John 7:32

Context

7:32 The Pharisees¹ heard the crowd² murmuring these things about Jesus,³ so the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers⁴ to arrest him.⁵

John 7:45-52

Context

Lack of Belief

7:45 Then the officers⁶ returned⁷ to the chief priests and Pharisees,⁸ who said to them, “Why didn’t you bring him back with you?”⁹ 7:46 The officers replied, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 7:47 Then the Pharisees answered,¹⁰ “You haven’t been deceived too, have you?¹¹ 7:48 None of the rulers¹² or the Pharisees have believed in him, have they?¹³ 7:49 But this rabble¹⁴ who do not know the law are accursed!”

7:50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus¹⁵ before and who was one of the rulers,¹⁶ said,¹⁷ 7:51 “Our law doesn’t condemn¹⁸ a man unless it first hears from him and learns¹⁹ what he is doing, does it?”²⁰ 7:52 They replied,²¹ “You aren’t from Galilee too, are you?²² Investigate carefully and you will see that no prophet²³ comes from Galilee!”

[7:32] ¹sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[7:32] ²tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities like the Pharisees).

[7:32] ³tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:32] ⁴tn Or “servants.” The “chief priests and Pharisees” 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. As “servants” or “officers” of the Sanhedrin their representatives should be distinguished from the Levites serving as temple police (perhaps John 7:30 and 44; also John 8:20; 10:39; 19:6; Acts 4:3). Even when performing “police” duties such as here, their “officers” are doing so only as part of their general tasks (see K. H. Rengstorf, TDNT 8:540).

[7:32] ⁵tn Grk “to seize him.” In the context of a deliberate attempt by the servants of the chief priests and Pharisees to detain Jesus, the English verb “arrest” conveys the point more effectively.

[7:45] ⁶tn Or “servants.” The “chief priests and Pharisees” 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. As “servants” or “officers” of the Sanhedrin, their representatives should be distinguished from the Levites serving as temple police (perhaps John 7:30 and 44; also John 8:20; 10:39; 19:6; Acts 4:3). Even when performing ‘police’ duties such as here, their “officers” are doing so only as part of their general tasks (See K. H. Rengstorf, TDNT 8:540).

[7:45] ⁷tn Grk “came.”

[7:45] ⁸sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[7:45] ⁹tn Grk “Why did you not bring him?” The words “back with you” are implied.

[7:47] ¹⁰tn Grk “answered them.”

[7:47] ¹¹tn 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 you?”).

[7:48] ¹²sn 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] ¹³tn 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?”).

[7:49] ¹⁴tn Grk “crowd.” “Rabble” is a good translation here because the remark by the Pharisees is so derogatory.

[7:50] ¹⁵tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:50] ¹⁶tn Grk “who was one of them”; the referent (the rulers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:50] ¹⁷tn Grk “said to them.”

[7:51] ¹⁸tn Grk “judge.”

[7:51] ¹⁹tn Grk “knows.”

[7:51] ²⁰tn 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 “does it?”).

[7:52] ²¹tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”

[7:52] ²²tn 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 you?”).

[7:52] ²³tc At least one early and important ms (Ì^66*) places the article before “prophet” (ὁ προφήτης, Jo profhths), making this a reference to the “prophet like Moses” mentioned in Deut 18:15.