NOTES

BIBLE

John 7

1	And after these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him.	Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα περιεπάτει ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν τῇ Γαλιλαίᾳ, οὐ γὰρ ἤθελεν ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ περιπατεῖν, ὅτι ἐζήτουν αὐτὸν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἀποκτεῖναι.
2	Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near.	ἦν δὲ ἐγγὺς ἡ ἑορτὴ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἡ σκηνοπηγία.
3	Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing.	εἶπον οὖν πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ· Μετάβηθι ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ὕπαγε εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν, ἵνα καὶ οἱ μαθηταί σου θεωρήσουσιν σοῦ τὰ ἔργα ἃ ποιεῖς·
4	For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself publicly to the world.”	οὐδεὶς γάρ τι ἐν κρυπτῷ ποιεῖ καὶ ζητεῖ αὐτὸς ἐν παρρησίᾳ εἶναι· εἰ ταῦτα ποιεῖς, φανέρωσον σεαυτὸν τῷ κόσμῳ.
5	For not even His brothers were believing in Him.	οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπίστευον εἰς αὐτόν.
6	So Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always here.	λέγει οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ὁ καιρὸς ὁ ἐμὸς οὔπω πάρεστιν, ὁ δὲ καιρὸς ὁ ὑμέτερος πάντοτέ ἐστιν ἕτοιμος.	time This word for “time” (καιρὸς; kairos) is only used here and in verse 8 in the Gospel of John, and refers to the opportune time for Jesus to go publicly to Jerusalem. Though His half-brothers encouraged Him to “go into Judea” to make Himself known (v. 3), the Feast of Booths (v. 2) did not provide the right “time” to do that in God’s plan. Jesus must wait until the time of another feast—the Passover. A more specific designation of time, “hour” (ὥρα; hōra), is what John describes as “coming” (cf. 7:30; 8:20; 12:23, 27; etc.) and refers to Jesus’ coming trial and crucifixion. Because these two temporal terms refer to two different things, it is important to distinguish them in translation.
7	The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I bear witness about it, that its deeds are evil.	οὐ δύναται ὁ κόσμος μισεῖν ὑμᾶς, ἐμὲ δὲ μισεῖ, ὅτι ἐγὼ μαρτυρῶ περὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ πονηρά ἐστιν.	about “About” is a better translation here than something like “of.” This reflects the Greek preposition περί (peri), which primarily communicates the idea of “about” or “concerning” (See BDAG on περί). It is slightly more specific than the use of a simple genitive construction like “of it,” as Jesus is bearing witness to something very specific “about” the world—namely, that its deeds are evil.
8	Go up to the feast yourselves; I am not yet going up to this feast because My time has not yet been fulfilled.”	ὑμεῖς ἀνάβητε εἰς τὴν ἑορτήν· ἐγὼ οὐκ ἀναβαίνω εἰς τὴν ἑορτὴν ταύτην, ὅτι ὁ ἐμὸς καιρὸς οὔπω πεπλήρωται.
9	Having said these things to them, He stayed in Galilee.	ταῦτα δὲ εἰπὼν αὐτὸς ἔμεινεν ἐν τῇ Γαλιλαίᾳ.
10	But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as in secret.	Ὡς δὲ ἀνέβησαν οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν ἑορτήν, τότε καὶ αὐτὸς ἀνέβη, οὐ φανερῶς ἀλλὰ ὡς ἐν κρυπτῷ.	as in secret The phrase “as in secret” literally translates the Greek phrase (ὡς ἐν κρυπτῷ; hōs en kryptō). The word ὡς (hōs) in this context describes not similarity (i.e., “as if”), but rather the manner in which He went up to the feast (i.e., “as in secret” or “secretly”). John emphasizes the manner in which Jesus went up to the feast in order to contrast Jesus’ intention for going to the feast with His half-brothers’ intentions, namely, that He would go up in order to make Himself known publicly. In God’s perfect sovereignty, Jesus’ going up in secret allowed Him to celebrate the important Feast of Tabernacles as a true Jew. At the same time, it also prevented many from speaking openly about Him (v. 13) so that He would not be arrested and killed before the hour specifically appointed by the Father (cf. v. 30).
11	So the Jews were seeking Him at the feast and saying, “Where is He?”	οἱ οὖν Ἰουδαῖοι ἐζήτουν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ καὶ ἔλεγον· Ποῦ ἐστιν ἐκεῖνος;
12	And there was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him; some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He leads the crowd astray.”	καὶ γογγυσμὸς περὶ αὐτοῦ ἦν πολὺς ἐν τοῖς ὄχλοις· οἱ μὲν ἔλεγον ὅτι Ἀγαθός ἐστιν, ἄλλοι δὲ ἔλεγον· Οὔ, ἀλλὰ πλανᾷ τὸν ὄχλον.
13	Yet no one was speaking openly about Him for fear of the Jews.	οὐδεὶς μέντοι παρρησίᾳ ἐλάλει περὶ αὐτοῦ διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν Ἰουδαίων.	about Refer to the discussion on verse 7 above. John means to communicate specifically what the crowds were saying “about” Jesus.
14	But when it was now the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach.	Ἤδη δὲ τῆς ἑορτῆς μεσούσης ἀνέβη Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ ἐδίδασκεν.
15	The Jews then were marveling, saying, “How has this man become learned, not having been educated?”	ἐθαύμαζον οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι λέγοντες· Πῶς οὗτος γράμματα οἶδεν μὴ μεμαθηκώς;
16	So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but from Him who sent Me.	ἀπεκρίθη οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν· Ἡ ἐμὴ διδαχὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὴ ἀλλὰ τοῦ πέμψαντός με·
17	If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is of God or I speak from Myself.	ἐάν τις θέλῃ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ποιεῖν, γνώσεται περὶ τῆς διδαχῆς πότερον ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν ἢ ἐγὼ ἀπʼ ἐμαυτοῦ λαλῶ.	about Refer to the discussion on verse 7 above. Jesus is explaining that there is something specific to know “about” His teaching, namely, whether or not it is truly from God.
18	He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.	ὁ ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ λαλῶν τὴν δόξαν τὴν ἰδίαν ζητεῖ· ὁ δὲ ζητῶν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ πέμψαντος αὐτὸν οὗτος ἀληθής ἐστιν καὶ ἀδικία ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν.
19	“Did not Moses give you the Law? And yet none of you does the Law. Why do you seek to kill Me?”	Οὐ Μωϋσῆς δέδωκεν ὑμῖν τὸν νόμον; καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐξ ὑμῶν ποιεῖ τὸν νόμον. τί με ζητεῖτε ἀποκτεῖναι;
20	The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who seeks to kill You?”	ἀπεκρίθη ὁ ὄχλος· Δαιμόνιον ἔχεις· τίς σε ζητεῖ ἀποκτεῖναι;
21	Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel.	ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Ἓν ἔργον ἐποίησα καὶ πάντες θαυμάζετε.	work The word “work” translates the Greek ἔργον (ergon). By using this word, Jesus connects the healing of a man on the Sabbath with the “work” His Father sent Him to complete, namely, to save all who would believe in Him by dying for their sins on the cross. This “work” of healing was meant to show that He is the Son of God, and thus lead those who saw it to believe in Him (cf. 4:34; 6:29). In the case of the hard-hearted Jews, however, this work only enraged them because He did it on the Sabbath, something they thought was a violation of the Mosaic Law. Their marveling in this sense proved that they understood neither Jesus’ true identity as the Son of God nor the true application of the Law.
22	For this reason Moses has given you circumcision (not because it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man.	διὰ τοῦτο Μωϋσῆς δέδωκεν ὑμῖν τὴν περιτομήν—οὐχ ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ Μωϋσέως ἐστὶν ἀλλʼ ἐκ τῶν πατέρων—καὶ ἐν σαββάτῳ περιτέμνετε ἄνθρωπον.
23	If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath?	εἰ περιτομὴν λαμβάνει ἄνθρωπος ἐν σαββάτῳ ἵνα μὴ λυθῇ ὁ νόμος Μωϋσέως, ἐμοὶ χολᾶτε ὅτι ὅλον ἄνθρωπον ὑγιῆ ἐποίησα ἐν σαββάτῳ;
24	Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”	μὴ κρίνετε κατʼ ὄψιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν δικαίαν κρίσιν κρίνετε.
25	So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill?	Ἔλεγον οὖν τινες ἐκ τῶν Ἱεροσολυμιτῶν· Οὐχ οὗτός ἐστιν ὃν ζητοῦσιν ἀποκτεῖναι;
26	And look, He is speaking openly, and they are saying nothing to Him. Do the rulers truly know that this is the Christ?	καὶ ἴδε παρρησίᾳ λαλεῖ καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτῷ λέγουσιν· μήποτε ἀληθῶς ἔγνωσαν οἱ ἄρχοντες ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ χριστός;	Do the rulers truly know… This question opens with the Greek negative particle μήποτε (mēpote), which, according to normal Greek usage, sets an expectation of a negative answer. This is why some translations structure question, “the rulers do not…do they?” However, to avoid adding words which do not appear in the Greek, the rhetorical question is simply translated with a familiar English structure. This way, nothing external is added and the force of the rhetorical question and the expected negative answer remain perfectly intact. This is the first of eight questions that use a form of μή (mē) in this chapter in their structure (cf. vv. 31, 35, 41, 48, 51, 52), as John highlights the confusion, doubt, disbelief, and animosity in reaction to Jesus. Thus, John communicates the flagrant disbelief and lack of conviction of people all around—even when faced with incontrovertible evidence that Jesus is the true Messiah. Here, the people are confused because the rulers had wanted to kill Jesus (cf. v. 25), and yet those rulers were not arresting Him. They did not expect the rulers to believe in Him, but they cannot understand why they did not arrest Him if they did not believe He is the Messiah.
27	However, we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”	ἀλλὰ τοῦτον οἴδαμεν πόθεν ἐστίν· ὁ δὲ χριστὸς ὅταν ἔρχηται οὐδεὶς γινώσκει πόθεν ἐστίν.	comes The word translated “comes” here is from the Greek word ἔρχομαι (erchomai), and it appears here in the subjunctive mood, which usually indicates potentiality (i.e., that something “may,” “could,” or “should” occur). This is why some translations render it as “the Christ might come.” In this case however, the subjunctive mood is used simply because the preceding temporal conjunction ὅταν (hotan; “whenever”) must be followed by a verb in the subjunctive mood. This necessity of Greek grammar, however, need not be specified in an English translation. In fact, such a translation could be misleading in this context, since there was not any doubt in the minds of the Jews whether the Christ would come. They knew and fully expected that He would come, but they misunderstood the circumstances and specifics of His coming, and thus failed to recognize Jesus as the Christ. Thus, the translation “comes” most clearly and accurately conveys the sense of what is happening here.
28	Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know Me and know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.	ἔκραξεν οὖν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ διδάσκων ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ λέγων· Κἀμὲ οἴδατε καὶ οἴδατε πόθεν εἰμί· καὶ ἀπʼ ἐμαυτοῦ οὐκ ἐλήλυθα, ἀλλʼ ἔστιν ἀληθινὸς ὁ πέμψας με, ὃν ὑμεῖς οὐκ οἴδατε·	of Myself Unlike “from Myself” in 7:17, here the Greek preposition ἀπο (apo) follows a verb of motion and should be translating as “of” instead of the usual “from.”
29	I know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me.”	ἐγὼ οἶδα αὐτόν, ὅτι παρʼ αὐτοῦ εἰμι κἀκεῖνός με ἀπέστειλεν.
30	So they were seeking to seize Him; yet no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.	ἐζήτουν οὖν αὐτὸν πιάσαι, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐπέβαλεν ἐπʼ αὐτὸν τὴν χεῖρα, ὅτι οὔπω ἐληλύθει ἡ ὥρα αὐτοῦ.	yet The word translated “yet” here is the common conjunction καί (kai), which is most often translated “and.” Here, it is used to continue the same line of thought while still providing a contrast with the previous phrase. Thus, the word “but” would be too strong to represent the καί (kai), while “yet” continues the thought forward while communicating the idea that the men were unable to do what they were seeking to do, because of God’s sovereign ordering of His plan for Jesus.
31	But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than this man did?”	ἐκ τοῦ ὄχλου δὲ πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτόν, καὶ ἔλεγον· Ὁ χριστὸς ὅταν ἔλθῃ μὴ πλείονα σημεῖα ποιήσει ὧν οὗτος ἐποίησεν;	will He do more signs… Refer to the discussion on verse 26 above. This is the second of eight questions in this chapter (cf. vv. 26, 35, 41, 47, 48, 51, 52) expecting a negative answer as John continues to highlight the crowd’s doubt, disbelief, and animosity concerning Jesus’ identity as the Messiah. The plentitude of Jesus’ signs is so impressive that the people cannot imagine their expected Messiah doing more miraculous works than He did. Thus, as John continues the testimony of Jesus as the true Messiah, he records the people’s question with the implied answer that the Messiah would not do more signs than Jesus did—thus inferring that Jesus must be this Messiah. And yet, the people are still unable to reach any firm belief or conviction that Jesus actually is the Messiah.
32	The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to seize Him.	Ἤκουσαν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι τοῦ ὄχλου γογγύζοντος περὶ αὐτοῦ ταῦτα, καὶ ἀπέστειλαν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι ὑπηρέτας ἵνα πιάσωσιν αὐτόν.	whispering Normally γογγύζω (gongyzō) is translated as “grumble” or “murmur,” but in more neutral or positive contexts it can mean “whisper” (See BDAG on γογγύζω). The crowd has not turned on Jesus yet. For now, they are still discussing amongst themselves whether Jesus’s signs really mean He is the Messiah (cf. v. 31).
33	Therefore Jesus said, “For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me.	εἶπεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ἔτι χρόνον μικρὸν μεθʼ ὑμῶν εἰμι καὶ ὑπάγω πρὸς τὸν πέμψαντά με.
34	You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”	ζητήσετέ με καὶ οὐχ εὑρήσετε, καὶ ὅπου εἰμὶ ἐγὼ ὑμεῖς οὐ δύνασθε ἐλθεῖν.
35	The Jews then said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him? Is He intending to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?	εἶπον οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι πρὸς ἑαυτούς· Ποῦ οὗτος μέλλει πορεύεσθαι ὅτι ἡμεῖς οὐχ εὑρήσομεν αὐτόν; μὴ εἰς τὴν διασπορὰν τῶν Ἑλλήνων μέλλει πορεύεσθαι καὶ διδάσκειν τοὺς Ἕλληνας;	Is He intending… Refer to the discussion on verse 26 above. This is the third of eight questions in this chapter (cf. vv. 26, 31, 41, 47, 48, 51, 52) expecting a negative answer as John continues to highlight the crowd’s doubt, disbelief, and animosity concerning Jesus’ identity as the Messiah. Here, as the focus narrows from the people and the crowd to the Jews, the emphasis moves from confusion and doubt to mockery. The Jews misunderstand Jesus’ prediction of His returning to the Father, sarcastically remarking that perhaps He means He will leave the Jews to teach the Greeks, as if to say, “He would not stoop so low as to do that!” This exposes both their self-righteousness, and ironically, their spiritual blindness.
36	What is this statement that He said, ‘You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come’?”	τίς ἐστιν ὁ λόγος οὗτος ὃν εἶπε· Ζητήσετέ με καὶ οὐχ εὑρήσετε, καὶ ὅπου εἰμὶ ἐγὼ ὑμεῖς οὐ δύνασθε ἐλθεῖν;
37	Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.	Ἐν δὲ τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ μεγάλῃ τῆς ἑορτῆς εἱστήκει ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ἔκραξεν λέγων· Ἐάν τις διψᾷ ἐρχέσθω πρός με καὶ πινέτω.
38	He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”	ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ, καθὼς εἶπεν ἡ γραφή, ποταμοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος.
39	But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were going to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.	τοῦτο δὲ εἶπεν περὶ τοῦ πνεύματος οὗ ἔμελλον λαμβάνειν οἱ πιστεύσαντες εἰς αὐτόν· οὔπω γὰρ ἦν πνεῦμα, ὅτι Ἰησοῦς οὐδέπω ἐδοξάσθη.	*given* The Greek text does not contain the word “given,” as the Greek expression is literally “was not yet” (οὔπω…ἦν; oupō…ēn). However, a woodenly literal translation here would create the false implication that the Spirit did not exist at this point in time. Rather, John simply intends to communicate here that the Spirit was not yet indwelling believers since Christ had not yet ascended into heaven. Thus, “given” is included in the translation but italicized to clarify that it is implied in the Greek text. Similar wording appears in Acts 19:2, (οὐδʼ εἰ πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἔστιν ἠκούσαμεν; oud’ ei pneuma hagion estin ēkousamen; lit. “we have not even heard if the Holy Spirit is” [the words ‘being received’ are added in italics to indicate the intended sense]). There, the new believers had not yet heard whether it was that time for the Spirit to be “given” and thus “received” by them. Thus, these two verses work in concert, describing the same idea of the Spirit coming to indwell believers after Jesus’ ascension.
40	Some of the crowd therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, “This truly is the Prophet.”	Ἐκ τοῦ ὄχλου οὖν ἀκούσαντες τῶν λόγων τούτων ἔλεγον· Οὗτός ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ὁ προφήτης·	truly While some versions have “certainly” here, the translation “truly” most literally translates the Greek adverb ἀληθῶς (alēthōs). This accurate translation helps to emphasize that Jesus’ identity as the Prophet to come (Deut 18:15, 18; cf. 34:10), was not predicated on human opinion or consensus, but grounded in truth. While there is disagreement amongst the crowd, John’s emphasis is that this is truly who Jesus is regardless of what others say about Him.
41	Others were saying, “This is the Christ.” Still others were saying, “No, for is the Christ going to come from Galilee?	ἄλλοι ἔλεγον· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ χριστός· οἱ δὲ ἔλεγον· Μὴ γὰρ ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ὁ χριστὸς ἔρχεται;	is the Christ going to come… Refer to the discussion on verse 26 above. This is the fourth of eight questions in this chapter (cf. vv. 26, 31, 35, 47, 48, 51, 52) expecting a negative answer as John continues to highlight the crowd’s doubt and disbelief concerning Jesus’ identity as the Messiah. The crowd has not made any progress in coming to a solid conclusion regarding Jesus’ true identity. All evidence points to His messiahship, but they are still doubtful and uncertain. Here, they do not expect that He would come from Galilee, though they fail to recognize that He was actually born in Bethlehem, just as predicted (Mic 5:2; cf. Matt 2:6; Luke 2:4). Their own ignorance and hardness of heart repeatedly keeps them from seeing what is obvious, as all of these questions show.
42	Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”	οὐχ ἡ γραφὴ εἶπεν ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος Δαυίδ, καὶ ἀπὸ Βηθλέεμ τῆς κώμης ὅπου ἦν Δαυίδ, ἔρχεται ὁ χριστός;
43	So a division occurred in the crowd because of Him.	σχίσμα οὖν ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ὄχλῳ διʼ αὐτόν.
44	Some of them were wanting to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him.	τινὲς δὲ ἤθελον ἐξ αὐτῶν πιάσαι αὐτόν, ἀλλʼ οὐδεὶς ἐπέβαλεν ἐπʼ αὐτὸν τὰς χεῖρας.	were wanting “Were wanting” translates the imperfect form of the verb θέλω (thelō) here. The imperfect tense in Greek normally implies continual or ongoing action in the moment, and this brings out a contrast—some of the crowd had a persistent desire to lay hands on Jesus, but no one ended up deciding to do anything to Him. The crowd was uncertain about everything regarding Jesus, including whether or not to seize Him.
45	The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?”	Ἦλθον οὖν οἱ ὑπηρέται πρὸς τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ Φαρισαίους, καὶ εἶπον αὐτοῖς ἐκεῖνοι· Διὰ τί οὐκ ἠγάγετε αὐτόν;
46	The officers answered, “Never has a man spoken like this!”	ἀπεκρίθησαν οἱ ὑπηρέται· Οὐδέποτε ἐλάλησεν οὕτως ἄνθρωπος.
47	The Pharisees then answered them, “Have you also been led astray?	ἀπεκρίθησαν οὖν αὐτοῖς οἱ Φαρισαῖοι· Μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς πεπλάνησθε;	Have you also been led astray? Refer to the discussion on verse 26 above. This is the fifth of eight questions in this chapter (cf. vv. 26, 31, 35, 41, 48, 51, 52) expecting a negative answer as John continues to highlight doubt and disbelief concerning Jesus’ identity as the Messiah, this time among the officers and Pharisees. Here, the reaction is intensified from sarcastic mockery to incredulous anger as the Pharisees accuse the officers they sent of possibly believing Jesus is the Messiah. The greatest animosity comes from the most religious here, as spiritual depravity prevents them from understanding what could not be more obvious about Jesus.
48	Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him?	μή τις ἐκ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἐπίστευσεν εἰς αὐτὸν ἢ ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων;	Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him? Refer to the discussion on verse 26 above. Here, the Pharisees assert their own self-righteous authority as counter-evidence to Jesus’ identity as the Messiah. They imply with a tone of accusation that none of the most religious leaders have believed in Him, and so no one else should either. Ironically, as they accuse the officers of being led astray (cf. v. 47), they themselves purposely attempt to draw others away from the true belief that Jesus is the Messiah—because of the greatness of their spiritual depravity and the hardness of their hearts.
49	But this crowd which does not know the Law is accursed.”	ἀλλὰ ὁ ὄχλος οὗτος ὁ μὴ γινώσκων τὸν νόμον ἐπάρατοί εἰσιν.
50	Nicodemus (he who came to Him before), being one of them, said to them,	λέγει Νικόδημος πρὸς αὐτούς, ὁ ἐλθὼν πρὸς αὐτὸν πρότερον, εἷς ὢν ἐξ αὐτῶν·	(he who came to Him before) There are two participial phrases in this verse: “he who came” (ὁ ἐλθὼν; ho elthōn); and “being” (ὢν; ōn). The first participle is adjectival; it gives background information on Nicodemus. The second participle is adverbial; it gives more prominent information as to who Nicodemus is because it is significant that Nicodemus is one of the Jewish leaders in light of the immediate context (both here and in John 3). Thus, the parentheses serve to mark out the first participle as giving background information, while the second participle is given more emphasis in the translation.
51	“Does our Law judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing?”	Μὴ ὁ νόμος ἡμῶν κρίνει τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ πρῶτον παρʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ γνῷ τί ποιεῖ;	Does our Law judge… Refer to the discussion on verse 26 above. This is the seventh of eight questions in this chapter (cf. vv. 26, 31, 35, 41, 47, 48, 52) expecting a negative answer as John continues to highlight doubt and disbelief concerning Jesus’ identity as the Messiah, this time amongst the Pharisees. Here, Nicodemus ventures a tentative question rather than taking a firm stance. He appeals not to something about Jesus, but simply to the normal investigation of a person by the Law. The Pharisees, however, have lost all sense, as they are no longer even judging according to ordinary means because of their hardened hatred for Jesus.
52	They answered him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.”	ἀπεκρίθησαν καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· Μὴ καὶ σὺ ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας εἶ; ἐραύνησον καὶ ἴδε ὅτι ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας προφήτης οὐκ ἐγείρεται.	Are you also from Galilee? Refer to the discussion on verse 26 above. This is the last of eight questions in this chapter (cf. vv. 26, 31, 35, 41, 48, 51) expecting a negative answer, as John continues to highlight the doubt, disbelief, and animosity concerning Jesus’ identity as the Messiah. These questions have progressed from confusion and disagreement among the crowd, to angry denial and mockery among the Pharisees.
53	[Everyone went to his home.	⟦καὶ ἐπορεύθη ἕκαστος εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ·

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