^9:13They brought the man who used to be blind³⁹ to the Pharisees.⁴⁰^9:14(Now the day on which Jesus made the mud⁴¹ and caused him to see⁴² was a Sabbath.)⁴³^9:15So the Pharisees asked him again how he had gained his sight.⁴⁴ He replied,⁴⁵ “He put mud⁴⁶ on my eyes and I washed, and now⁴⁷ I am able to see.”

^9:16Then some of the Pharisees began to say,⁴⁸ “This man is not from God, because he does not observe⁴⁹ the Sabbath.”⁵⁰ But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform⁵¹ such miraculous signs?” Thus there was a division⁵² among them. ^9:17So again they asked the man who used to be blind,⁵³ “What do you say about him, since he caused you to see?”⁵⁴ “He is a prophet,” the man replied.⁵⁵

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Footnotes

39 Grk “who was formerly blind.”
40 See the note on Pharisees in .
41 Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).
42 Grk “and opened his eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
43 This is a parenthetical note by the author.
44 Or “how he had become able to see.” So the Pharisees asked him. Note the subtlety here: On the surface, the man is being judged. But through him, Jesus is being judged. Yet in reality (as the discerning reader will realize) it is ironically the Pharisees themselves who are being judged by their response to Jesus who is the light of the world (cf. 3:17–21).
45 Grk “And he said to them.”
46 Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).
47 The word “now” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate the contrast between the man’s former state (blind) and his present state (able to see).
48 As a response to the answers of the man who used to be blind, the use of the imperfect tense in the reply of the Pharisees is best translated as an ingressive imperfect (“began to say” or “started saying”).
49 Grk “he does not keep.”
50 The Jewish religious leaders considered the work involved in making the mud to be a violation of the Sabbath.
51 Grk “do.”
52 Or “So there was discord.”
53 Grk “the blind man.”
54 Grk “since he opened your eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
55 Grk “And he said, ‘He is a prophet.’ ” At this point the man, pressed by the Pharisees, admitted there was something special about Jesus. But here, since prophet is anarthrous (is not accompanied by the Greek article) and since in his initial reply in 9:11–12 the man showed no particular insight into the true identity of Jesus, this probably does not refer to the prophet of Deut 18:15, but merely to an unusual person who is capable of working miracles. The Pharisees had put this man on the spot, and he felt compelled to say something about Jesus, but he still didn’t have a clear conception of who Jesus was, so he labeled him a “prophet.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”

Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”

But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.

Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”

The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees. The day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath. Then the Pharisees asked him again how he received his sight.

“He put mud on my eyes,” he told them. “I washed and I can see.”

Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was a division among them.

Again they asked the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he opened your eyes?”

“He’s a prophet,” he said.

NLTNew Living Translation

Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!”

Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.

Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?”

The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

They brought him—the one formerly blind—to the Pharisees. (Now the day on which Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes was the Sabbath.) So the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received sight. And he said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” So some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because he does not observe the Sabbath!” Others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, “What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.”

KJV 1900King James Version

They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. Then 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. Therefore 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. They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.

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