John 9:12 kjv
Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.
John 9:12 nkjv
Then they said to him, "Where is He?" He said, "I do not know."
John 9:12 niv
"Where is this man?" they asked him. "I don't know," he said.
John 9:12 esv
They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know."
John 9:12 nlt
"Where is he now?" they asked. "I don't know," he replied.
John 9 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| John 9:12 | "They asked him, 'Where is he?' He replied, 'I don’t know.'" | Blind man’s testimony |
| John 9:11 | "He said, 'The man they call Jesus made mud and put it on my eyes. He told me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and then I could see.'" | Recounts the healing method |
| John 9:13-16 | Describes bringing the man to the Pharisees, their questioning, and their differing opinions. | Further questioning and division |
| John 9:24-34 | The Pharisees question the healed man again; he defends Jesus based on the undeniable miracle. | Confrontation with religious authorities |
| John 9:35-38 | Jesus finds the man and reveals Himself to him, and the man believes and worships Jesus. | Recognition and faith |
| John 11:47-50 | The chief priests and Pharisees plot against Jesus due to the signs He is performing, especially healing the man born blind. | Jesus' healing draws opposition |
| Isaiah 42:7 | "to open eyes that are blind, to free prisoners from jail, and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness." | Prophecy of opening blind eyes |
| Isaiah 35:5 | "Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped." | Messianic sign fulfillment |
| Acts 3:1-10 | Peter and John heal a man lame from birth, mirroring the narrative of a clear miracle leading to questions. | Apostolic miracle and witness |
| Luke 7:22 | "Jesus answered them, 'Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.'" | Jesus points to miracles as signs of His Messiahship |
| John 3:2 | Nicodemus acknowledges Jesus as a teacher "from God" because of His miraculous signs. | Miracles confirm divine origin |
| John 9:30 | The healed man challenges the Pharisees, stating, "You don’t know where he comes from, but he opened my eyes." | Logical argument based on the miracle |
| John 10:24-26 | The Jews demand Jesus tell them plainly if he is the Christ; Jesus points to His works as evidence. | Jesus’ works as validation |
| John 9:1-3 | Initial account of Jesus healing the man born blind. | The miracle’s setting |
| John 9:38 | The healed man declares, "Lord, I believe," and worships Jesus. | Recognition of Jesus' divine identity |
| John 7:45-47 | The temple guards, questioned about why they didn't arrest Jesus, attribute their hesitation to His powerful speaking, implicitly acknowledging His impact. | Witnesses testifying to Jesus’ unusual effect |
| Matthew 11:4-5 | Jesus’ reply to John the Baptist about His works mirrors Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. | Connecting works to Messianic identity |
| 1 John 1:1 | "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have touched—this relates to the Word of life." | Emphasis on sensory evidence of Jesus |
| John 9:8-9 | Neighbors and others who had seen him begging question if he was the same man. | Initial identification questioned |
| John 9:22 | The parents feared the Jews, who had agreed to excommunicate anyone who confessed Jesus as the Christ. | Fear of religious authority influencing testimony |
John 9 verses
John 9 12 Meaning
The verse records the question posed by the man who was healed by Jesus to those who were questioning him about the healing. He asserts his lack of knowledge regarding how Jesus performed the miracle, stating he doesn't know. This highlights his focus on the fact of his healing rather than the theological or philosophical intricacies behind Jesus' power.
John 9 12 Context
This verse occurs within John chapter 9, which narrates the healing of a man born blind on the Sabbath. The surrounding verses (9:8-9) describe the initial confusion and questioning from neighbors and others who recognized him as the formerly blind beggar. The primary conflict of the chapter unfolds as this healed man is brought before the Pharisees. They relentlessly question him to discredit Jesus, and in this exchange, the man testifies to the healing, but when pressed about Jesus' identity and location, he declares his lack of direct knowledge about the "how." This is part of a broader narrative in John's Gospel where Jesus' miraculous works serve as signs pointing to His divine identity, often provoking intense debate and opposition from religious authorities.
John 9 12 Word Analysis
- They (αὐτοὶ - autoi): Refers to the crowd of people who witnessed the man and the events, and particularly those involved in the questioning of the healed man.
- asked (ἐπηρώτων - epērōtōn): An imperfect tense verb, indicating a repeated or continuous action of questioning by the onlookers.
- him (αὐτὸν - auton): Refers to the man who had been born blind and was now healed.
- Where (ποῦ - pou): Inquiring about the location of Jesus.
- is he (ἐστιν - estin): The present tense of the verb "to be," asking about Jesus' current presence.
- He (ἐκεῖνος - ekeinos): Pronoun emphasizing "that man" or "he himself," referring back to the healed man.
- replied (ἀπεκρίθη - apekrithē): Aorist passive of ἀποκρίνομαι (apokrinomai), meaning "to answer" or "to respond." It signifies a direct response to the questions.
- I (ἐγὼ - egō): First-person pronoun, referring to the healed man himself.
- don’t know (οἶδα - oida): First-person singular present indicative of οἶδα (oida), meaning "to know," "to understand," or "to perceive." Here, it conveys ignorance or lack of information.
Word-group Analysis:
- "They asked him, 'Where is he?'": This highlights the persistent curiosity and desire of people to identify and locate Jesus, the source of the miracle. The imperfect tense suggests this wasn't a single question but a line of inquiry.
- "He replied, 'I don’t know.'": This response focuses on the man's immediate personal experience. He knows he was blind and now he can see, and he knows Jesus did it. He does not possess information about Jesus' origin, identity, or whereabouts beyond the act of healing.
John 9 12 Bonus Section
The man's answer demonstrates a prioritization of experiential truth over speculative knowledge. He cannot answer "where" Jesus is, implying a lack of understanding of Jesus' divine nature or current hidden status, but he had clearly answered "who" did it in verse 11 ("The man they call Jesus made mud..."). Later, when Jesus finds him, the man gains the knowledge he lacked and responds with faith and worship (John 9:38). His journey moves from knowing who healed him to knowing who Jesus is. His ignorance is not a lack of faith but a reflection of his limited experience and knowledge at that point, distinguishing him from those who had access to scripture but rejected its fulfillment in Jesus.
John 9 12 Commentary
The man's honest "I don't know" is powerful. He is not a theologian; he is a man who experienced a miraculous transformation. His testimony is not about the intricate doctrines surrounding Jesus, but about the undeniable reality of his own healing. He points to the miracle itself as evidence that Jesus is Someone significant, even if he doesn't fully grasp all the implications or have answers to theological questions posed by others. This simple, unvarnished testimony often contrasts with the learned but closed hearts of the religious leaders.