John 9:33

Joh 9:33. Οὐδέν) nothing, not merely of those things, which He Himself doeth, hut also of those things which other excellent men do. Jesus had not the external helps on which ordinary mortals are wont to rely.

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

Verse 33. If this man were not of God, c.] A very just conclusion: God is the fountain of all good: all good must proceed from him, and no good can be done but through him if this person were not commissioned by the good God, he could not perform such beneficent miracles as these.

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

(33) If this man were not of God.—His argument meets each of their assertions. His general assumption, admitted as a universal truth (Joh_9:31), had denied their assertion that this Man was a sinner. His conclusion now denies their assertion, “This Man is not of God” (Joh_9:16).

He could do nothing—i.e., nothing of this kind, no miracle such as this, much less this miracle itself.

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

33. of God] Or, from God: comp. Joh_1:6.

he could do nothing] The context limits the meaning—nothing at all like this, no miracle.

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.

They answered and said unto him,.... Being nettled, and stung at what he said, and not able to confute his reasoning; and it is amazing that a man that could never read the Scriptures, who had had no education, was not only blind, but a beggar from his youth, should be able to reason in so strong and nervous a manner, and should have that boldness and presence of mind, and freedom of speech before the whole sanhedrim. Certainly it was God that gave him a mouth and wisdom which these learned doctors could not resist, and therefore they reply in the following manner,

thou wast altogether born in sins; meaning not in original sin, as all mankind are, for this might have been retorted on themselves; but having imbibed the Pythagorean notion of a transmigration of souls into other bodies, and of sinning in a pre-existent state, or a notion of infants sinning actually in the womb, and so punished with blindness, lameness, or some deformity or another for it, they reproach this man, calling him vile miscreant, saying, thou vile, sinful creature, who came into the world covered with sin, with the visible marks of having sinned, either in another body, or in the womb before birth, and therefore wast born blind:

and dost thou teach us, holy, wise, and learned men! which breathes out the true pharisaical spirit they were possessed of, and which appeared in their ancestors before them; see Isa 65:5.

And they cast him out; not merely out of the place where the sanhedrim sat, or out of the temple; this would have been no great matter, nor have made any great noise in the city, or have been taken notice of by Christ, or moved his compassion towards him; nor merely out of any particular synagogue, or was the excommunication called "Niddui", which was a separation for thirty days, and for the space of four cubits only; but was what they call "Cherem", which was a cutting him off from the whole congregation of Israel; See Gill on Joh 9:22; an anathematizing him, and a devoting him to ruin and destruction: and now in part was fulfilled, Isa 66:5, for this was done in pretence of zeal, for the honour and glory of God; and Christ appeared to the joy and comfort of this man, and to the shame and confusion of those that cast him out, as the following verses show.

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

33 If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.

Ver. 33. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing] i.e. Nothing of this nature, he could not work a true miracle. The devil’s miracles, ut plurimum, sunt praestigiae, imposturae, phantasmata, ludibria. (Bucholcer.)

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.

Could do nothing - Could do no such work as this. This reasoning was conclusive. The fact that Jesus could perform miracles like this was full proof that he was commissioned by God - proof that never has been and never can be refuted. One such miracle proves that he was from God. But Jesus gave many similar proofs, and thus put his divine mission beyond the possibility of doubt.

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

If therefore this man (for still he apprehended him no more) had not some special authority from God, and there were not some special presence of God with him, he could do nothing that is of this nature. It is a work beyond the power of man, and beyond that power first we read God did ever trust any man with.

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

33. Do nothing—Nothing to sustain his mission from God.

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

He could do nothing - Of this kind; nothing miraculous.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

33. οὗτος. He uses their pronoun without their contemptuous meaning (Joh 9:24; Joh 9:29). On παρὰ Θεοῦ see on Joh 1:6.

οὐδέν. Nothing like this, no miracle. For the construction see Winer, p. 382.

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.

33.] οὐδέν, nothing of this kind, much less such a thing as this.

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

33. εἰ μὴ ἦν … ποιεῖν οὐδέν. This was a principle recognised by Nicodemus (3:2), to which reference is made again at 10:21. “If this man were not sent from God (cf. v. 16 for παρὰ θεοῦ), He could do nothing,” sc. of this wonderful nature.

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