Yohanes 9:18-23

9:18 Now the Jewish religious leaders ¹  refused to believe ²  that he had really been blind and had gained his sight until at last they summoned ³  the parents of the man who had become able to see. ⁴  9:19 They asked the parents, ⁵  “Is this your son, whom you say ⁶  was born blind? Then how does he now see?” 9:20 So his parents replied, ⁷  “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 9:21 But we do not know how he is now able to see, nor do we know who caused him to see. ⁸  Ask him, he is a mature adult. ⁹  He will speak for himself.” 9:22 (His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish religious leaders. ¹⁰  For the Jewish leaders had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus ¹¹  to be the Christ ¹²  would be put out ¹³  of the synagogue. ¹⁴  9:23 For this reason his parents said, “He is a mature adult, ¹⁵  ask him.”) ¹⁶ 

[9:18]  ¹ tn Or “the Jewish religious authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase refers mainly to the Pharisees, mentioned by name in John 9:13, 15, 16. References in this context to Pharisees and to the synagogue (v. 22) suggest an emphasis on the religious nature of the debate which is brought out by the translation “the Jewish religious leaders.”

[9:18]  ² tn The Greek text contains the words “about him” at this point: “the Jewish authorities did not believe about him…”

[9:18]  ³ tn Grk “they called.”

[9:18]  ⁴ tn Or “the man who had gained his sight.”

[9:19]  ⁵ tn Grk “and they asked them, saying”; the referent (the parents) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:19]  ⁶ tn The Greek pronoun and verb are both plural (both parents are addressed).

[9:20]  ⁷ tn Grk “So his parents answered and said.”

[9:21]  ⁸ tn Grk “who opened his eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).

[9:21]  ⁹ tn Or “he is of age.”

[9:22]  ¹⁰ tn Or “the Jewish religious authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Twice in this verse the phrase refers to the Pharisees, mentioned by name in John 9:13, 15, 16. The second occurrence is shortened to “the Jewish leaders” for stylistic reasons. See the note on the phrase “the Jewish religious leaders” in v. 18.

[9:22]  ¹¹ tn Grk “confessed him.”

[9:22]  ¹² tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[9:22]  sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.

[9:22]  ¹³ tn Or “would be expelled from.”

[9:22]  ¹⁴ sn This reference to excommunication from the Jewish synagogue for those who had made some sort of confession about Jesus being the Messiah is dismissed as anachronistic by some (e.g., Barrett) and nonhistorical by others. In later Jewish practice there were at least two forms of excommunication: a temporary ban for thirty days, and a permanent ban. But whether these applied in NT times is far from certain. There is no substantial evidence for a formal ban on Christians until later than this Gospel could possibly have been written. This may be a reference to some form of excommunication adopted as a contingency to deal with those who were proclaiming Jesus to be the Messiah. If so, there is no other record of the procedure than here. It was probably local, limited to the area around Jerusalem. See also the note on synagogue in 6:59.

[9:23]  ¹⁵ tn Or “he is of age.”

[9:23]  ¹⁶ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author explaining the parents’ response.