John 9:24 Meaning: When 'Give Glory to God' Becomes a Trap
So they called the man who was blind a second time, and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”
Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.
So they called a second time the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give glory to God: we know that this man is a sinner.
They called, therefore, a second time the man who was blind, and they said to him, `Give glory to God, we have known that this man is a sinner;'
They called therefore a second time the man who had been blind, and said to him, Give glory to God: we know that this man is sinful.
Meaning in one sentence
In John 9:24, the Pharisees use the sacred phrase 'give glory to God' to pressure the healed blind man into denying Jesus.
Context
John 9 tells the story of a man born blind, healed by Jesus on a Sabbath. The Pharisees begin an investigation. First they question the man, then his parents, but they get no confession that satisfies them. So they call the man a second time. Their opening words, 'Give glory to God,' sound holy. But in the Old Testament this phrase was used when someone was put under oath to confess wrongdoing, like when Joshua confronted Achan (Joshua 7:19). The Pharisees are not inviting the man to praise God for his healing. They are demanding that he admit to a lie, that Jesus is a sinner. Under a coat of religious language they are trying to force him to deny the truth of what Jesus did.
Key Words
Three words carry the weight of this encounter. First, the command 'Give glory' (Greek: dos doxan). In the Old Testament, this phrase was an adjuration, a solemn order to tell the truth and confess any sin, as Joshua told Achan. The Pharisees use its weight to pressure the man into speaking their version of events. They are not asking him to praise God for the miracle; they want him to dishonor the healer. Second, the pronoun 'We' in 'We know' (Greek: oidamen) is emphatic. The Pharisees are leaning on their authority: 'We, the experts, have decided.' It is a shutting down of any opposing view. Finally, the word 'sinner' (Greek: hamartolos) means someone habitually wicked, not someone who simply makes a mistake. They are calling Jesus a lawbreaker based on the Sabbath. Together these words reveal a trap dressed up as piety.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christian commentators across the centuries have noted the irony here. John Calvin (Reformed) called it a 'plausible preface' that immediately forbids the man from answering according to his conscience. Matthew Henry (Presbyterian) observed that their end was evil even though their words sounded good. Adam Clarke (Methodist) and Albert Barnes (Protestant) both point to Joshua 7:19 to show this was a formal oath. Gill (Baptist) highlights the phrase as calling for confession of fraud. All agree: the Pharisees are using God’s name to coerce.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is that 'Give glory to God' means something like 'Thank God for healing you', an innocent encouragement to praise God for the miracle. In fact, the phrase is a formal adjuration, an oath, drawn from Joshua 7:19. The Pharisees did not believe a miracle had occurred and were trying to get the man to confess that he was lying about Jesus. Their words had nothing to do with gratitude and everything to do with intimidation.
Living This Out
This verse is a warning for anyone who uses spiritual language to get their way. It is also an encouragement for anyone on the receiving end of such pressure. The healed man did not get drawn into their debate. He did not try to argue theology. He simply stated what had happened to him. This week, if you face someone using holy words to make you deny your experience of God’s goodness, you do not need a clever answer. You only need your simple, honest story.
Main takeaway: When pressured to deny what God has done, the simplest truth, 'I was blind, now I see', is enough.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Some people tried to make a man say something that wasn't true. They even used God's name to make him. But the man told the truth about what Jesus did. You can be brave like him.
For ages 9, 12
Sometimes people in charge use good-sounding words to get you to go along with something wrong. That is what the Pharisees did: they said 'give glory to God' to try to make the man deny that Jesus had healed him. But the man would not go along. He stuck with what he knew. When you know God has done something real in your life, you don't need to argue. You just tell what happened.
Questions People Ask
What does 'Give glory to God' mean in John 9:24?
It is not simply praise. It is a formal oath used to demand that someone tell the truth and confess any wrongdoing, as seen in Joshua 7:19 where Joshua tells Achan to give glory to God by confessing his sin. The Pharisees are using this to pressure the healed man into saying that Jesus is a sinner.
Why did the Pharisees call the blind man a second time?
They had already questioned him once, and then questioned his parents separately. Neither gave them the answer they wanted. So they summoned him again to try to intimidate him into admitting that the healing was a fraud and that Jesus was a sinner.
Was Jesus really a sinner as the Pharisees claimed?
No. The Pharisees considered Jesus a sinner because He healed on the Sabbath, which they believed violated their traditions. Christians of all traditions hold that Jesus lived a sinless life. The healed man himself says in John 9:25, 'I don't know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see.' He did not accept their label.
What is the significance of the phrase 'We know' in this verse?
The Greek word for 'know' (oidamen) is in a perfect tense, indicating settled, confident knowledge. The pronoun 'we' is emphatic, meaning 'we, the authorities, have decided this.' They are not open to evidence. They are declaring their judgment as final and trying to shut down any disagreement.
How does the healed man respond to this pressure in the following verses?
He does not argue about whether Jesus is a sinner. He simply repeats his own experience: 'One thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see' (John 9:25). He will not let their confident 'we know' override what God actually did in his life.
For pastors & researchers
Greek interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study