45The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and those men said to them: "Why did you not bring him?" [7:46] The officers answered: "Never has a man spoken like this man speaks." [7:47] The Pharisees therefore answered them: "Have you also been led astray? [7:48] Has any of the rulers believed in him, or any of the Pharisees? [7:49] But this crowd, which does not know the law — they are cursed." [7:50] Nicodemus — who had come to him before, being one of them — said to them: [7:51] "Does our law pass judgment on a man before it first hears from him and comes to know what he is doing?" [7:52] They answered and said to him: "Are you also from Galilee? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee." [7:53] And each went to his own house.
JHN 7:45-53
The Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders
In the world it was spoken into
In 1st-century Judea, the temple authorities and Pharisees held significant religious and social power, functioning as guardians of Jewish law and tradition. The (temple officers) were subordinates tasked with maintaining order and enforcing the decisions of the chief priests and Pharisees. Their report to the authorities highlights the tension between Jesus' compelling speech and the leaders' refusal to acknowledge Him. The Pharisees' response reflects their concern for maintaining control and their disdain for the (crowd), whom they viewed as ignorant and cursed for not adhering to their interpretation of the law. Nicodemus, a Pharisee himself, cautiously challenges this stance, invoking the principle of fairness in judgment as prescribed by the law. His intervention underscores the internal divisions among the Jewish leadership, as some, like Nicodemus, were privately questioning their rigid opposition to Jesus. This exchange reveals the struggle between preserving institutional authority and grappling with the disruptive influence of Jesus' teachings.
›See the receipts
How other translations render this
JHN 7:45
- KJV
- Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him?
- BSB
- Then the officers returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didnʼt you bring Him in?”
- Koinōnos
- The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and those men said to them: "Why did you not bring him?
JHN 7:46
- KJV
- The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.
- BSB
- “Never has anyone spoken like this man!” the officers answered.
- Koinōnos
- The officers answered: "Never has a man spoken like this man speaks.
JHN 7:47
- KJV
- Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived?
- BSB
- “Have you also been deceived?” replied the Pharisees.
- Koinōnos
- The Pharisees therefore answered them: "Have you also been led astray?
JHN 7:48
- KJV
- Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?
- BSB
- “Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him?
- Koinōnos
- Has any of the rulers believed in him, or any of the Pharisees?
JHN 7:49
- KJV
- But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.
- BSB
- But this crowd that does not know the law, they are under a curse.”
- Koinōnos
- But this crowd, which does not know the law — they are cursed.
JHN 7:50
- KJV
- Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,)
- BSB
- Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who himself was one of them, asked,
- Koinōnos
- Nicodemus — who had come to him before, being one of them — said to them:
JHN 7:51
- KJV
- Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?
- BSB
- “Does our law convict a man without first hearing from him to determine what he has done?”
- Koinōnos
- Does our law pass judgment on a man before it first hears from him and comes to know what he is doing?
JHN 7:52
- KJV
- They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.
- BSB
- “Arenʼt you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”
- Koinōnos
- They answered and said to him: "Are you also from Galilee? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.
JHN 7:53
- KJV
- And every man went unto his own house.
- BSB
- Then each went to his own home.
- Koinōnos
- And each went to his own house.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Where the historical framing draws from
- Josephus, AntiquitiesAntiquities 18.1.2
›Josephus, Antiquities Antiquities 18.1.2
“The Jews had for a great while had three sects of philosophy peculiar to themselves; the sect of the Essens, and the sect of the Sadducees, and the third sort of opinions was that of those called Pharisees”
Cited to ground: the temple authorities and Pharisees held significant religious and social power, functioning as guardians of Jewish law and tradition.
Translator's notes
JHN 7:45
- officers:The word translated 'officers' refers to a servant or attendant, often one who performs duties under another's authority, like a rower on a ship or a public servant.
JHN 7:49
- crowd:The term used here for 'crowd' often implies an undisciplined, common, or even unruly mass of people, distinguishing them from the more educated or elite.
- cursed:The word translated 'cursed' carries the strong sense of being under a divine curse or being utterly detestable, often with a religious or moral condemnation.
JHN 7:51
- does judge:The word translated 'does judge' encompasses the full process of discerning, evaluating, and making a decision, not just the final verdict.