John 9:20
His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:
John 9:20 in other translations
| BSB | His parents answered, “We know he is our son, and we know he was born blind. |
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| WEB | His parents answered them, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; |
| ASV | His parents answered and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: |
| YLT | His parents answered them and said, ‘We have known that this is our son, and that he was born blind; |
| DARBY | His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; |
| BBE | In answer his father and mother said, We are certain that this is our son and that he was blind at birth: |
| Webster | His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: |
What does John 9:20 mean?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 9:18-23
18-23. the Jews did not believe ... he had been born blind ... till they called the parents of him that had received his sight--Foiled by the testimony of the young man himself, they hope to throw doubt on the fact by close questioning his parents, who, perceiving the snare laid for them, ingeniously escape it by testifying simply to the identity of their son, and his birth-blindness, leaving it to himself, as a…
Barnes' Notes
He is of age. He is of sufficient age to give testimony. Among the Jews this age was fixed at thirteen years.
If any man did confess that he was Christ. Did acknowledge that he was the Messiah. They had prejudged the case, and were determined to put down all free inquiry, and not to be convinced by any means.
Put out of the synagogue. This took place in the temple, or near the temple. It does not refer, therefore, to any immediate and violent putting forth from the place where they were. It refers to excommunication from the synagogue. Among the Jews there were two grades of excommunication; the one for lighter offences, of which they mentioned twenty-four causes; the other for greater offences. The first excluded a man for thirty days from the privilege of entering a synagogue, and from coming nearer to his wife or friends than 4 cubits. The other was a solemn exclusion for ever from the worship of the synagogue, attended with awful maledictions and curses, and an exclusion from all intercourse with the people. This was called the curse, and so thoroughly excluded the person from all communion whatever with his countrymen, that they were not allowed to sell to him anything, even the necessaries of life (Buxtorf). It is probable that this latter punishment was what they intended to inflict if anyone should confess that Jesus was the Messiah; and it was the fear of this terrible punishment that deterred his parents from expressing their opinion.
Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 9:18-23
The Pharisees vainly hoped to disprove this notable miracle. They expected a Messiah, but could not bear to think that this Jesus should be he, because his precepts were all contrary to their traditions, and because they expected a Messiah in outward pomp and splendour. The fear of man brings a snare, Pr 29:25, and often makes people deny and disown Christ and his truths and ways, and act against their consciences…
John 9:20 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.
Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).
Context
- John 9:19
And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see?
- John 9:20
His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:
- John 9:21
But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.
John 9:20 in other languages
| Spanish Reina-Valera 1909 | Respondiéronles sus padres y dijeron: Sabemos que éste es nuestro hijo, y que nació ciego: |
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| French Bible J.N. Darby 1885 | Ses parents leur répondirent et dirent: Nous savons que celui-ci est notre fils, et qu’il est né aveugle; |
| German Elberfelder 1871 | Seine Eltern antworteten ihnen und sprachen: Wir wissen, daß dieser unser Sohn ist, und daß er blind geboren wurde; |
| Latin Clementine Vulgate | Responderunt eis parentes ejus, et dixerunt: Scimus quia hic est filius noster, et quia cæcus natus est: |