John 9
The full text of John 9 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Greek. Free to read.
1 As he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth.
2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi,a who sinned, this man or his parents, so that he was born blind?"
3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned. But so that the works of God might be shown in him —
4 While it is day, we must do the works of the one who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am light for the world.
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made mud from the saliva, and spread the mud on the man's eyes.
7 and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed, and came seeing.
8 His neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar said, "Isn't this the man who used to sit and beg?"
9 Some were saying, "It's him." Others were saying, "No, but he looks like him." He kept saying, "I'm the one."
10 So they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?"
11 He answered, "The man called Jesus made mud, smeared it on my eyes, and told me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I could see."
12 They asked him, "Where is he?"
"I don't know," he said.
13 They brought the man who had been blind to the Pharisees.
14 Now it was a Sabbath on the day Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.
15 So the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and now I see."
16 So some of the Pharisees kept saying, "This man is not from God, because he doesn't keep the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a sinner perform such signs?" And they were split over him.
17 So they said to the blind man again, "You — what do you say about him? He opened your eyes." He said, "He is a prophet."
18 So the Jewish leadersa did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight.
19 They asked them, "Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? How then can he now see?"
20 His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind.
21 But how he can see now, we don't know, and who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He's old enough; he'll speak for himself.
22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already decided that anyone who confessed him as the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.
23 That is why his parents said, "He is old enough; ask him."
24 So they summoned the man who was blind a second time and said to him, "Give glory to God.ᵃ We know this man is a sinner."
25 He answered, "Whether he's a sinner, I don't know. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I see."
26 So they said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"
27 He answered them, "I've already told you, and you wouldn't listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?"
28 They insulted him and said, "You are a disciple of that man, but we are disciples of Moses.
29 "We know God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we don't know where he's from."
30 The man answered, "Well, here's the remarkable thing: you don't know where he's from, and yet he opened my eyes.
31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. But if anyone is devout and does his will, God listens to that person.
32 Never since the world began has anyone heard of someone opening the eyes of a man born blind.
33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.
34 They answered, "You were born entirely in sins, and you're teaching us?" And they threw him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he asked, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
36 He answered, "Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?"
37 Jesus said to him, "You have seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."
38 The man declared, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.
39 And Jesus said, "I came into this world to bring judgment—so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind."
40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said, "What? Are we blind too?"
41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but as it is, you say, 'We see' — so your sin remains."
Translation notes (24)
- John 9:2a Rabbi: Aramaic title meaning 'Teacher' (cf. John 1:38).
- John 9:3a Greek: ἀλλ' ἵνα — elliptical, with no verb supplied. Some read it as purpose ('he was born blind so that...'); others as imperatival ἵνα ('but let the works of God be shown in him'), with the clause carrying into v. 4. NA28 punctuation does not settle the question.
- John 9:3b The Greek word phanerōthē means 'be made visible, become perceivable.' It is rendered 'shown' rather than 'displayed' to avoid suggesting an exhibition.
- John 9:4a Some early manuscripts, including 𝔓⁶⁶, 𝔓⁷⁵, ℵ, B, D, and W, read 'We must work' (hēmas). Later Byzantine manuscripts (A, C³, Θ, Ψ, and the Byzantine majority) read 'I must work' (eme), which matches the singular 'me' later in the verse.
- John 9:4b The Greek phrase ta erga, translated 'the works,' refers to God-commissioned signs and deeds, as seen in John 5:36 and 10:32, 37, rather than generic labor.
- John 9:5a This can also be translated 'Whenever I am in the world.' The Greek word hotan combined with a subjunctive verb indicates an action that happens repeatedly or for an indefinite duration ('whenever, as long as'), not simply 'while.'
- John 9:5b The Greek word phōs, translated 'light,' appears here without the definite article 'the,' unlike in John 8:12 where it is articular, meaning 'the light of the world.' Both 'light for the world' and 'the light of the world' are possible translations; this rendering keeps the grammatical difference from the original Greek.
- John 9:6a This can also be translated 'anointed his eyes with the mud.' The Greek verb epechrisen is related to chriō, meaning 'anoint,' which is the root of the word Christos. It suggests a medicinal or religious anointing, which 'spread' translates more neutrally.
- John 9:7a The name Siloam transliterates the Hebrew word Shiloach, which comes from the root 'to send.' The Greek word apestalmenos, meaning 'having been sent,' quietly echoes John's theme of Christ being sent by God, as seen in John 3:17, 5:36, and 17:3.
- John 9:9a The Greek phrase egō eimi literally means 'I am.' Here it is a simple self-identification, 'I'm the one,' not the absolute declaration 'I AM' that refers to God in John 8:58.
- John 9:16a The critical Greek text (NA28) places the Greek word de, meaning 'but,' in brackets before elegon ('said'), indicating it may not be original, while the critical Greek text (SBLGNT) omits it entirely. The English translation 'But' still reflects the contrast in the verse.
- John 9:18a The Greek phrase hoi Ioudaioi, translated 'the Jews,' refers in John 9 to the religious authorities investigating the healing. Elsewhere, John uses this term with a broader ethnic or geographic meaning.
- John 9:22a The Greek phrase hoi Ioudaioi often refers in John to the hostile religious authorities, rather than the Jewish people as a whole; the parents in this passage are themselves Jews.
- John 9:22b The Greek word Christos, meaning 'Christ,' translates the Hebrew word Mashiach, which means 'Messiah' or 'Anointed One.'
- John 9:24a The phrase "Give glory to God" is a Hebrew judicial oath formula, as seen in Joshua 7:19. It is a solemn command to tell the truth, not a hymn of praise to God.
- John 9:27a The Greek word mē introduces a question that expects a 'no' answer, indicating the man's sarcastic and incredulous tone.
- John 9:31a The Greek word theosebēs, which appears only once in the New Testament, means 'devout' or 'reverent toward God.' It refers to active piety, not merely fear.
- John 9:34a This can also be translated 'cast him out.' This likely refers to expulsion from the synagogue, as mentioned in John 9:22, rather than just being physically removed from a room.
- John 9:35a Some early manuscripts, including 𝔓66, 𝔓75, ℵ, B, D, and W, read 'Son of Man' (huion tou anthrōpou). Other manuscripts, such as A, L, Θ, Ψ, and the Byzantine majority, read 'Son of God' (huion tou theou). The earlier manuscripts support 'Son of Man.'
- John 9:36a The Greek word kyrie can mean 'Lord' or 'sir.' Here, the man does not yet know Jesus' identity, so 'sir' fits this point in the story. The same word takes on its full meaning as 'Lord' in verse 38.
- John 9:38a Verse 38, along with the beginning of verse 39 ("and Jesus said"), is omitted by some early manuscripts, including 𝔓75, Sinaiticus*, W, and a few Old Latin and Coptic manuscripts. The United Bible Societies rates this omission as {C}, indicating a significant degree of doubt about the reading. While some scholars believe it was added for worship, the critical Greek text retains it in the main text.
- John 9:38b The Greek word kyrie can mean 'sir,' as in verse 36 before the man knows Jesus, or 'Lord.' The act of proskynēsis, meaning worship or homage, here signals that he now intends the fuller sense of 'Lord.'
- John 9:39a The Greek word krima means a judicial verdict or sentence, referring to the result of judging, not the act itself (compare krisis). John deliberately uses this word to emphasize the sifting effect of Jesus's coming.
- John 9:41a The phrase "have sin" translates the Greek idiom echein hamartian (compare John 15:22, 24; 19:11), which means to bear or hold sin, a meaning broader than just legal guilt.
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