He answered, “Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?”
Parallel Translations
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He answered, “Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?”
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He answered and sayde: Who is it Lorde that I myght beleve on him?
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He answered, and sayd, Who is he, Lord, that I might beleeue in him?
Cross-references (5)
Passages linked to John 9:36 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Romans 10:14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? How will they hear without a preacher?
- Proverbs 30:3-4 I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if you know?
- Song of Solomon 5:9 How is your beloved better than another beloved, you fairest among women? How is your beloved better than another beloved, that you do so adjure us?
- Matthew 11:3 and said to him, “Are you he who comes, or should we look for another?”
- John 1:38 Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher), “where are you staying?”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (12 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 36. Who is he, Lord, that I may believe…
36. Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him? From this reply of the blind man it is evident that, though he had not yet attained any clear or certain knowledge of Christ, still he was obedient and ready to receive instruction; for these words mean, “As soon as he is pointed out to me, I am ready to embrace him.” But it ought to be observed that the blind man desires to be instructed by Christ as a Prophet; for he was already convinced that Christ had been sent by God, and therefore he does not at random place reliance on his doctrine.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord,…
36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
Ver. 36. Who is he, that I might believe on him?] A man of God, he held Christ, Joh 9:33. The Son of God he yet knew him not to be; but was willing to be further informed, as appeareth by this question. They that hold fast what they have already received till Christ come, shall have more light, Rev 2:25; and a little strength well improved, may have "a great door, and effectual, opened," Rev 3:8.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain It is as much as if he had said,…
It is as much as if he had said, Lord! How should I believe on him, of whom I have not heard? (So the disciples answered Paul, asking them whether they had received the Holy Ghost, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost, Act 19:2). But, saith he, Lord, I am ready to believe on him, may I but know who he is. Our Lord had prepared this poor man’s heart for the receiving of him; there wanted now nothing but the due revelation of the Messiah unto him. This our Saviour giveth him.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And Jesus said unto him,.... Giving him the tokens…
And Jesus said unto him,.... Giving him the tokens by which he might know him: thou hast both seen him; not that he had seen him before now, with his bodily eyes; for he was blind when Christ anointed him, and sent him to Siloam to wash; nor when he came back, since Jesus was gone, and he knew not where he was; but he had seen him, that is, he had perceived and felt the power of him in restoring him to sight; and now he had seen him bodily, and did at this present time: but as this was not sufficient to distinguish him from other persons in company, he adds,
and it is he that talketh with thee; in like manner he made himself known to the woman of Samaria, Joh 4:26.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Who is he, that I may believe? - This…
Who is he, that I may believe? - This implies some degree of faith already. He was ready to receive whatever Jesus said.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 36. Who is he, Lord?] it is very…
Verse 36. Who is he, Lord?] it is very likely that the blind man did not know that it was Jesus the Christ who now spoke to him; for it is evident he had never seen him before this time; and he might now see him without knowing that he was the person by whom he was cured, till our Lord made that discovery of himself, mentioned in the following verse.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Who is he? - It is probable that the…
Who is he? - It is probable that the man did not know that he who now addressed him was the same who had healed him. He had not yet seen him Joh 9:7, but he was prepared to acknowledge him when he did see him. He inquired, therefore, who the person was, or wished that he might be pointed out to him, that he might see him. This passage shows that he was disposed to believe, and had a strong desire to see and hear the Son of God.
Lord - This word here, as in many other instances in the New Testament, means “Sir.” It is clear that the man did not know that it was the Lord Jesus that addressed him, and he therefore replied to him in the common language of respect, and asked him to point out to him the Son of God. The word translated “Lord” here is rendered “Sir” in Joh 4:11; Joh 20:15; Joh 12:21; Act 16:30; Mat 27:63. It should have been also here, and in many other places.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that…
He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him?--"His reply is affirmative, and believing by anticipation, promising faith as soon as Jesus shall say who He is" [STIER].
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 36. Who is he—What it is to be the…
36. Who is he—What it is to be the Son of God, the man knows not; but whatever Jesus shall affirm, that it is. And to whom belongs this title he knows not; but to whom Jesus assigns that high title, to him it belongs. So faith may lie in the heart, the spirit, and the will, long before it is completely defined in the head. See notes on Joh_9:8-12.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 36. Who is he, Lord] We should perhaps insert…
36. Who is he, Lord] We should perhaps insert ‘and’ or ‘then’ with some of the best MSS., and Who is He? or, Who is He then? This ‘and’ or ‘then’ has the effect of intensifying the question. Comp. ‘and who is my neighbour?’ (Luk_10:29); ‘Who then can be saved?’ (Joh_18:26); ‘Who is he then that maketh me glad?’ (2Co_2:2). ‘Lord’ should perhaps be ‘Sir’ as in Joh_4:11; Joh_4:15; Joh_4:19; Joh_4:49; Joh_5:7 (see on Joh_6:34): not until Joh_9:38 does he reach the point at which he would call Jesus ‘Lord.’ But it is the same Greek word in both cases, though the amount of reverence with which he uses it increases, as in the parallel case of the woman at the well.
that I might believe] Literally, in order that I may believe. S. John’s favourite construction again, as in Joh_9:2-3; Joh_9:22.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (36) Who is he, Lord, that I might believe…
(36) Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?—For “Lord” it would be better to read Sir, as in Joh_4:11; Joh_4:19; Joh_5:7, et. al. The man does not express by it more than the reverence to a prophet or teacher. He recognises Him by the voice which he had heard before, and now for the first time sees Him. He is ready to believe on the Messiah whom all expected, and he feels that this prophet, who had opened his eyes, can tell him who the Messiah is. The form of the question, “Who is He?” suggests that he half expected that He, upon whom he looked, was more than a prophet, and was none other than the Messiah Himself. In the absence of any such thought, the question would have taken a vague form, such as “Where is He?” or “When shall He appear?” He asks as one who knows that the object of his faith is at hand.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain He answered and said, And who is he, that…
He answered and said, And who is he, that (ina) I may believe on him? The conjunction adds much to the eagerness of the reply. His faith was ready for full expression. He half suspected, as the Samaritan (Joh_4:25) did, that Jesus was pointing to himself. The tiv ; rather than ti ; ("who?" rather than "what?") shows the intensity of the man"s desire to find and hail and trust "the Son of God." The disposition, the posture, of his mind is that of faith. The adequate object for that faith has not been revealed to him. Apt symbol of many in their passage from darkness to light. When receptive, susceptible, conscious of need, with some notion, though an obscure one, of whom and of what they most of all need, many are disposed even now to utter the same importunate request.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.