John 5:13

Joh 5:13. Οὐκ ᾔδει) knew not, being intent on carrying his bed, and perplexed by the interruption on the part of the Jews.—ἐξένευσεν, withdrew) The Septuag. use this verb to express סור and פנה. Jesus shunned noise. Mat 12:10, etc., “He charged them that they should not make Him known;—He shall not strive, nor cry, neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets.”—ὄχλου, a multitude) Many were witnesses of the healing.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Joh 5:13 . But the man could give them no information. He did not know the name of his healer. ὁ γὰρ Ἰησοῦς ἐξένευσεν , “for Jesus had withdrawn” or “turned aside”. ἐκνεύω , from νεύω , to bend the head, rather than ἐκνέω , to swim out. Cf. Jdg 4:18 (where, however, Dr. Swete reads ἔκκλινον ), Joh 18:26 . See also Thayer and Wetstein. The reason why Jesus took Himself away, and the explanation of His doing so without observation, are both given in ὄχλου ὄντος ἐν τῷ τόπῳ . He did not wish observation and it was easy to escape in the crowd.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

he that was healed wist not, &c.--That some one, with unparalleled generosity, tenderness and power, had done it, the man knew well enough: but as he had never heard of Him before, so he disappeared too quickly for any inquiries.

conveyed himself away--slipped out of the crowd that had gathered, to avoid both hasty popularity and precipitate hatred (Mat 12:14-19).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 13. Jesus had conveyed himself away] Or, had withdrawn himself. And this he might easily do, as there was a crowd in the place. Some think the words indicate, that Jesus withdrew on seeing a multitude in the place, i.e. raising a tumult, because of the man's carrying his bed. See the margin. He had not yet finished his work, and would not expose himself to the envy and malice of the Jewish rulers.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

13. And he who had been cured knew not who he was. Christ certainly did not intend that the glory of so great a work should pass away, but he intended that it should become generally known before that he acknowledged himself to be the Author of it. He therefore withdrew for a little, that the Jews might have it in their power to judge of the fact itself, without reference to any person. And hence we learn that the cure of this man cannot be ascribed to his faith, since, even after having been cured, he does not acknowledge his Physician; and yet, when he was ordered, he carried his bed, which appears to have been done by the guidance of faith. For my own part, as I do not deny that there was in him some secret movement of faith, so I say that it is clear from what follows, that he had no solid doctrine or clear light on which he could rely.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(13) For Jesus had conveyed himself away.—The second clause of this verse, as is shown by the marginal rendering, was not intended by our translators to convey the impression that a crowd had assembled round the scene of the miracle, and that to avoid this Jesus passed away from the place. In that case the man must have known who He was. Still the English does probably convey this meaning to most readers, and it would be better to give a freer rendering—For Jesus disappeared among the multitude which was in the place. The presence of the multitude is not given as the reason for His going away, but as explaining the fact that He passed on with them after having spoken to the man, and was thus unknown to him.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

13. had conveyed himself away] Better, withdrew. Originally the word signified ‘to stoop out of the way of,’ ‘to bend down as if to avoid a blow.’ Here only in N.T. The word might also mean, ‘swam out of,’ which would be a graphic expression for making one’s way through a crowd.

a multitude being in that place] This is ambiguous. It may explain either why Jesus withdrew, viz. to avoid the crowd, or how he withdrew, viz. by disappearing among the crowd. Both make good sense.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he that was healed, wist not who he was,.... He had never seen, and perhaps had never heard of Christ before, and so knew him not; and besides, Christ gave him no opportunity of conversing with him, or so much as to ask him who he was:

for Jesus had conveyed himself away; had slipped away, as soon as ever he had wrought the miracle:

a multitude being in that place; or "from the multitude that were in that place"; not that he hid himself among them, and there remained undiscovered; but he passed through them, and went his way to the temple, where he found the man he had healed, as in the following verse.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.

Ver. 13. Had conveyed himself away] Lest by his presence that work should be hindered. True goodness is public spirited, though to private disadvantage, and works for most part unobserved, as the engine that doth all in great businesses is often inward, hidden, not taken notice of.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Wist not - Knew not.

Had conveyed himself away - Was lost in the crowd. He had silently mingled with the multitude, or had passed on with the crowd unobserved, and the man had been so rejoiced at his cure that he had not even asked for the name of his benefactor.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Christ came as a stranger to the pool, and only wrought this miracle, so as the impotent man that was healed had no time to inquire who he was: and there being there a crowd of people, Christ had through the people conveyed himself away; so as the man could not find him, to show them the man who had so said unto him.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

13. Wist not—Knew not; from the old Saxon verb witan, to know, whence our words wit and wise. Conveyed himself away—Quietly and silently glided through the multitude as the excitement at the cure commenced. The man had thus no chance to identify his unknown benefactor.

In that place—At the porches of the pool.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Now he that was healed in this place o iayeiv takes the place of teyerapeumenov of ver. 10. The fundamental idea in the verb yerapeuw to render kindly and useful, even noble, service to another to do the work and act the part of a yerapwn . The ministry rendered may be that of a doulov or uphrethv , a yalpwn or iatrov . The "service" successfully rendered by a physician is more often expressed by iaomai , which has no other meaning than restoration to health, and its use here may imply this positive fact (see the use of both words in Mat_8:7, Mat_8:8) knew not who it was (was at that time and for a while ignorant of the person of his Healer): for Jesus withdrew after the healing. Ekneuw is "to nod or bend the head and avoid a blow," but comes to mean "withdraw" or "retire." Some have supposed that, like eknew , to "escape by swimming from a danger," exeneuse means here "stealthily escaped a sense that it has in Eur., "Hipp.," 470, and elsewhere; but (as Grimm says) Jesus did not withdraw to avoid a danger which had not yet proclaimed itself, but to evade the acclamation of the multitude (see also Lange)a crowd being in the place where the miracle had been wrought.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

13. ἐξένευσεν. Withdrew or turned aside: literally (νεύω) ‘stooped out of the way of,’ ‘bent aside to avoid.’ Here only in N.T. It might mean (νέω) ‘swam out of,’ which would be a graphic expression for making one’s way through a surging crowd and natural in a fisherman of the sea of Galilee: but LXX. in Jdg 4:18 is certainly νεύω not νέω (comp. 2Ki 2:24; 2Ki 23:16).

ὄχλου ὄντος. This is ambiguous: it may mean why He withdrew, viz. to avoid the crowd, or how He withdrew, viz. by disappearing in the crowd. Both make good sense.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

13.] Difficulty has been found here from the supposed improbability that some should not have told him, seeing that Jesus was by this time well known in Jerusalem. But this is wholly unnecessary. His fame had not been so spread yet, but that He might during the crowd of strangers at the feast pass unnoticed.

ἐξένευσεν, passed on unobserved: just spoke the healing words, and then went on among the crowd; so that no particular attention was attracted to Himself, either by the sick man or others. The context requires this interpretation: being violated by the ordinary one, that Jesus ‘conveyed himself away, because a multitude was in the place:’ for that would imply that attention had been attracted towards him which He wished to avoid; and in that case he could hardly fail to have been known to the man and to others. Observe, ἐξένευσεν has for its understood object, the man subjectively;—escaped his notice, a crowd being in the place: not referring to any thing which Jesus had done himself.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

13. The man that had been healed did not know who his benefactor was. Jesus was not yet a familiar figure to all and sundry at Jerusalem. He had gone up to the Passover, privately, unaccompanied by His band of disciples (see on v. 2) which would have marked Him out as a Rabbi. This must also have made it easier for Him to slip away unnoticed in the crowd.

For ἰαθείς, see on 4:47. D has ἀσθενῶν.

ἐξένευσεν ὄχλου ὄντος ἐν τῷ τόπῳ, “He (had) turned aside (cf. 4:44 for this use of the aor.), a crowd being in the place.”ἐκνεύειν (אD* have the simple ἔνευσεν) does not appear again in the N.T., but it is found in the LXX (Jdg 18:26, 2Ki 2:24, 2Ki 2:23:16, 2Ki 2:3 Macc. 3:22), being a variant for ἐκκλίνειν at Jdg 4:18. ἐξένευσεν here expresses that Jesus had quietly moved away; cf. 8:59, 10:39, 12:36.

For τόπῳ, א* has the variant μέσῳ.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He that was healed [ιαθεις] . Compare ver. 10, and note the different word for healing. See references there.

Who it was [τις εστιν] . The present tense, who it is.

Had conveyed Himself away [εξενευσεν] . The verb means, literally, to turn the head aside, in order to avoid something. Hence, generally, to retire or withdraw. Only here in the New Testament.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.