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JHN 9:1-12

Jesus Heals the Man Born Blind

1And passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. [9:2] And his disciples asked him, saying: "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" [9:3] Jesus answered: "Neither this man sinned nor his parents — but it is so that the works of God might be displayed in him. [9:4] It behooves us to work the works of the one who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one is able to work. [9:5] As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." [9:6] Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made clay from the spittle, and spread the clay on his eyes, [9:7] and said to him: "Go, wash in the pool of Sent." So he went and washed and came back seeing. [9:8] The neighbors and those who had been observing him before — because he was a beggar — were saying: "Is this not the one who was sitting and begging?" [9:9] Some were saying: "This is he." Others were saying: "No, but he looks like him." He was saying: "I am he." [9:10] So they were saying to him: "How then were your eyes opened?" [9:11] He answered: "The man called Jesus made clay and spread it on my eyes and said to me, 'Go to Sent and wash.' So going and washing, I received sight." [9:12] And they said to him: "Where is he?" He says: "I do not know."

In the world it was spoken into

In 1st-century Jewish thought, physical ailments like blindness were often interpreted through a theological lens, linked to sin—either personal or ancestral (Exodus 20:5). The disciples’ question reflects this common assumption, seeking to assign moral causality to the man’s condition. Jesus’ response disrupts this framework, redirecting the focus to God’s works being displayed. The use of spittle and clay in the healing would have been striking; spittle was sometimes associated with healing in Greco-Roman and Jewish traditions, but its use here, combined with clay, echoes the creation narrative (Genesis 2:7), suggesting a re-creative act. The title 'Rabbi' underscores Jesus’ authority as a teacher, while His declaration of being 'the light of the world' aligns with Jewish Messianic expectations tied to Isaiah’s prophecies (Isaiah 42:6-7). The urgency to work 'while it is day' reflects the temporal constraints of His mission, emphasizing the immediacy of divine action in a world marked by impending darkness.

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How other translations render this

JHN 9:1

KJV
And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
BSB
Now as Jesus was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth,
Koinōnos
And passing by, he saw a man blind from birth.

JHN 9:2

KJV
And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
BSB
and His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
Koinōnos
And his disciples asked him, saying: "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?

JHN 9:3

KJV
Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
BSB
Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him.
Koinōnos
Jesus answered: "Neither this man sinned nor his parents — but it is so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

JHN 9:4

KJV
I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
BSB
While it is daytime, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
Koinōnos
It behooves us to work the works of the one who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one is able to work.

JHN 9:5

KJV
As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
BSB
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Koinōnos
As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

JHN 9:6

KJV
When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
BSB
When Jesus had said this, He spit on the ground, made some mud, and applied it to the manʼs eyes.
Koinōnos
Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made clay from the spittle, and spread the clay on his eyes,

JHN 9:7

KJV
And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
BSB
Then He told him, “Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came back seeing.
Koinōnos
and said to him: "Go, wash in the pool of Sent." So he went and washed and came back seeing.

JHN 9:8

KJV
The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?
BSB
At this, his neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging began to ask, “Isnʼt this the man who used to sit and beg?”
Koinōnos
The neighbors and those who had been observing him before — because he was a beggar — were saying: "Is this not the one who was sitting and begging?

JHN 9:9

KJV
Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.
BSB
Some claimed that he was, but others said, “No, he just looks like him.” But the man kept saying, “I am the one.”
Koinōnos
Some were saying: "This is he." Others were saying: "No, but he looks like him." He was saying: "I am he.

JHN 9:10

KJV
Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?
BSB
“How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
Koinōnos
So they were saying to him: "How then were your eyes opened?

JHN 9:11

KJV
He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.
BSB
He answered, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and anointed my eyes, and He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed and received my sight.”
Koinōnos
He answered: "The man called Jesus made clay and spread it on my eyes and said to me, 'Go to Sent and wash.' So going and washing, I received sight.

JHN 9:12

KJV
Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.
BSB
“Where is He?” they asked. “I do not know,” he answered.
Koinōnos
And they said to him: "Where is he?" He says: "I do not know.

Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.

Translator's notes

JHN 9:2

  • Rabbi,:The term 'Rabbi' was a title of respect and honor, meaning 'my great one' or 'my master,' used for teachers and spiritual leaders in 1st-century Judaism.

JHN 9:4

  • it behooves:The word translated 'it behooves' or 'I must' carries a strong sense of divine necessity or obligation, indicating something that is absolutely required or destined to happen.

JHN 9:6

  • spittle:The word translated 'spittle' refers to saliva, and in ancient medicine, it was sometimes believed to have healing properties, especially when combined with earth.

JHN 9:7

  • Sent.:The name 'Sent' (Siloam) is a direct translation of the Hebrew word, emphasizing the idea of being 'sent forth' or 'dispatched,' which is significant given Jesus's mission.