3]  ¹¹ tn The words “to the orchard” are not in the Greek text but are repeated from v. 1 for clarity.

[18:3]  ¹² tn These were lamps that had some sort of covering to protect them from wind and rain. In earlier usage the word meant “torch” but by NT times it apparently meant a lamp designed to be used outdoors, so “lantern” is a good contemporary English equivalent.

[9:16]  ¹¹ tn As a response to the answers of the man who used to be blind, the use of the imperfect tense in the reply of the Pharisees is best translated as an ingressive imperfect (“began to say” or “started saying”).

[9:16]  ¹² tn Grk “he does not keep.”

[9:16]  ¹³ sn The Jewish religious leaders considered the work involved in making the mud to be a violation of the Sabbath.

[9:16]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “do.”

[9:16]  ¹⁵ tn Or “So there was discord.”