John 7:31

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
However, many from the crowd believed in him and said, “When the Messiah comes, he won’t perform more signs than this man has done, will he?”

King James Version (1611)
And many of the people beleeued on him, & said, When Christ commeth, will hee doe moe miracles then these which this man hath done?

King James Version
And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?

English Standard Version
Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, "When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?"

New American Standard Bible
But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, "When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has done, will He?"

New Century Version
But many of the people believed in Jesus. They said, "When the Christ comes, will he do more miracles than this man has done?"

Amplified Bible
But many from the crowd believed in Him. And they kept saying, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs and exhibit more proofs than this Man?"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, "When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?"

Legacy Standard Bible
But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than this man did?"

Berean Standard Bible
Many in the crowd, however, believed in Him and said, "When the Christ comes, will He perform more signs than this man?"

Contemporary English Version
A lot of people in the crowd put their faith in him and said, "When the Messiah comes, he surely won't perform more miracles than this man has done!"

Complete Jewish Bible
However, many in the crowd put their trust in him and said, "When the Messiah comes, will he do more miracles than this man has done?"

Darby Translation
But many of the crowd believed on him, and said, Will the Christ, when he comes, do more signs than those which this [man] has done?

Easy-to-Read Version
But many of the people believed in Jesus. They said, "We are waiting for the Messiah to come. When he comes, will he do more miraculous signs than this man has done?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
Now many of the people beleeued in him, and said, When that Christ commeth, will he doe moe miracles then this man hath done?

George Lamsa Translation
But a great many of the people believed in him and said, When the Christ comes, why, will he do greater wonders than this man does?

Good News Translation
But many in the crowd believed in him and said, "When the Messiah comes, will he perform more miracles than this man has?"

Lexham English Bible
But from the crowd many believed in him and were saying, "Whenever the Christ comes, he will not perform more signs than this man has done, will he?"

Literal Translation
But many of the crowd believed into Him, and said, The Christ, when He comes will He do more miraculous signs than these which this One did?

American Standard Version
But of the multitude many believed on him; and they said, When the Christ shall come, will he do more signs than those which this man hath done?

Bible in Basic English
And numbers of the people had belief in him, and they said, When the Christ comes will he do more signs than this man has done?

Hebrew Names Version
But of the multitude, many believed in him. They said, "When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than those which this man has done?"

International Standard Version
However, many in the crowd believed in him, saying, "When the Christ[fn] comes, he won't do more signs than this man has done, will he?"Matthew 12:23; John 3:2; 8:30;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
But many of the multitude believed in him, and said, When the Meshicha is come, will he exceed the miracles which this doeth ?

Murdock Translation
And many of the multitude believed on him, and said: When the Messiah cometh, will he work greater signs than these which this man doeth?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Many of the people beleued on hym, and saide: When Christe commeth, wyl he do mo miracles [then these] that this man hath done?

English Revised Version
But of the multitude many believed on him; and they said, When the Christ shall come, will he do more signs than those which this man hath done?

World English Bible
But of the multitude, many believed in him. They said, "When the Christ comes, will he do more signs than those which this man has done?"

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?

Weymouth's New Testament
But from among the crowd a large number believed in Him. "When the Christ comes," they said, "will He perform more miracles than this teacher has performed?"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And many of the puple bileueden in hym, and seiden, Whanne Crist schal come, whether he schal do mo tokenes, than tho that this doith?

Update Bible Version
But of the multitude many believed on him; and they said, When the Christ shall come, will he do more signs than those which this man has done?

Webster's Bible Translation
And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this [man] hath done?

New English Translation
Yet many of the crowd believed in him and said, "Whenever the Christ comes, he won't perform more miraculous signs than this man did, will he?"

New King James Version
And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"

New Living Translation
Many among the crowds at the Temple believed in him. "After all," they said, "would you expect the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?"

New Life Bible
Many of the people believed in Him. They said, "When Christ comes, will He do more powerful works than this Man?"

New Revised Standard
Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were saying, "When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, from amongst the multitude, many, believed on him, and were saying - The Christ, whensoever he cometh, greater signs, will he do, than those which, this one, did?

Douay-Rheims Bible
But of the people many believed in him and said: When the Christ cometh, shall he do more miracles than this man doth?

Revised Standard Version
Yet many of the people believed in him; they said, "When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?"

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Many of the people beleved on him and sayde: when Christ cometh will he do moo miracles then this man hath done?

Young's Literal Translation
and many out of the multitude did believe in him, and said -- `The Christ -- when he may come -- will he do more signs than these that this one did?'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But many of the people beleued on him, and sayde: Whan Christ commeth, shall he do mo tokens, then this doth?

Mace New Testament (1729)
besides many of the people believed on him, and said, when Christ comes, will he do more miracles than this man hath done?

Simplified Cowboy Version
Still, there were a lot of cowboys who had been listening and started to believe in him. They said to others, "He's doing everything the Good Book said the Messiah, or God's Top Hand, would do."

Contextual Overview

¹⁴With the Feast already half over, Jesus showed up in the Temple, teaching. The Jews were impressed, but puzzled: "How does he know so much without being schooled?" ¹⁶Jesus said, "I didn't make this up. What I teach comes from the One who sent me. Anyone who wants to do his will can test this teaching and know whether it's from God or whether I'm making it up. A person making things up tries to make himself look good. But someone trying to honor the one who sent him sticks to the facts and doesn't tamper with reality. It was Moses, wasn't it, who gave you God's Law? But none of you are living it. So why are you trying to kill me?" ²⁰ The crowd said, "You're crazy! Who's trying to kill you? You're demon-possessed." ²¹Jesus said, "I did one miraculous thing a few months ago, and you're still standing around getting all upset, wondering what I'm up to. Moses prescribed circumcision—originally it came not from Moses but from his ancestors—and so you circumcise a man, dealing with one part of his body, even if it's the Sabbath. You do this in order to preserve one item in the Law of Moses. So why are you upset with me because I made a man's whole body well on the Sabbath? Don't be nitpickers; use your head—and heart!—to discern what is right, to test what is authentically right." ²⁵That's when some of the people of Jerusalem said, "Isn't this the one they were out to kill? And here he is out in the open, saying whatever he pleases, and no one is stopping him. Could it be that the rulers know that he is, in fact, the Messiah? And yet we know where this man came from. The Messiah is going to come out of nowhere. Nobody is going to know where he comes from." ²⁸That provoked Jesus, who was teaching in the Temple, to cry out, "Yes, you think you know me and where I'm from, but that's not where I'm from. I didn't set myself up in business. My true origin is in the One who sent me, and you don't know him at all. I come from him—that's how I know him. He sent me here." ³⁰They were looking for a way to arrest him, but not a hand was laid on him because it wasn't yet God's time. Many from the crowd committed themselves in faith to him, saying, "Will the Messiah, when he comes, provide better or more convincing evidence than this?" ³²The Pharisees, alarmed at this seditious undertow going through the crowd, teamed up with the high priests and sent their police to arrest him. Jesus rebuffed them: "I am with you only a short time. Then I go on to the One who sent me. You will look for me, but you won't find me. Where I am, you can't come." ³⁵The Jews put their heads together. "Where do you think he is going that we won't be able to find him? Do you think he is about to travel to the Greek world to teach the Jews? What is he talking about, anyway: ‘You will look for me, but you won't find me,' and ‘Where I am, you can't come'?"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

believed: John 2:23, John 2:24, John 4:39, John 6:14, John 6:15, John 8:30-32, John 12:42, Matthew 12:23, Luke 8:13, Acts 8:13, James 2:26

When: John 3:2, John 6:2, John 9:16, John 10:41, John 10:42, Matthew 11:3-6

Reciprocal: Mark 2:12 - We never John 7:41 - This is John 10:25 - the works John 15:24 - If Acts 2:22 - a man

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And many of the people believed on him,.... Whilst some were displeased at his doctrine, others were induced by his miracles to believe on him, as an extraordinary person, if not the Messiah; and these were the common people, especially those that came out of the country; for the city Jews, and above all the rulers, were very averse to him: and it is easy to observe, that faith in Christ, and true religion, spread and flourish most among the meaner sort of people.

And said, when Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this [man] hath done? referring not so much to the miracles many of them might have seen done by him in other parts of Judea, and in Galilee; nor only to those he had done in the preceding feasts at Jerusalem, but to those that were done by him now, though not recorded by the evangelist. The Jews expected many miracles to be wrought by the Messiah when he came, and they had good reason for it from Isaiah 35:5. To these Christ sends John the Baptist, and the Jews, for proofs of his being the Messiah, Matthew 11:4; and by these he was approved of God as such, Acts 2:23. And it is certain that the ancient Jews expected miracles in the days of the Messiah.

"Says R. Simeon to Eleazar his son, Eleazar, at the time that the King Messiah is raised up, how many "signs and other wonders" will be done in the world? a little after, from that day all the signs, and "wonders", and "mighty works", which the holy blessed God did in Egypt, he will do to the Israelites, as it is said, Micah 7:15, "according to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt, will I show unto him marvellous things" n.''

So the Targumist on Isaiah 53:8 paraphrases thus,

"from afflictions and punishment he will deliver our captivity, and "the wonderful things" which shall be done for us in his days, who can tell?''

It is true indeed that the modern Jews have laid aside such expectations, and pretend they were not looked for formerly. Maimonides says o,

"let it not enter into thy heart, that the King Messiah hath need to do signs and wonders (as that he shall renew things in the world, or raise the dead, and the like; these are things which fools speak of); the thing is not so.''

And he instances in Ben Coziba, who set up for the Messiah, of whom R. Akiba, and the rest of the wise men of that age, did not require a sign or miracle: yet this same writer elsewhere says p, that

"all nations shall make peace with the Messiah, and serve him, because of his great righteousness, and the miracles which shall be done by him.''

n Zohar in Exod. fol. 3. 4. & 4. 2. o Hilchot Melakim, c. 11. sect. 3. p In Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 11. sect. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Will he do more miracles? - It was a common expectation that the Messiah would work many miracles. This opinion was founded on such passages as Isaiah 35:5-6, etc.: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped; then shall the lame man leap as an hart,” etc. Jesus had given abundant evidence of his power to work such miracles, and they therefore believed that he was the Messiah.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 31. Will he do more miracles — It was the belief of the Jews, and they founded it upon Isaiah 35:5, that, when the Messiah came, he would do all kinds of miracles; and, in order that they might have the fullest proof of the Divine mission of Christ, it had pleased God to cause miracles to cease for between four and five hundred years, and that John the Baptist himself had not wrought any. His miracles, therefore, were a full proof of his Divine mission.