What does John 9:10 mean?
What is the meaning of John 9:10?

How

– The first word points to the mechanism behind the miracle.

• In Scripture, “how” often signals a heart that wants to understand God’s work (John 3:9; Luke 1:34).

• It invites a testimony, creating space for the healed man to speak of Jesus’ power (John 9:11).

• The word reminds us that God’s ways, though sometimes mysterious, are concrete and traceable (Psalm 66:16).


then

– This hinge word links the man’s former blindness to his present sight.

• It highlights the before-and-after contrast every believer experiences (Ephesians 2:4-5).

• It insists on a logical connection: if the man now sees, something decisive must have happened in between (John 2:11).

• The onlookers intuitively sense that a miracle demands an explanation, pressing them toward a verdict on Jesus (John 9:16).


were your eyes opened?

– The focal phrase zeroes in on the miracle itself.

• Physical sight restored fulfills prophetic expectation (Isaiah 35:5).

• It also pictures the spiritual illumination Jesus brings (John 8:12; 2 Corinthians 4:6).

• The passive voice—“were opened”—shows that the man contributed nothing; the work is entirely Christ’s (John 9:25; Acts 26:18).


they asked

– The neighbors’ questioning reveals hearts at a crossroads.

• Some are curious, others skeptical (John 9:13).

• Their inquiry models how witnesses of God’s works must respond: seek truth, weigh evidence (John 5:10; John 11:37).

• The plural “they” reminds us that testimony about Jesus inevitably becomes a community discussion (Matthew 5:16).


summary

John 9:10 captures the natural, even urgent, curiosity that surrounds a visible act of God: “How then were your eyes opened?” The neighbors’ question, word by word, spotlights the method, the moment of change, the miracle itself, and the communal response. By inviting the healed man’s testimony, it sets the stage for Jesus to be proclaimed as the One who gives both physical and spiritual sight.

How does the transformation in John 9:9 challenge our understanding of miracles?
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