John 9:25

THE MESSAGE

He replied, "I know nothing about that one way or the other. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind... I now see."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He answered, “Whether or not he’s a sinner, I don’t know. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see!”

King James Version (1611)
He answered, and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see.

King James Version
He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

English Standard Version
He answered, "Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see."

New American Standard Bible
He then answered, "Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see."

New Century Version
He answered, "I don't know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I see."

Amplified Bible
Then he answered, "I do not know whether He is a sinner [separated from God]; but one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
He then answered, "Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see."

Legacy Standard Bible
He then answered, "Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see."

Berean Standard Bible
He answered, "Whether He is a sinner I do not know. There is one thing I do know: I was blind, but now I see!"

Contemporary English Version
The man replied, "I don't know if he is a sinner or not. All I know is that I used to be blind, but now I can see!"

Complete Jewish Bible
He answered, "Whether he's a sinner or not I don't know. One thing I do know: I was blind, now I see."

Darby Translation
He answered therefore, If he is sinful I know not. One thing I know, that, being blind [before], now I see.

Easy-to-Read Version
The man answered, "I don't know if he is a sinner. But I do know this: I was blind, and now I can see."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then he answered, and sayd, Whether hee be a sinner or no, I can not tell: one thing I know, that I was blinde, and nowe I see.

George Lamsa Translation
He answered and said to them, If he is a sinner I do not know; but I do know one thing, that I was blind, and now behold, I see.

Good News Translation
"I do not know if he is a sinner or not," the man replied. "One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I see."

Lexham English Bible
Then that man replied, "Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I know—that although I was blind, now I see!"

Literal Translation
Then he answered and said, Whether He is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know; that being blind, now I see.

American Standard Version
He therefore answered, Whether he is a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

Bible in Basic English
He said in answer, I have no knowledge if he is a sinner or not, but one thing I am certain about; I was blind, and now I see.

Hebrew Names Version
He therefore answered, "I don't know if he is a sinner. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see."

International Standard Version
But he responded, "I don't know whether he is a sinner or not. The one thing I do know is that I used to be blind and now I can see!"

Etheridge Translation
He answered and said to them, Whether he be a sinner, I know not; but one (thing) I know, that I have been blind, and now, behold, I see.

Murdock Translation
He replied, and said to them: Whether he is a sinner, I know not; but, one thing I know, that I was blind, and lo, now I see.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
He aunswered, and sayde: Whether he be a sinner or no, I can not tell: One thyng I am sure of, that wheras I was blynde, nowe I see.

English Revised Version
He therefore answered, Whether he be a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

World English Bible
He therefore answered, "I don't know if he is a sinner. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
He answered and said, That he is a sinner I know not: one thing I know, that I was blind, and now see.

Weymouth's New Testament
"Whether he is a sinner or not, I do not know," he replied; "one thing I know--that I was once blind and that now I can see."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thanne he seide, If he is a synnere, Y woot neuer; o thing Y woot, that whanne Y was blynd, now Y se.

Update Bible Version
He therefore answered, Whether he is a sinner, I don't know: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

Webster's Bible Translation
He answered and said, Whether he is a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see.

New English Translation
He replied, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. I do know one thing—that although I was blind, now I can see."

New King James Version
He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see."

New Living Translation
"I don't know whether he is a sinner," the man replied. "But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!"

New Life Bible
The man who had been blind said to them, "I do not know if He is a sinner or not. One thing I know. I was blind, but now I can see."

New Revised Standard
He answered, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
He, therefore, answered - Whether he is a sinner, I know not: One thing, I know, - That, whereas I was, blind, now, I see!

Douay-Rheims Bible
He said therefore to them: If he be a sinner, I know not. One thing I know, that whereas I was blind. now I see.

Revised Standard Version
He answered, "Whether he is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
He answered and sayde: Whyther he be a synner or noo I cannot tell: One thinge I am sure of that I was blynde and now I se.

Young's Literal Translation
he answered, therefore, and said, `If he be a sinner -- I have not known, one thing I have known, that, being blind, now I see.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He answered, & sayde: Whether he be a synner or no, I can not tell: one thinge am I sure off, that I was blynde, and now I se.

Mace New Testament (1729)
whether he be so or not, said he, I don't know: one thing I very well know, that once I was blind, and now I see.

Simplified Cowboy Version
The man said, "Whether Jesus is some kind of swindler, I do not know. But I'll tell you what I do know. I once was blind, but now I see!"

Contextual Overview

¹³They marched the man to the Pharisees. This day when Jesus made the paste and healed his blindness was the Sabbath. The Pharisees grilled him again on how he had come to see. He said, "He put a clay paste on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see." ¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, "Obviously, this man can't be from God. He doesn't keep the Sabbath." Others countered, "How can a bad man do miraculous, God-revealing things like this?" There was a split in their ranks. ¹⁷ They came back at the blind man, "You're the expert. He opened your eyes. What do you say about him?" He said, "He is a prophet." ¹⁸The Jews didn't believe it, didn't believe the man was blind to begin with. So they called the parents of the man now bright-eyed with sight. They asked them, "Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? So how is it that he now sees?" ²⁰His parents said, "We know he is our son, and we know he was born blind. But we don't know how he came to see—haven't a clue about who opened his eyes. Why don't you ask him? He's a grown man and can speak for himself." (His parents were talking like this because they were intimidated by the Jewish leaders, who had already decided that anyone who took a stand that this was the Messiah would be kicked out of the meeting place. That's why his parents said, "Ask him. He's a grown man.") ²⁴ They called the man back a second time—the man who had been blind—and told him, "Give credit to God. We know this man is an impostor." ²⁵ He replied, "I know nothing about that one way or the other. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind... I now see." ²⁶ They said, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" ²⁷ "I've told you over and over and you haven't listened. Why do you want to hear it again? Are you so eager to become his disciples?" ²⁸With that they jumped all over him. "You might be a disciple of that man, but we're disciples of Moses. We know for sure that God spoke to Moses, but we have no idea where this man even comes from."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

one: John 9:30, John 5:11, 1 John 5:10

Reciprocal: Song of Solomon 8:1 - I would John 5:15 - which John 9:39 - that they

Cross-References

Genesis 3:14
God told the serpent: "Because you've done this, you're cursed, cursed beyond all cattle and wild animals, Cursed to slink on your belly and eat dirt all your life. I'm declaring war between you and the Woman, between your offspring and hers. He'll wound your head, you'll wound his heel."

Genesis 9:8
Then God spoke to Noah and his sons: "I'm setting up my covenant with you including your children who will come after you, along with everything alive around you—birds, farm animals, wild animals—that came out of the ship with you. I'm setting up my covenant with you that never again will everything living be destroyed by floodwaters; no, never again will a flood destroy the Earth."

Genesis 9:20
Noah, a farmer, was the first to plant a vineyard. He drank from its wine, got drunk and passed out, naked in his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and told his two brothers who were outside the tent. Shem and Japheth took a cloak, held it between them from their shoulders, walked backward and covered their father's nakedness, keeping their faces turned away so they did not see their father's exposed body.

Genesis 9:28
Noah lived another 350 years following the flood. He lived a total of 950 years. And he died.

Genesis 49:7
A curse on their uncontrolled anger, on their indiscriminate wrath. I'll throw them out with the trash; I'll shred and scatter them like confetti throughout Israel.

Matthew 25:41
"Then he will turn to the ‘goats,' the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because— I was hungry and you gave me no meal, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was homeless and you gave me no bed, I was shivering and you gave me no clothes, Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'

John 8:34
Jesus said, "I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave. A slave is a transient, who can't come and go at will. The Son, though, has an established position, the run of the house. So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through. I know you are Abraham's descendants. But I also know that you are trying to kill me because my message hasn't yet penetrated your thick skulls. I'm talking about things I have seen while keeping company with the Father, and you just go on doing what you have heard from your father."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He answered and said,.... That is, the man who had been blind, who takes no notice of the confession they pressed him to, which is what he could not do; there being no collusion in this case, he only replies to the reproachful character they had given of his benefactor.

Whether he be a sinner or not, I know not: or "if he is a sinner I know not", as the Vulgate Latin version renders it, suggesting that he did not know he was a sinner; he could not charge him with being one; nor could he join with them in saying he was a sinner; nor did he think and believe he was: however, he was sure he had done a good thing to him, and in that he was no sinner; and what proof they had of his being one he could not tell: and be that as it will, adds he,

one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see; as if he should say, whatever charges you bring against the person that has done me this favour, which I am not able to answer to, you cannot reason me out of this; this I am sure of, that once I had no eyes to see with, and now I have, and that by the means of this man you reproach. And so it is with persons enlightened in a spiritual sense, whatever things they may be ignorant of, though they may not know the exact time of their conversion, nor have so much Gospel light and knowledge as others, or be so capable of expressing themselves, or giving such a distinct and orderly account of the work of God upon them as some can, nor dispute with an adversary for the truths of the Gospel, or have that faith of assurance, and discoveries of God's love, and the application of such great and precious promises as others have; yet this they know, that they were once blind, as to the knowledge of spiritual things, as to a saving knowledge of God in Christ, as to a true sight and sense of themselves, their sins and lost estate, as to the way of righteousness and salvation by Christ, or the work of the Spirit of God upon their souls, or as to any true and spiritual discerning of the Scriptures, and the doctrines of grace in them: but now they are comfortably assured, they see the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the plague of their own hearts, the insufficiency of their righteousness to justify them before God, and the beauty, fulness, suitableness, and ability of Christ as a Saviour; and that their salvation is, and must be of free grace; and that they see the truths of the Gospel in another light than they did before, and have some glimpse of eternal glory and happiness, in the hope of which they rejoice.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not - The man had just said that he believed Jesus to be a prophet, John 9:17. By his saying that he did not know whether he was a sinner may be meant that though he might be a prophet, yet that he might not be perfect; or that it did not become him, being an obscure and unlearned man, to attempt to determine that question. What follows shows that he did not believe that he was a sinner, and these words were probably spoken in irony to deride the Pharisees. They were perverse and full of cavils, and were determined not to believe. The man reminded them that the question was not whether Jesus was a sinner; that, though that might be, yet it did not settle the other question about opening his eyes, which was the chief point of the inquiry.

One thing I know ... - About this he could have no doubt. He disregarded, therefore, their cavils. We may learn, also, here:

1. That this declaration may be made by every converted sinner. He may not be able to meet the cavils of others. He may not be able to tell how he was converted. It is enough if he can say, “I was a sinner, but now love God; I was in darkness, but have now been brought to the light of truth.”
2. We should not be ashamed of the fact that we are made to see by the Son of God. No cavil or derision of men should deter us from such an avowal.
3. Sinners are perpetually shifting the real point of inquiry. They do not inquire into the facts. They assume that a thing cannot be true, and then argue as if that was a conceded point. The proper way in religion is first to inquire into the facts, and then account for them as we can.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 25. Whereas I was blind, now I see. — He pays no attention to their cavils, nor to their perversion of justice; but, in the simplicity of his heart, speaks to the fact, of the reality of which he was ready to give them the most substantial evidence.