"Chapter 7, like chapter 6, is very important for the estimate of the fourth Gospel. In it the scene of the Messianic crisis shifts from Galilee to Jerusalem; and, as we should naturally expect, the crisis itself becomes hotter. The divisions, the doubts, the hopes, the jealousies, and the casuistry... [ Continue Reading ]
The controversy with His brethren 1. _After these things_ The interval is again vague (see introductory note to chap. 6); but comparing John 4:4 with John 7:2 we see that it covers about five months, the interval between the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles. _walked in Galilee_ To this minist... [ Continue Reading ]
John 2:13 TO JOHN 11:57. The Work We here enter on the second portion of the first main division of the Gospel, thus subdivided: The Work (1) among _Jews_, (2) among _Samaritans_, (3) among _Galileans_, (4) among _mixed multitudes_.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the Jews" feast of tabernacles_ Again an indication that the Gospel was written outside Palestine: see on John 6:1; John 6:4. An author writing in Palestine would be less likely to specify it as -the feast _of the Jews_." Tabernacles was the most joyous of the Jewish festivals. It had two aspects;... [ Continue Reading ]
_His brethren_ See on John 2:12. _Depart hence_ The bluntness of this suggestion, given almost as a command, shews that they presumed upon their near relationship. It would be more natural in the mouths of men _older_than Christ, and therefore is in favour of their being sons of Joseph by a former... [ Continue Reading ]
_there is no man that doeth_ More simply, NO MAN _doeth_. _and he himself seeketh_ i.e. no one does anything in secret and is thereby personally seeking to act with openness. To conceal His miracles is to deny His Messiahship; the Messiah must accept His position. _to be known openly_ Literally, _... [ Continue Reading ]
_For neither did his brethren believe in him_ Or, _For_ NOT EVEN _did His brethren_(as one would expect) _believe on Him_. It is marvellous that in the face of this verse any one should have maintained that three of His brethren (James, Simon, and Judas) were Apostles. This verse is also fatal to th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then Jesus said_ Better, _Jesus_ THEREFORE SAITH. _My time is not yet come_ i.e. My time for manifesting Myself to the world; with special reference to the Passion. It is inadequate to interpret it of the time for going up to the Feast. Moreover, what sense would there be in -Your time _for going... [ Continue Reading ]
_The world_ Unbelievers; the common meaning in S. John. In John 7:4 -the world" means all mankind. See on John 1:10. _cannot hate you_ Because you and it are of one mind; because you are part of it: it cannot hate itself; see on John 15:19. Hence it is that they can always manifest themselves: they... [ Continue Reading ]
_Go ye up unto this feast_ -Ye" is emphatic; -this" is wanting in authority; we should read, _go ye up unto_ THE _feast_. _I go not up yet_ -Yet," though very ancient, is possibly no part of the original text: it may have been inserted to avoid the charge of the heathen critic Porphyry, that Jesus... [ Continue Reading ]
_he abode still in Galilee_ This in conjunction with John 7:1 shews that S. John is quite aware that Galilee is the main scene of Christ's ministry, as the Synoptists represent. The gaps in his narrative leave ample room for the Galilean ministry. This opening scene (1 9) "is described by M. Renan... [ Continue Reading ]
_unto the feast_ These words have become transposed; they belong to the first clause, not to the second; _Now when His brethren were_ GONE UP TO THE FEAST, _then He also went up_. This being so, it becomes possible, if not probable, that Christ's declaration -I go not up to this Feast" is true, even... [ Continue Reading ]
The Discourse at the Feast of Tabernacles Of this section John 7:10 form a sort of introduction. "An equal degree of authenticity belongs to the verses which follow, 10 15. The whispered enquiries and debatings among the people, the secret journey, the sudden appearance in the temple in the midst... [ Continue Reading ]
_the Jews_ The hostile party, as usual: comp. John 7:1. Both here and in John 7:6 -then" should rather be THEREFORE: comp. John 6:53; John 6:67-68. The force of the -therefore" here is -because they did not find Him in the caravan of pilgrims from Galilee." _sought … and said_ Both verbs are imperf... [ Continue Reading ]
_murmuring_ Talking in an under tone, not necessarily complaining: see on John 6:41; John 6:61. Here some are for, and some against Him. -Among the people" should rather be _among the_ MULTITUDES; the word is plural, and this is the only place in the Gospel where the plural is used: the singular (_H... [ Continue Reading ]
_no man_ Quite literally; no man dared speak openly either for or against Him, they were so afraid of the hierarchy. Experience had taught them that it was dangerous to take any line which the rulers had not formally sanctioned; and though the rulers were known to be against Christ, yet they had not... [ Continue Reading ]
_about the midst of the feast_ Literally, _But now, when the feast was at the middle_, or _was half way past_; i.e. about the fourth day. But the expression is a vague one, so that we cannot be certain which day. _went up into the temple_ Whether He had been in Jerusalem or not since the beginning... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the Jews marvelled_ According to the best MSS., _The Jews_ THEREFORE _marvelled_. -Therefore" should also be inserted in John 7:16; _Jesus_ THEREFORE _answered them_. S. John's extreme fondness for this particle in narrative is worth keeping in view. _How knoweth this man letters_ Or, _this_ FE... [ Continue Reading ]
_My doctrine is not mine_ -The teaching which I give does not originate with Me; that is the reason why I have no need to learn in the schools. He Who sent Me communicates it to Me.... [ Continue Reading ]
The remark made on the Jews" question in John 7:15 applies also to their questions and comments throughout this dialogue. They are too exactly in keeping with what we know of the Jews in our Lord's day to be the invention of a Greek more than a century later. They "are all exactly what we should exp... [ Continue Reading ]
_If any man will do his will_ As in John 6:67 and John 8:44, -will" is too weak; it is not the simple future, but the verb -to will:" _If any man_ WILLETH TO DO _His will_. The mere mechanical performance of God's will is not enough; there must be an inclination towards Him, a wish to make our condu... [ Continue Reading ]
Proof almost in the form of a syllogism that He does not speak of Himself. It applies to Christ alone. Human teachers who seek God's glory are not thereby secured from erroneous teaching. These verses (16 18) remind us, and might remind some of His hearers of an earlier discourse delivered in Jerusa... [ Continue Reading ]
_Did not Moses give you the law?_ Here the question should probably end: _and none of you doeth the law_should be a simple statement in contrast to the question preceding. The argument is similar to John 5:45; Moses in whom they trust condemns them. Moreover it is an _argumentum ad hominem:_-ye are... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou hast a devil_ The multitude who have come up from the provinces know nothing of the designs of the hierarchy, although dwellers in Jerusalem (John 7:25) are better informed. These provincials think He must be possessed to have such an idea. Comp. John 10:20, and also Matthew 11:18, where the s... [ Continue Reading ]
_I have done_ Better, I DID. Comp. John 7:23. _one work_ The healing of the impotent man at Bethesda: it excited the astonishment of all as being wrought on the Sabbath. Christ reminds them that on that occasion all, and not the rulers only, were offended. Most modern editors add to this verse the... [ Continue Reading ]
_Moses therefore gave_ Better, FOR THIS CAUSE (John 12:18; John 12:27) MOSES HATH GIVEN. Comp. John 8:47. _of Moses … of the fathers_ -Originating with Moses … originating with the fathers." Circumcision originated with the Patriarchs, and was a more ancient institution than the Sabbath. When, ther... [ Continue Reading ]
_that the law of Moses should not be broken_ i.e. the law about circumcision on the eighth day (Leviticus 12:3), which was a re-enactment of the patriarchal law (Genesis 17:12). Some adopt the inferior rendering in the margin; -without breaking the law of Moses," or -without the law of Moses being b... [ Continue Reading ]
_according to the appearance_ -According to the appearance" Christ's act was a breach of the Sabbath. This is almost certainly the meaning, although the word translated -appearance" may mean -face," and is rightly translated -face" in John 11:44 (see note there). There is no reference here to Christ... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then said some_ Or, SOME THEREFORE _said_(see on John 6:53; John 7:11; John 7:15), i.e. in consequence of Christ's vindication of Himself. These inhabitants of the capital know better than the provincials, who speak in John 7:20, what the intentions of the hierarchy really are.... [ Continue Reading ]
_boldly_ Or, _with frankness_, or _openness_; the same word as in John 7:4, where (as in John 16:29) it has a preposition; here and John 7:13 it is the simple dative. _Do the rulers know_ The word here translated -know" is not the one translated -know" in John 7:28. The latter is the most general w... [ Continue Reading ]
_when Christ cometh_ Better, _when_ THE _Christ cometh:_see on John 1:20. _no man knoweth whence he is_ Literally, _no man comes to know_(see on John 7:26 and John 8:55) _whence He is_. -Whence" does not refer to the Messiah's _birthplace_, which was known (John 7:41); nor to His _remote descent_, f... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then cried Jesus_ Better, JESUS THEREFORE CRIED ALOUD. The word translated -cried" signifies a loud expression of strong emotion. He is moved by their gross misconception of Him, a fact which the weakening of -therefore" into -then" obscures. Comp. John 7:37; John 1:15; John 12:44. _in the temple_... [ Continue Reading ]
_I know him_ -I" in emphatic contrast to the preceding -ye," which is also emphatic. -I know Him, for I came forth from Him, and it is He, and no other, that sent Me." -Sent" is aorist, not perfect. Comp. the very remarkable passage Matthew 11:27.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then they sought_ Better, THEREFORE THEY KEPT SEEKING (imperfect of continued action) in consequence of His publicly claiming Divine origin and mission. -They" means the rulers, the Sanhedrin; not the people, who are mentioned in the next verse. _but no man laid hands_ Rather, AND _no man laid han... [ Continue Reading ]
_And many of the people_ Our version is somewhat perverse; in John 7:30 -and" is arbitrarily turned into -but;" here -but" is turned into -and." BUT (on the other hand, i.e. in contrast to the rulers) OF THE MULTITUDE _many believed on Him_(as the Messiah) _and_ KEPT SAYING (in answer to objectors),... [ Continue Reading ]
_heard that the people murmured such things_ Better, _heard_ THE MULTITUDE MUTTERING THESE _things_(see on John 7:12): it was not reported to them, they heard it themselves, and they went and reported it in the Sanhedrin, which gives an order for His apprehension. Note that in this the reckless hier... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then said Jesus_ Better, as in John 7:30 and often, THEREFORE _said Jesus_, i.e. in consequence of their sending to arrest Him: probably He recognised the officers waiting for an opportunity to take Him. According to the best MSS., -Unto them" should be omitted: Christ's words are addressed to the... [ Continue Reading ]
_Ye shall seek me_ From John 13:33 it seems almost certain that these words are not to be understood of seeking His _life:_rather of seeking for _help_at His hands. Comp. John 8:21. It is best, however, not to limit their application to any particular occasion, such as the destruction of Jerusalem,... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then said the Jews The Jews_ THEREFORE _said_, i.e. in consequence of what Christ had said, shewing that it is to the official representatives of the nation that His words are addressed. _Whither will he go_, &c. Better, WHERE DOES THIS FELLOW INTEND TO GO, SEEING _that we shall not find Him?_ DOE... [ Continue Reading ]
_What manner of saying is this_ Or, WHAT IS THIS SAYING? -this" being contemptuous, like -this precious saying." They know that their scornful suggestion is not true.... [ Continue Reading ]
_In the last day, that great day_ NOW ON _the last day_, THE _great day_. This was probably not the seventh day, but the eighth day, which according to Leviticus 23:36; Leviticus 23:39; Numbers 29:35; Nehemiah 8:18, was reckoned along with the seven days of the feast proper. To speak of the seventh... [ Continue Reading ]
_as the scripture hath said_ This phrase undoubtedly refers to the words that follow: but inasmuch as no such text is found in Scripture, some have tried to force the phrase into connexion with what precedes, as if the meaning were -He that believeth on me in the way that Scripture prescribes." Alth... [ Continue Reading ]
_this spake he of the Spirit_ S. John's interpretation is to be accepted, whatever may be our theory of inspiration, (1) because no better interpreter of Christ's words ever lived, even among the Apostles; (2) because it is the result of his own inmost experience. The principle of Christian activity... [ Continue Reading ]
Opposite Results of the Discourse 40. _Many of the people_, &c. According to the best authorities; OF THE MULTITUDE, THEREFORE, SOME, WHEN THEY HEARD THESE WORDS, WERE SAYING, or, BEGAN TO SAY. _Of a truth this is the Prophet_ The Prophet of Deuteronomy 18:15, whom some identified with the Messiah... [ Continue Reading ]
_Others said … some said_ Both verbs, as in John 7:40, are imperfects of repeated action; _kept saying, used to say_. _Shall Christ come out of Galilee_ We have here an instance how little attention our translators paid to the Greek article: in the same verse they translate the article in one place... [ Continue Reading ]
_of the seed of David_ Psalms 132:11; Jeremiah 23:5; Isaiah 11:1; Isaiah 11:10. _out of the town of Bethlehem_ Literally, FROM BETHLEHEM, THE VILLAGE _where David was_. Micah 5:2; 1 Samuel 16.... [ Continue Reading ]
_a division Schisma_, whence our word -schism." It means a serious and possibly violent division: John 9:16; John 10:19; 1 Corinthians 1:10; 1 Corinthians 12:25; comp. Acts 14:4; Acts 23:7. In N.T. it is never used in the modern sense of a separation _from_the Church, but of parties _in_the Church.... [ Continue Reading ]
_some of them_ Some of the multitude, provoked by the controversy, would on their own responsibility have carried Him before the Sanhedrin. These -some" are not the officers mentioned in the next verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then came the officers_ Better, THEREFORE _came the officers_, i.e. because neither they nor any of the multitude had ventured to arrest Him. Under the control of God's providence (John 7:30), they had been unable to find any good opportunity for taking Him, and had been over-awed by the majesty of... [ Continue Reading ]
_Never man spake like this man_ The reading is doubtful; some of the best MSS. have _Never man_ SO SPAKE. Possibly Christ said a good deal more than is recorded by S. John.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the Pharisees_ That portion of the Sanhedrin which was most jealous of orthodoxy, regarded both by themselves and others as models of correct belief: see next verse. For -then" read THEREFORE. _Are ye also deceived_ Strong emphasis on -ye;" _Surely ye also have not been_ LED ASTRAY, ye, the office... [ Continue Reading ]
What right have you to judge for yourselves, contrary to the declared opinion of the Sanhedrin and of the orthodox party? What right have you to wear our livery and dispute our resolutions?... [ Continue Reading ]
_this people_ Very contemptuous; _this_ MULTITUDE _of yours_(comp. 35, 36), whose ignorant fancies you prefer to our deliberate decisions. _who knoweth not the law_ The form of negative used implies censure; knoweth not when it ought to know. They ought to know that a sabbath-breaker cannot be the... [ Continue Reading ]
_he that came to Jesus by night_ The better reading seems to be, _he that came_ TO HIM BEFORE. See on John 3:1-2. His -being one of them" contradicts what is implied in John 7:48, that no member of the Sanhedrin believed on Him.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Doth our law_ -Law" is emphatic. -You condemn the multitude for not knowing the law; but are we not forgetting the law in condemning a man unheard?" These learned theologians and lawyers were forgetting such plain and simple texts as Deuteronomy 1:16-17; Deuteronomy 17:8; Deuteronomy 19:15; involvi... [ Continue Reading ]
_Art thou also of Galilee?_ -Surely thou dost not sympathize with Him as being a fellow-countryman?" They share the popular belief that Jesus was by birth a Galilean (John 7:41). _out of Galilee ariseth no prophet_ Either their temper makes them forgetful, or in the heat of controversy they prefer a... [ Continue Reading ]
That this verse, as well as John 8:1-2, is omitted in most MSS. shews that prudential reasons cannot explain the omission of the paragraph in more than a limited number of cases. Some MSS. omit only John 8:3-11. _every man went unto his own house_ To what meeting this refers we cannot tell: of cour... [ Continue Reading ]