John 9:26

Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes?

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(26) Then said they to him again.—Failing to establish their denial of the fact, they repeat their questionings as to the means used. They hope, it may be, to detect some difference in the accounts, or something which they can construe into a charge against our Lord; or, perhaps, as some have suggested, their repeated questions are merely to gain time or cover their retreat. His honest boldness is too much for their craft. Their adjuration to speak as in God’s presence has been answered in a way they little expected, and the questions they now repeat are asked because they know not what to say.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

9:24-34 As Christ's mercies are most valued by those who have felt the want of them, that have been blind, and now see; so the most powerful and lasting affections to Christ, arise from actual knowledge of him. In the work of grace in the soul, though we cannot tell when, and how, and by what steps the blessed change was wrought, yet we may take the comfort, if we can say, through grace, Whereas I was blind, now I see. I did live a worldly, sensual life, but, thanks be to God, it is now otherwise with me, Eph 5:8. The unbelief of those who enjoy the means of knowledge and conviction, is indeed marvellous. All who have felt the power and grace of the Lord Jesus, wonder at the wilfulness of others who reject him. He argues strongly against them, not only that Jesus was not a sinner, but that he was of God. We may each of us know by this, whether we are of God or not. What do we? What do we for God? What do we for our souls? What do we more than others?

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

How opened he thine eyes? - The reason why they asked this so often was doubtless to attempt to draw him into a contradiction; either to intimidate him, or throw him off his guard, so that he might be detected in denying what he had before affirmed. But God gave to this poor man grace and strength to make a bold confession of the truth, and sufficient common sense completely to confound his proud and subtle examiners.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

26. Then said they … again, What did he to thee? &c.—hoping by repeated questions to ensnare him, but the youth is more than a match for them.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

They cannot frown him into a denial of the miracle wrought; he stood stoutly to affirm, that he was born blind, and that he was cured by Christ: now they put him to tell the story over again, either hoping they should entrap him, contradicting himself in his story; or, at least, find something, upon his repeating the story, for them to take advantage from, to persuade the people that it was but a cheat, and indeed there was no such miracle wrought upon him.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Then said they to him again,.... Finding they could not bring him to deny the fact, or cause him to entertain an ill opinion of him that did it, they examine him again about the manner of it:

what did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? These questions they had put before, John 9:15, and propose them again, in hope he would vary in the account, which they would not fail of improving against him; or that it would appear that he had not been really blind, at least from his birth; or that Christ made use of some unlawful means, as magic art, which they were always ready to charge him with, and to impute his miracles to a diabolical familiarity and influence; and they would have been glad to have had something to support such a calumny.

Geneva Study Bible

Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes?

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

John 9:26-27. As they are unable to attain their end, they return to the question as to the How? (comp. John 9:15) in order conclusively to establish the fact in the course of this second examination of the man. He, however, with his straightforward, honest mind (ἀνὴρ ἀδόνητος, Nonnus), becomes irritated, and even embittered, at this repeated interrogation.

καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσατε] is taken as a declaration: and ye have not listened thereto (taken heed). It would correspond better, however, to the naive character of the man, and to the liveliness of his irritation, as also to the succeeding ἀκούειν, which denotes simply “hear,” if we were to take it as a question: And have you not heard it?

τί] why, as you surely must have heard it.

μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς] surely not you also, like others. To the θέλειν, etc., would correspond the effort to be convinced of the reality of the miracle that had been performed. Chrysostom, Bengel, and several others, consider that καί indicates that the blind man confessed himself to be one of His disciples, or that it was his intention to become one. His development, however, had not yet advanced so far. See John 9:35-36. But that his benefactor had disciples about Him (John 9:2), he must certainly have learnt from others.

Expositor's Greek Testament

John 9:26. Thwarted by the man’s boldness and perceiving that it was hopeless to deny the fact, they return to the question of the means used. Τί ἐποίησέ σοι; At this the man loses patience. Their crafty and silly attempt to lead him into some inconsistent statement seems to him despicable, and he breaks out (John 9:27): Εἶπον … γενέσθαι. No more galling gibe could have been hurled at them than this man’s “Are you also wishing to become His disciples?”

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

26. Being baffled, they return to the details of the fact, either to try once more to shake the evidence, or for want of something better to say.

Bengel's Gnomen

John 9:26. Εἶπον, they said) These wretched persons strangely torture themselves.[261]

[261] τὶ—πῶς, what—how?) They were wishing to suppress the certainty of the miracle, provided only it were possible. Many extraordinary things happen in all ages: several things of that kind are also reported without good foundation. Therefore it would be advantageous that the True, in such cases as these, should be distinguished from the False, and the Certain from the Doubtful, by the most searching investigation which it is possible to make. But indeed the unbelieving world conceives it to be for its own interest that nothing should be altogether evident, and cleared of every difficulty. Thus, as we may see, under the pretext of its being only the result of an accumulation of tricks, the truth itself can be avoided.—V. g.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 26. - They said therefore to him,What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? They sought to draw from him the explicit proof that Jesus had broken the sabbath, or possibly to entangle him in some different statement. The fact of the supernatural change is practically conceded to the obstinacy of the man's reiterated declaration, and the identification of his person by others. Westcott here differs from the majority of recent expositors, and supposes that the "questions suggest that they were willing to believe if the facts were not decisive against belief." But the answer of the man proves that he saw the cunning of his antagonists, and was irritated by their conspicuous design to twist the infinite benefit that he had received into the material of a charge against his Benefactor. John 9:26