Discovery BoxJohn 7:40-52
Context7:40 When they heard these words, some of the crowd 1 began to say, “This really 2 is the Prophet!” 3 7:41 Others said, “This is the Christ!” 4 But still others said, “No, 5 for the Christ doesn’t come from Galilee, does he? 6 7:42 Don’t the scriptures say that the Christ is a descendant 7 of David 8 and comes from Bethlehem, 9 the village where David lived?” 10 7:43 So there was a division in the crowd 11 because of Jesus. 12 7:44 Some of them were wanting to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him. 13
7:45 Then the officers 14 returned 15 to the chief priests and Pharisees, 16 who said to them, “Why didn’t you bring him back with you?” 17 7:46 The officers replied, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 7:47 Then the Pharisees answered, 18 “You haven’t been deceived too, have you? 19 7:48 None of the rulers 20 or the Pharisees have believed in him, have they? 21 7:49 But this rabble 22 who do not know the law are accursed!”
7:50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus 23 before and who was one of the rulers, 24 said, 25 7:51 “Our law doesn’t condemn 26 a man unless it first hears from him and learns 27 what he is doing, does it?” 28 7:52 They replied, 29 “You aren’t from Galilee too, are you? 30 Investigate carefully and you will see that no prophet 31 comes from Galilee!”
[7:40] 1 tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities like the chief priests and Pharisees).
[7:40] 3 sn The Prophet is a reference to the “prophet like Moses” of Deut 18:15, by this time an eschatological figure in popular belief.
[7:41] 4 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[7:41] 5 tn An initial negative reply (“No”) is suggested by the causal or explanatory γάρ (gar) which begins the clause.
[7:41] 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 “does he?”).
[7:42] 7 tn Grk “is from the seed” (an idiom for human descent).
[7:42] 8 sn An allusion to Ps 89:4.
[7:42] 9 sn An allusion to Mic 5:2.
[7:42] 10 tn Grk “the village where David was.”
[7:43] 11 tn Or “among the common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities like the chief priests and Pharisees).
[7:43] 12 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:44] 13 sn Compare John 7:30 regarding the attempt to seize Jesus.
[7:45] 14 tn 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] 16 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[7:45] 17 tn Grk “Why did you not bring him?” The words “back with you” are implied.
[7:47] 18 tn Grk “answered them.”
[7:47] 19 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 you?”).
[7:48] 20 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] 21 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?”).
[7:49] 22 tn Grk “crowd.” “Rabble” is a good translation here because the remark by the Pharisees is so derogatory.
[7:50] 23 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:50] 24 tn Grk “who was one of them”; the referent (the rulers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:50] 25 tn Grk “said to them.”
[7:51] 28 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 “does it?”).
[7:52] 29 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”
[7:52] 30 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 you?”).
[7:52] 31 tc At least one early and important ms (Ì66*) places the article before “prophet” (ὁ προφήτης, Jo profhths), making this a reference to the “prophet like Moses” mentioned in Deut 18:15.
