Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

John 10:32

ἀπεκρίθη. Just as the Jews ‘answered’ His act of cleansing the Temple (John 2:18), Jesus ‘answered’ their act of preparing to stone: comp. John 5:17. The act in each case involved an assertion.

ἔργα καλά. Works morally beautiful, noble and excellent (John 10:14). Comp. καλῶς πάντα πεποίηκε (Mark 7:37) and εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς ὅτι καλόν (Genesis 1:8; Genesis 1:10; Genesis 1:12, &c.). The noble works (John 5:20; John 5:36) proceed from the Father and are manifested by the Son.

ἔδειξα. Divine works are exhibitions of goodness, ‘signs’ of something above and beyond them.

διὰ ποῖον αὐ. ἔρ. Literally, for what kind of work among these; i.e. ‘what is the character of the work for which ye are in the act of stoning me?’ It was precisely the character of the works which shewed that they were Divine, as some of them were disposed to think (John 10:21; John 7:26). Comp. Matthew 22:36, where the literal meaning is, ‘what kind of a commandment is great in the law?,’ and 1 Corinthians 15:35, ‘with what kind of body do they come?’ see on John 12:33; John 18:32; John 21:19. The ἐμέ is emphatic, ‘Me, the Representative and Interpreter of the Father.’ For the present tense see Winer, p. 332.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

John 10:32

Old Testament

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