John 10 · Verse 24

John 10:24

Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
John 10:24, King James Version

John 10:24 in other translations

BSBSo the Jews gathered around Him and demanded, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
WEBThe Jews therefore came around him and said to him, “How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
ASVThe Jews therefore came round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou hold us in suspense? If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly.
YLTthe Jews, therefore, came round about him, and said to him, ‘Till when our soul dost thou hold in suspense? if thou art the Christ, tell us freely.'
DARBYThe Jews therefore surrounded him, and said to him, Until when dost thou hold our soul in suspense? If thou art the Christ, say so to us openly.
BBEThen the Jews came round him, saying, how long are you going to keep us in doubt? If you are the Christ, say so clearly.
WebsterThen came the Jews around him, and said to him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly.

What does John 10:24 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
24. Then came the Jews--the rulers. (See on Joh 1:19). How long dost thou make us to doubt?--"hold us in suspense" (Margin). If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly--But when the plainest evidence of it was resisted, what weight could a mere assertion of it have?

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 24. Tell us plainly. The Messiah was predicted as a shepherd. Jesus had applied that prediction to himself. They supposed that that was an evidence that he claimed to be the Messiah. He also wrought miracles, which they considered as evidence that he was the Christ, Jn 7:31. Yet the rulers made a difficulty. They alleged that he was from Galilee, and that the Messiah could not come from thence, Jn 7:52. He was poor and despised. He came contrary to the common expectation. A splendid prince and conqueror had been expected. In this perplexity they came to him for a plain and positive declaration that he was the Messiah.

(1) "make us to doubt", or, "hold us in suspense"

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 24 How long dost than make us to doubt? - Or, How long dost thou kill us with suspense? Ἑως ποτε την ψυχην ἡμων αιρεις, literally, How long wilt thou take away our life? Mr. Markland would read αιωρεις for αιρεις, which amounts nearly to the same sense with the above. The Jews asked this question through extreme perfidiousness: they wished to get him to declare himself king of the Jews, that they might accuse him to the Roman governor; and by it they insolently insinuated that all the proofs he had hitherto given them of his Divine mission were good for nothing.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 10:22-30

All who have any thing to say to Christ, may find him in the temple. Christ would make us to believe; we make ourselves doubt. The Jews understood his meaning, but could not form his words into a full charge against him. He described the gracious disposition and happy state of his sheep; they heard and believed his word, followed him as his faithful disciples, and none of them should perish; for the Son and the…

Read the full comment on John 10:22-30 →

John 10:24 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ἐκύκλωσανekuklōsanEncircledG2944
οὖνounthereforeG3767
αὐτὸνautonHimG846
οἱhoitheG3588
ἸουδαῖοιIoudaioiJewsG2453
καὶkaiandG2532
ἔλεγονelegonthey were sayingG3004
αὐτῷ·autōto Him;G846
ἕωςhe'ōsUntilG2193
πότεpotewhenG4219
τὴνtēntheG3588
ψυχὴνpsuchēnsoulG5590
ἡμῶνhēmōnof usG3165
αἴρεις;aireishold You in suspense?G142
εἰeiIfG1487
σὺsuYou yourselfG4771
εἶeiareG1510
ὁhotheG3588
χριστός,christosChrist,G5547
εἰπὲeipedo tellG2036
ἡμῖνhēminusG3165
παρρησίᾳ.¶parrēsiaplainly.G3954

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for John 10:24

  • John 1:19

    And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

  • Luke 22:67-70

    Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe: And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go. Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God. Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am.

  • John 8:53

    Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?

  • John 8:25

    Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.

  • Matthew 11:3

    And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

  • 1 Kings 18:21

    And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

  • Luke 3:15

    And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;

  • John 9:22

    These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.

  • John 16:25

    These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.

  • 2 Corinthians 3:12

    Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
How.
1Ki 18:21; Mt 11:3; Lu 3:15
make us to doubt. or, hold us in suspense. If.
1:19; 8:25,53; 9:22; Lu 22:67-70; 2Co 3:12

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • John 10:23

    And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.

  • John 10:24

    Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.

  • John 10:25

    Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.

Read all of John 10

John 10:24 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y rodeáronle los Judíos y dijéronle: ¿Hasta cuándo nos has de turbar el alma? Si tú eres el Cristo, dínos lo abiertamente.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Les Juifs donc l’environnèrent et lui dirent: Jusques à quand tiens-tu notre âme en suspens? Si toi, tu es le Christ, dis-le-nous franchement.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Da umringten ihn die Juden und sprachen zu ihm: Bis wann hältst du unsere Seele hin? Wenn du der Christus bist, so sage es uns frei heraus.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Circumdederunt ergo eum Judæi, et dicebant ei: Quousque animam nostram tollis? si tu es Christus, dic nobis palam.