Lectionary Calendar
Monday, December 22nd, 2025
the Fourth Week of Advent
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Read the Bible

Chinese NCV (Simplified)

约翰福音 7:15

猶太人就希奇,說:“這個人沒有學過,怎會通曉經書呢?”

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Jesus, the Christ;   Jesus Continued;   Temple;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Letters;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - John, gospel of;   Teacher;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Candlestick;   Feasts;   Scribes;   Tabernacles, Feast of;   Unlearned;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Scribes;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Amazement;   Ascension (2);   Attributes of Christ;   Boyhood ;   Childhood;   Dispersion ;   Doctrines;   Education (2);   Error;   Influence;   Learning;   Letters;   Pharisees (2);   Questions and Answers;   Scripture;   Scripture (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - 2 Unlearned Ignorant;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Tabernacles feast of;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Jesus of Nazareth;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ignorance;   Jesus Christ (Part 2 of 2);   Unlearned;  

Parallel Translations

Chinese Union (Simplified)
犹 太 人 就 希 奇 , 说 : 这 个 人 没 有 学 过 , 怎 麽 明 白 书 呢 ?

Contextual Overview

14 When the feast was about half over, Jesus went to the Temple and began to teach. 15 The people were amazed and said, "This man has never studied in school. How did he learn so much?" 16 Jesus answered, "The things I teach are not my own, but they come from him who sent me. 17 If people choose to do what God wants, they will know that my teaching comes from God and not from me. 18 Those who teach their own ideas are trying to get honor for themselves. But those who try to bring honor to the one who sent them speak the truth, and there is nothing false in them. 19 Moses gave you the law, but none of you obeys that law. Why are you trying to kill me?" 20 The people answered, "A demon has come into you. We are not trying to kill you." 21 Jesus said to them, "I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. 22 Moses gave you the law about circumcision. (But really Moses did not give you circumcision; it came from our ancestors.) And yet you circumcise a baby boy on a Sabbath day. 23 If a baby boy can be circumcised on a Sabbath day to obey the law of Moses, why are you angry at me for healing a person's whole body on the Sabbath day?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

marvelled: John 7:46, Matthew 7:28, Matthew 7:29, Matthew 22:22, Matthew 22:33, Luke 2:47

How: Matthew 13:54, Mark 6:2, Mark 6:3, Luke 4:22, Acts 2:7-13, Acts 4:11, Acts 4:12

letters: or, learning, Amos 7:14, Amos 7:15

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 10:11 - Is Saul Psalms 22:6 - a reproach Isaiah 29:12 - I am not Isaiah 50:4 - as the John 7:27 - we know Acts 4:13 - were 1 Corinthians 14:16 - unlearned

Cross-References

Genesis 7:19
The water rose so much that even the highest mountains under the sky were covered by it.
Genesis 7:20
It continued to rise until it was more than twenty feet above the mountains.
Isaiah 11:6
Then wolves will live in peace with lambs, and leopards will lie down to rest with goats. Calves, lions, and young bulls will eat together, and a little child will lead them.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Jews marvelled,.... Both at the matter, and manner of his doctrine; it was such, as never man spake; his words were so gracious, and there were such truth and evidence in them, and they were delivered with such power and authority, that they were astonished at them:

saying, how knoweth this man letters? or "the Scriptures", as the Arabic and Persic versions render it; which are called "holy letters", 2 Timothy 3:15; according to which, the sense is, that they were surprised at his knowledge of the Scriptures, that he should be conversant with them, and be able to interpret them, and give the sense and meaning of them, in so full and clear a manner, as he did: or else the sense is, how came this man to be such a learned man? whence has he this wisdom, and all this learning which he shows? as in Matthew 13:54. So a learned man is in Isaiah 29:11, said to be one that יודע הספר, επισταμενος γραμματα, "knows letters", as the Septuagint there translate the Hebrew text; but how Christ should know them, or be a learned man,

having never learned, was surprising to them: that is, he had not had a liberal education, but was brought up to a trade; he was not trained up at the feet of any of their Rabbins, in any of their universities, or schools of learning; and in which they were certainly right. Modern Jews pretend to say he had a master, whom they sometimes call Elchanan o, but most commonly they make him to be R. Joshua ben Perachiah p: with whom they say, he fled into Alexandria in Egypt, for fear of Jannai the king: and one of their writers q, on this account, charges the evangelist with a falsehood: but who are we to believe, the Jews who lived at the same time with Jesus, and knew his education and manner of life, or those that have lived ages since?

o Toldos Jesu, p. 5. p Juchasin, fol. 159. 1. Ganz Tzemach David, par. 1, fol. 21. 1. & 24. q R. Isaac Chizzuk Emuna, par. 2. c. 46. p. 435.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Knoweth this man letters - The Jewish letters or science consisted in the knowledge of their Scriptures and traditions. Jesus exhibited in his discourses such a profound acquaintance with the Old Testament as to excite their amazement and admiration.

Having never learned - The Jews taught their law and tradition in celebrated schools. As Jesus had not been instructed in those schools, they were amazed at his learning. What early human teaching the Saviour had we have no means of ascertaining, further than that it was customary for the Jews to teach their children to read the Scriptures. 2 Timothy 3:15; “from a child thou (Timothy) hast known the holy scriptures.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse John 7:15. How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? — The Jewish learning consisted in the knowledge of their own scriptures, and the traditions of their elders. In this learning our blessed Lord excelled. No person ever spoke with more grace and dignity, or knew better how to make a more proper use, or a happier application, of Jewish allegories and parables; because none ever penetrated the sense of the Scriptures as he did; none ever cited them more successfully, or ever showed their accomplishment in so complete and satisfactory a manner. As these branches of learning were taught at the Jewish schools, and our Lord had never attended there, they were astonished to find him excelling in that sort of learning, of which they themselves professed to be the sole teachers.


 
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