John 9:13-17 · Bible study

John 9:13-17 Commentary: The Blind Man Before the Pharisees

Greek · 11 what the commentators say

Meaning in one sentence

Why the healed blind man was brought to the Pharisees, the Sabbath controversy, division among them, and his bold confession: 'He is a prophet.'

Research Summary

Meaning: The healed blind man is brought to the Pharisees; the Sabbath controversy divides them, and the man declares Jesus a prophet.
Key words: bring (ἄγω, agō), Sabbath (σάββατον, sabbaton), signs (σημεῖα, sēmeia), division (σχίσμα, schisma), prophet (προφήτης, prophētēs).
Main debate: Did the neighbors bring the man to the Pharisees in good faith or to accuse Jesus?
Theological theme: Jesus' identity is revealed through signs; religious tradition can blind even as the healed begin to see.
Best use: Discussion on Sabbath, personal testimony, and the progressive recognition of who Jesus is.

Translation Comparison

BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020

¹³They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind.

¹⁴Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath.

¹⁵So the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. The man answered, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”

¹⁶Because of this, some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was division among them.

¹⁷So once again they asked the man who had been blind, “What do you say about Him, since it was your eyes He opened?” “He is a prophet,” the man replied.

WEB World English Bible 2000

¹³They brought him who had been blind to the Pharisees.

¹⁴It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.

¹⁵Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I see.”

¹⁶Some therefore of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” So there was division among them.

¹⁷Therefore they asked the blind man again, “What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

KJV King James Version 1769

¹³They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.

¹⁴And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.

¹⁵Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.

¹⁶Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.

¹⁷They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.

ASV American Standard Version 1901

¹³They bring to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.

¹⁴Now it was the sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.

¹⁵Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. And he said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and I see.

¹⁶Some therefore of the Pharisees said, This man is not from God, because he keepeth not the sabbath. But others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such signs? And there was a division among them.

¹⁷They say therefore unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, in that he opened thine eyes? And he said, He is a prophet.

YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898

¹³They bring him to the Pharisees who once was blind,

¹⁴and it was a sabbath when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.

¹⁵Again, therefore, the Pharisees also were asking him how he received sight, and he said to them, `Clay he did put upon my eyes, and I did wash--and I see.'

¹⁶Of the Pharisees, therefore, certain said, `This man is not from God, because the sabbath he doth not keep;' others said, `How is a man--a sinful one--able to do such signs?' and there was a division among them.

¹⁷They said to the blind man again, `Thou--what dost thou say of him--that he opened thine eyes?'

Darby Darby Bible 1890

¹³They bring him who was before blind to the Pharisees.

¹⁴Now it was sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.

¹⁵The Pharisees therefore also again asked him how he received his sight. And he said to them, He put mud upon mine eyes, and I washed, and I see.

¹⁶Some of the Pharisees therefore said, This man is not of God, for he does not keep the sabbath. Others said, How can a sinful man perform such signs? And there was a division among them.

¹⁷They say therefore again to the blind [man], What dost thou say of him, that he has opened thine eyes? And he said, He is a prophet.

Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899

¹³They bring him that had been blind to the Pharisees.

¹⁴Now it was the sabbath, when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.

¹⁵Again therefore the Pharisees asked him how he had received his sight. But he said to them: He put clay upon my eyes: and I washed: and I see.

¹⁶Some therefore of the Pharisees said: This man is not of God, who keepeth not the sabbath. But others said: How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.

¹⁷They say therefore to the blind man again: What sayest thou of him that hath opened thy eyes? And he said: He is a prophet.

Verse in Context

11 He answered, “A man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went away and washed, and I received sight.”

12 Then they asked him, “Where is he?” He said, “I don’t know.”

13 They brought him who had been blind to the Pharisees.

14 It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.

15 Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I see.”

16 Some therefore of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” So there was division among them.

17 Therefore they asked the blind man again, “What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

18 The Jews therefore didn’t believe concerning him, that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight,

19 and asked them, “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”

Original Language (Koine Greek)

New Testament · Koine Greek · John 9:13

Ἄγουσιν Agousin G0071 They bring

αὐτὸν auton G0846 him

πρὸς pros G4314 to

τοὺς tous G3588 the

Φαρισαίους, Pharisaious G5330 Pharisees

τόν ton G3588 who

ποτε pote G4218 once [was]

τυφλόν· tuphlon G5185 blind;

Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.

Scholars' Consensus

Commentators across traditions agree on the basic shape of this passage. The neighbors bring the healed blind man to the Pharisees because the healing happened on a Sabbath, and they want religious guidance on what is clearly an extraordinary event (Barnes; Cambridge Bible). Calvin notes that the Sabbath acts as a 'whetstone' that sharpens the Pharisees' hostility. The Pharisees' question in verse 15 focuses on the how of the healing, not the whether, the fact of the miracle is not in dispute (Barnes). That fact splits the council: some argue Jesus cannot be from God because he breaks the Sabbath traditions (a rabbinic rule against applying saliva on the Sabbath, notes Vincent); others reason that a sinner could not perform such signs (this echoes Nicodemus's logic in John 7:51). The healed man, pressed for his own opinion, replies that Jesus is a prophet, a step forward from calling him simply 'a man' in verse 11 (Matthew Henry; Jamieson-Fausset-Brown). The passage thus shows the miracle forcing a decision, even among opponents.

How settled is the interpretation?

Interpretive difficulty: Medium

Main views:

Well-meaning neighbors: Neighbors were simply following protocol, as the Pharisees were the highest authority on Sabbath law (Barnes, Cambridge).
Hostile or intimidated neighbors: The neighbors may have feared association with a Sabbath-breaker and sought to protect themselves by involving the authorities (Gill).

What is clear: The healed man is brought to the Pharisees, the miracle is not denied, the Pharisees are divided, and the man openly identifies Jesus as a prophet.

What Scholars Agree and Debate

Topic	Agreed	Debated
Reason for bringing the man to the Pharisees	The healed man was taken to the Pharisees because the healing happened on the Sabbath, and the neighbors wanted guidance from the recognized religious authority.	Some see the neighbors as well-intentioned, simply seeking a ruling (Barnes, Cambridge). Others, like Gill, suggest they were complicit in the Pharisees' hostility, bringing him for condemnation.
Nature of the Sabbath violation	Jesus made clay and healed on the Sabbath, which violated specific rabbinic prohibitions about applying medicine.	Was this a true violation of God's law or only of human tradition? Calvin and Clarke argue that works of mercy are never forbidden by God. The Pharisees assumed their interpretation was infallible (Barnes).
Division among the Pharisees	The miracle caused a split (σχίσμα) within the group; some condemned Jesus, others were open to the possibility that he was from God.	The 'others' may have been already sympathetic (like Nicodemus) or simply puzzled by the evidence. Their argument 'How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?' is not necessarily a confession of faith.
Meaning of 'He is a prophet'	The healed man identifies Jesus as a prophet, a step beyond seeing him as just a man but short of calling him Messiah or Son of God.	Is this confession inadequate (Barnes sees it as still imperfect) or remarkably brave (Matthew Henry highlights the wisdom given him)? The same word later triggers his excommunication.

Historical & Cultural Context

The Pharisees were the dominant religious party in first-century Judea, known for strict adherence to both written Torah and oral traditions. Their authority over Sabbath observance was nearly absolute, a point underlined by the speed with which the neighbors bring the former blind man to them. Rabbinic literature spelled out exactly what counted as work on the Sabbath. One specific prohibition forbade applying even fasting-spittle to the eyes on the Sabbath (Vincent; Wesley notes this tradition). Jesus' making of clay (mud) from spittle and earth thus constituted a double violation in their eyes: kneading the clay and anointing with it.

The Cambridge Bible lists seven miracles of mercy Jesus performed on the Sabbath, including this one and the healing of the paralyzed man at Bethesda (John 5:9-10). In each case, Jesus deliberately used the day to teach the true purpose of the Sabbath as a gift for human flourishing, not a burden. His opponents, however, saw only the breach and not the blessing.

The 'division' (Greek σχίσμα, schisma, literally a 'split' or 'rent') among the Pharisees shows that the miracle functioned as what John's Gospel calls a 'sign', something that reveals even as it divides. Some Pharisees, likely including men like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, could not dismiss the evidence. The healed man's identification of Jesus as a 'prophet' carried deep meaning: Jews expected a prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15), and this man was beginning to see not just the physical world, but the identity of its Healer.

Textual Notes

In verse 14, the earliest manuscripts (P66, P75, Sinaiticus, Vaticanus) read ἐν ᾗ ἡμέρᾳ ('on which day') rather than the variant ὅτε ('when'). This makes explicit that it was the Sabbath day, indeed, the same day, when Jesus made the clay and opened the man's eyes. The variant does not alter the meaning but sharpens the temporal connection between the Sabbath and the act. No other significant textual variants are noted in the consulted sources for this passage.

Reception History

Early church writers saw in the pool of Siloam and the washing a type of baptism; the progression from blindness to sight mirrored the catechumen's journey from ignorance to faith. In the medieval period, the passage was used to teach the priority of mercy over ceremonial law. Reformation commentators like Calvin and Luther emphasized that the miracle itself should have been enough to convict the Pharisees, showing their hardness of heart. Modern readings often focus on the social dynamics: the healed man becomes an outsider because of his testimony, a pattern echoed in John 9:22 (fear of being put out of the synagogue). Across traditions, the passage remains a key text for understanding Christian witness under pressure and the role of religious tradition in either aiding or hindering the recognition of God's work.

Preaching This Verse

Three-point outline

The Sabbath test (vv. 13-14). The neighbors bring the healed man to the Pharisees not out of malice but confusion: a good deed has happened on a forbidden day. The Sabbath becomes a lens that magnifies either faith or tradition.
The divided council (vv. 15-16). The Pharisees ask the wrong question, 'how' instead of 'who.' The miracle forces a split: some cling to rules, others follow the evidence.
The bold witness (v. 17). Pressed for his own verdict, the man states simply, 'He is a prophet.' Personal experience of grace cuts through religious debate.

Five-point outline

Neighbors bring the healed man to the experts (v. 13).
The Sabbath is identified as the day of the healing (v. 14).
The Pharisees question the man; he repeats the simple facts (v. 15).
The council splits, some condemn, some wonder (v. 16).
The man gives his own confession: a prophet (v. 17).

Illustration hooks

A church board debates whether to open its doors for a neighborhood meal on Sunday because it might break the 'no commercial activity' rule. The person who was fed says, 'But I was hungry.'
A teenager whose life changed after a youth retreat faces skeptical parents: 'What really happened? Who was in charge?' The answer is simple: 'I don't know all the details, but I'm different now.'
A workplace team divides over a colleague who cut ethical corners to get results, even though the results helped people. Some call him effective; others call him a cheat.

Questions your congregation is asking

Why do religious people so often miss what God is doing right in front of them?
How do I give a testimony when I'm being grilled by skeptics?
Is it okay to say I'm still figuring out who Jesus is, like the healed man starting with 'prophet'?

Leading a Discussion

This passage shows what happens when God's fresh work meets settled religious systems. The neighbors, the Pharisees, and the healed man each react differently to the same miracle. As you work through the questions, pay attention to where you find yourself in the story.

Discussion questions

Read verses 13-14. Why do you think the neighbors brought the man to the Pharisees? What does that tell you about how they understood religious authority?
The Pharisees ask 'how he received his sight' (v. 15). Why focus on method rather than meaning? When do we fall into that trap?
Verse 16 records a split among the Pharisees. What do the two sides agree on? What causes them to disagree?
The healed man shortens his story the second time (compare v. 15 with John 9:11). What might he be feeling as he's questioned again?
He says, 'He is a prophet' (v. 17). What is bold about that confession in this setting? What keeps him from saying more?
Imagine you are one of the Pharisees who argued, 'How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?' What evidence would you point to for your view?
What is the 'Sabbath' issue in your own life, a tradition or habit that might keep you from seeing God at work in an unexpected way?

What the Commentators Say

7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.

Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826

Clarke highlights that the healed man's identification of Jesus as a prophet was wisdom from God to escape the Pharisees' trap. According to a Jewish maxim, a prophet could set aside Sabbath observance, so the man's answer left the Pharisees with no way out. Clarke also

Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832

Barnes highlights how the Pharisees focused on the method of the healing (violating the Sabbath) rather than the fact that a miracle had occurred. He draws a parallel to religious disputes that argue about how conversion happens instead of looking for evidence that it has actually taken place. The enemies of Jesus never denied the reality of his miracles, which stands as strong proof that he was sent by God.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880

The Pharisees do not deny the miracle itself. Instead they argue that because it was done on the Sabbath, Jesus cannot be from God, so He must be from the devil. This logic divides them, as some like Nicodemus reach the opposite conclusion from the same sign. The healed man simply calls Jesus a prophet.

Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599

The Geneva notes highlight the Pharisaic division: some reject Jesus for violating the Sabbath, while others concede that a sinner cannot work such a miracle. Amid their confusion, the formerly blind man gives a plain confession, calling Jesus a prophet.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871

JFB highlights how the neighbors carefully identify the healed beggar, while the Pharisees are divided over the miracle. The blind man himself cuts through the debate, rightly recognizing the miracle as a sign that Jesus is a prophet with a divine commission.

Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710

Henry draws attention to the healed man's simple, unshakeable testimony. While the Pharisees argue over Sabbath laws and whether Jesus is a sinner, the man rests on one fact he cannot deny: he was blind and now sees. No amount of theological debate can undo that personal experience.

Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887

Vincent highlights that the original Greek likely reads "it was a Sabbath on the day on which," not simply "when." He then notes that making clay and applying it to the eyes violated a Rabbinic prohibition, making the man's healing itself a charged act of Sabbath-breaking.

Word Study

The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.

ἄγω agō to bring G0071 · Greek → αὐτός autos it/s/he G0846 · Greek → ὁ ho the/this/who G3588 · Greek → ποτέ pote once/when G4218 · Greek → πρός pros to/with G4314 · Greek → τυφλός tuphlos blind G5185 · Greek → Φαρισαῖος Pharisaios Pharisee G5330 · Greek →

Cross-References

Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)

John 8:3	The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery. Having set her in the middle,
John 8:8	Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger.
John 11:46	But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.
John 11:47	The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, “What are we doing? For this man does many signs.
John 11:57	Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had commanded that if anyone knew where he was, he should report it, that they might seize him.
John 12:19	The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “See how you accomplish nothing. Behold, the world has gone after him.”
John 12:42	Nevertheless, even many of the rulers believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they didn’t confess it, so that they wouldn’t be put out of the synagogue,
Matthew 12:1	At that time, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grain fields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.

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