John 7

Jesus’ Brothers Do Not Believe in Him

1 And after these things Jesus was going about in Galilee. For he did not want to go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2Now the feast of the Jews—the feast of Tabernacles—was near. 3So his brothers said to him, “Depart from here and go to Judea, so that your disciples also can see your works that you are doing. 4For no one does anything in secret and yet he himself desires to be publicly recognized.#Literally “with openness” If you are doing these things, reveal yourself to the world!” 5(For not even his brothers believed in him.)

Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles

6So Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I am testifying about it, that its deeds are evil. 8You go up to the feast. I am not#Most manuscripts read “not yet” here, but this is obviously an easier reading intended to reconcile the statement with Jesus’ later actions going up to this feast, because my time is not yet completed.#Or “fulfilled” 9And when he#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had said”) which is understood as temporal had said these things, he remained in Galilee.

10But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not openly, but (as it were) in secret. 11So the Jews were looking for him at the feast, and were saying, “Where is he?” 12And there was a lot of grumbling concerning him among the crowds; some were saying, “He is a good man,” but others were saying, “No, but he deceives the crowd.” 13However, no one was speaking openly about him for fear of the Jews.

14Now when the feast was already half over,#Literally “now it being already in the middle of the feast” Jesus went to the temple courts#*Here “courts” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself and began to teach.#*The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to teach”) 15Then the Jews were astonished, saying, “How does this man possess knowledge,#Literally “know letters” because he#*Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“been taught”) which is understood as causal has not been taught?” 16So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not mine, but is from the one who sent me. 17If anyone wants to do his will, he will know about my#*Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun teaching, whether it is from God or I am speaking from myself. 18The one who speaks from himself seeks his own glory. But the one who seeks the glory of the one who sent him—this one is true, and there is no unrighteousness in him. 19Has not Moses given you the law, and none of you carries out the law? Why do you seek to kill me?”

20The crowd replied, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21Jesus answered and said to them, “I performed one work, and you are all astonished. 22Because of this Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses would not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a whole man well#Or “a man entirely well” on the Sabbath? 24Do not judge according to outward appearance, but judge according to righteous judgment!”

Is Jesus the Christ?

25Then some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem began to say,#*The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to say”) “Is this not the one whom they are seeking to kill? 26And behold, he is speaking openly and they are saying nothing to him! Can it be that the rulers truly know that this man is the Christ? 27Yet we know where this man is from, but the Christ, whenever he comes—no one knows where he is from!”

28Then Jesus cried out in the temple courts,#*Here “courts” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself teaching and saying, “You both know me and you know where I am from! And I have not come from myself, but the one who sent me is true, whom you do not know. 29I know him, because I am from him and he sent me.”

30So they were seeking to seize him, and no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31But from the crowd many believed in him and were saying, “Whenever the Christ comes, he will not perform more signs than this man has done, will he?”#*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “will he”

32The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things about him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers in order to take him into custody .#Literally “that they could seize him” 33Then Jesus said, “Yet a little time I am with you, and I am going to the one who sent me. 34You will seek me and will not find me,#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation#Some manuscripts explicitly state “me” and where I am, you cannot come.”

35So the Jews said to one another, “Where is this one going to go, that we will not find him? He is not going to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is he?#*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “is he” 36What is this saying that he said, ‘You will seek me and will not find me,#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation#Some manuscripts explicitly state “me” and where I am, you cannot come’?”

The Promise of the Spirit

37Now on the last day of the feast—the great day—Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let him drink, 38the one who believes in me.#An alternative punctuation of vv. 37–38 reads: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and let him drink. 38 The one who believes in me, just as the scripture said, ‘Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.’ ” Just as the scripture said, ‘Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.’ ”#A quotation from the Old Testament of uncertain origin; texts most often suggested are Isa 44:3; 55:1; 58:11; Zech 14:8 39Now he said this concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. For the Spirit was not yet given,#A few manuscripts supply the participle “given” here; while it is unlikely this represents the original reading, many English versions nevertheless supply “given” to avoid the impression that the Spirit did not exist prior to this point because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)

Different Opinions About Jesus

40Then, when they#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal heard these words, some from the crowd began to say,#*The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to say”) “This man is truly the Prophet!” 41Others were saying, “This man is the Christ!” But others were saying, “No, for the Christ does not come from Galilee, does he?#*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “does he” 42Has not the scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43So there was a division in the crowd because of him. 44And some of them were wanting to seize him, but no one laid hands on him.

45So the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees. And they said to them, “Why#Literally “because of what” did you not bring him?” 46The officers replied, “Never has a man spoken like this!” 47Then the Pharisees replied to them, “You have not also been deceived, have you?#*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “have you” 48None#Literally “not anyone” of the rulers or of the Pharisees have believed in him, have they?#*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “have they” 49But this crowd who does not know the law is accursed!”

50Nicodemus, the one who came to him previously—who was one of them—said to them, 51“Our law does not condemn a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?”#*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “does it” 52They answered and said to him, “You are not also from Galilee, are you?#*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “are you” Investigate and see that a prophet does not arise from Galilee!” 〚53And each one went to his own house.#John 7:53–8:11 is not found in the earliest and best manuscripts and was almost certainly not an original part of the Gospel of John; one significant group of Greek manuscripts places it after Luke 21:38

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John 7: LEB

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