John 9:40 kjv
And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
John 9:40 nkjv
Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?"
John 9:40 niv
Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?"
John 9:40 esv
Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, "Are we also blind?"
John 9:40 nlt
Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, "Are you saying we're blind?"
John 9 40 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 119:18 | Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things... | Prayer for spiritual discernment |
| Is 6:9-10 | "Keep on hearing, but do not understand... and shut their eyes lest they see... lest they see with their eyes... and understand with their heart and turn and be healed." | Prophecy of spiritual blindness and hardness of heart |
| Is 42:18-19 | "Hear, you deaf; and look, you blind, that you may see! Who is blind but My servant...?" | Israel's spiritual blindness and deafnes |
| Is 59:10 | We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope like those who have no eyes... | Description of spiritual consequences of sin |
| Jer 5:21 | Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but do not see; who have ears, but do not hear... | Rejection of God due to spiritual inability |
| Mt 13:13-15 | "Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see... the heart of this people has become dull, with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes..." | Jesus' explanation for teaching in parables |
| Mt 15:14 | "Leave them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit." | Jesus' warning about the Pharisees' leadership |
| Mt 23:26 | "You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of them may become clean also." | Jesus denounces Pharisaic hypocrisy and inner corruption |
| Mk 4:12 | "so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive; and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, lest they return and be forgiven." | Parables intended to reveal and conceal truth |
| Lk 11:52 | "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering." | Accusation against legal experts hindering truth |
| Lk 18:9-14 | Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector | Illustrates the Pharisees' self-righteousness |
| Jn 1:5 | The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. | The world's spiritual inability to grasp divine truth |
| Jn 3:19 | "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light..." | Judgment inherent in rejecting God's light |
| Jn 8:12 | "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." | Jesus' self-declaration as source of spiritual light |
| Jn 9:5 | "While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world." | Jesus' identity prior to healing the blind man |
| Jn 9:39 | "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." | Direct preceding context and catalyst for the Pharisees' question |
| Jn 12:40 | "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they will not see with their eyes... or understand with their heart, and be converted, and I heal them." | Quote from Is 6 applied to hardened hearts |
| Jn 12:46 | "I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness." | Purpose of Jesus' advent to bring spiritual clarity |
| Rom 11:7-8 | What then? What Israel was seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; just as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes to see not..." | Divine hardening leading to spiritual dullness |
| 2 Cor 3:14-15 | But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted... a veil lies over their heart. | Spiritual veil hindering understanding of the Old Covenant |
| 2 Cor 4:3-4 | And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving... | Satan's role in obscuring truth from unbelievers |
| Eph 4:17-18 | ...no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them... | Spiritual state of unregenerate minds |
| Rev 3:17-18 | Because you say, 'I am rich... and I have no need of anything,' and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I advise you to buy from Me gold... white garments... and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. | Church of Laodicea's self-deception and need for spiritual healing |
John 9 verses
John 9 40 Meaning
John 9:40 encapsulates the indignant and defensive response of certain Pharisees to Jesus' declaration regarding spiritual sight and judgment. After witnessing Jesus restore the sight of a man born blind, and hearing Jesus state His purpose as bringing spiritual sight to the truly "blind" and exposing the "blindness" of those who presume to see, these religious leaders challenge Jesus. Their rhetorical question, "Are we blind too?", reveals their deep-seated spiritual arrogance and their unwillingness to acknowledge their own spiritual inability to perceive God's truth as manifested in Jesus Christ.
John 9 40 Context
John chapter 9 centers on Jesus' miraculous healing of a man born blind from birth, an unprecedented miracle. This extraordinary event triggers extensive investigations by the Jewish religious authorities, especially the Pharisees. Despite irrefutable evidence, they deny the miracle's authenticity, interrogate the healed man and his parents, and ultimately excommunicate the man for defending Jesus and confessing Him as from God. Following this, Jesus finds the man, who then believes and worships Him (Jn 9:35-38). This leads to Jesus' profound statement in John 9:39, clarifying His mission of judgment: to give sight to the spiritually blind and reveal the blindness of those who claim to see. Verse 40 captures the Pharisees' immediate, indignant, and spiritually proud reaction to this challenging declaration. Their question, "Are we blind too?", reflects their self-perception as enlightened leaders, resistant to any suggestion of their own spiritual deficiency, thereby setting the stage for Jesus' conclusive assessment of their true spiritual state in the subsequent verse.
John 9 40 Word analysis
Some (τὶνες, tines): Denotes a subset, implying that not all Pharisees were present, or that these particular individuals chose to vocalize their thoughts. It suggests a focused group rather than a universal reaction from the entire body of Pharisees.
of the Pharisees (ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων, ek ton Pharisaiōn): The Pharisees were a prominent and influential Jewish religious party, meaning "separated ones." They emphasized strict observance of Mosaic Law and oral traditions, often seeing themselves as epitomes of spiritual discernment and legal righteousness.
who were with him (οἱ μετ’ αὐτοῦ ὄντες, hoi met' autou ontes): These Pharisees were physically in Jesus' presence, having heard His teaching directly. Their proximity implies they were either following or scrutinizing Him, making their subsequent question a direct, informed challenge.
heard this (ἤκουσαν ταῦτα, ēkousan tauta): Refers directly to Jesus' profound statement in John 9:39, where He declares His purpose to bring spiritual judgment and revelation. They heard the words clearly, yet failed to grasp their deeper spiritual implication concerning themselves.
and asked (καὶ εἶπαν, kai eipan): Signifies a direct verbal confrontation. It indicates they were not merely pondering but actively challenging Jesus, projecting their inner conflict and defensiveness.
"Are we blind too?" (Μὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς τυφλοί ἐσμεν; Mē kai hēmeis typhloi esmen?):
- Μὴ (Mē): This Greek particle in a question anticipates a negative answer, equivalent to "Surely we are not blind, are we?" It expresses incredulity, indignation, and a strong denial of the implied accusation.
- καὶ (kai): "too" or "also." This particle connects their potential spiritual blindness to the physical blindness of the healed man, underscoring their belief that they were fundamentally different and superior.
- ἡμεῖς (hēmeis): The emphatic "we," stressing their collective identity as teachers and guardians of the Law, reinforcing their sense of spiritual privilege and assumed clarity.
- τυφλοί (typhloi): "blind." In this context, it carries a profound metaphorical meaning: spiritual blindness—the inability to perceive, understand, or believe divine truth, particularly Jesus' identity and mission. The Pharisees' mastery of the Law contrasted sharply with their spiritual lack.
- ἐσμεν (esmen): "are." Simple present tense, a direct inquiry about their current spiritual condition, which they presumed to be sound.
Words-group analysis:
- "Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this": This phrase emphasizes that these religious leaders were direct auditors of Jesus' words, distinguishing them from a general crowd. Their active presence highlights their adversarial observation and critical engagement with Jesus' pronouncements, specifically His profound statement about spiritual vision.
- "and asked, 'Are we blind too?'": This climactic question encapsulates their spiritual pride and hypocrisy. The rhetorical nature, underscored by the Greek particle mē, reveals their denial and indignation at the mere suggestion of their own spiritual deficiency. It is an ironic self-indictment, showcasing their refusal to acknowledge that their rigid adherence to external law had obscured their vision of divine truth and the true Messiah standing before them.
John 9 40 Bonus section
The dialogue in John 9:40, leading into Jesus' subsequent remarks, demonstrates a critical theological concept: The greater condemnation often falls upon those who claim to see but reject the light, rather than on those who are overtly "blind" and know it. The Pharisees' question is an illustration of what C.S. Lewis might describe as a "hardened heart"—a state where intellectual understanding of divine things leads to pride and self-sufficiency, rather than humility and dependence on God's grace. This spiritual state, born of pride, proves more impenetrable than genuine ignorance, preventing them from acknowledging their need for the true Light, Jesus Christ. Their claim to sight made their blindness irrevocable in a spiritual sense.
John 9 40 Commentary
John 9:40 captures the apex of spiritual irony in the discourse following the healing of the blind man. Jesus had just pronounced a judgment that distinguished between physical and spiritual blindness, identifying those who "see" as becoming blind and the truly blind gaining sight. The Pharisees' indignant and self-righteous question, "Are we blind too?", is born not of sincere inquiry but of a deep-seated spiritual arrogance. They considered themselves to be the quintessence of spiritual vision due to their extensive knowledge of the Law and their outward piety. Yet, their very question exposes their profound spiritual blindness: they were unable to recognize the Light of the World, even when physically standing "with Him" and witnessing His miraculous power. Their refusal to acknowledge any possible blindness sealed their spiritual fate, contrasting sharply with the once-blind man who humbly received spiritual and physical sight. This moment sets the stage for Jesus' subsequent judgment in John 9:41, highlighting that wilful blindness—the rejection of truth despite exposure to it—leads to persistent guilt, whereas confessed blindness can receive mercy.