JOHN
Study Notes—Chapter 9
the night is coming: In the Bible, the word “night” is sometimes used in a figurative sense. Jesus is here referring to the time of his trial, execution, and death when he would be unable to engage in the works of his Father.—Job 10:21, 22; Ec 9:10; compare study note on Lu 22:53.
the saliva: On three occasions recorded in the Bible, Jesus used his saliva when miraculously healing someone. (Mr 7:31-37; 8:22-26; Joh 9:1-7) Saliva was commonly used in folk remedies, but Jesus’ miracles were performed under the power of God’s spirit. Therefore, it was not his saliva that healed people. The man born blind was told: “Go wash in the pool of Siloam” before he received his sight. (Joh 9:7) This was undoubtedly a test of his faith, just as bathing in the Jordan River was required of Naaman before he was freed from his leprosy.—2Ki 5:10-14.
pool of Siloam: The remains of a first-century C.E. pool thought to be the pool of Siloam have been found S of the temple mount. It is at the base of the southern spur on which the ancient city was first built, near the junction of the Tyropoeon Valley with the Kidron Valley. (See App. B12.) Siloam is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name “Shiloah,” which may be related to the Hebrew verb sha·lachʹ, meaning “to send (out).” Thus, John translates the meaning of the name Siloam as Sent Forth. At Isa 8:6, where the Hebrew name Shiloah designates a water conduit or canal as part of Jerusalem’s water supply, the Septuagint uses the name Siloam. The pool of Siloam was supplied with water from the Gihon Spring, which intermittently gushes, or sends forth, water. The name Siloam may be related to this. At Joh 9:7, a number of translations of the Christian Greek Scriptures into Hebrew (referred to as J7-14, 16-18, 22 in App. C4) use the term “Shiloah.”
the Jews: Apparently referring to the Jewish authorities or religious leaders.—See study note on Joh 7:1.
He is of age: Or “He is old enough.” The expression might refer to the age at which men qualified for military service under the Mosaic Law, which was 20. (Nu 1:3) This fits with the fact that he is called “a man” (Joh 9:1), not a child, and that he had been a beggar (Joh 9:8). Some consider the expression as referring to the age of legal maturity in Jewish society, which was 13.
the Jews: Apparently referring to the Jewish authorities or religious leaders.—See study note on Joh 7:1.
expelled from the synagogue: Or “excommunicated; banned from the synagogue.” The Greek adjective a·po·sy·naʹgo·gos is used only here and at Joh 12:42 and 16:2. An expelled person would be shunned and scorned as a social outcast. Such cutting off of fellowship from other Jews would have severe economic consequences for the family. The synagogues, which were used primarily for education, to some extent were also used as places for local courts that had the power to inflict the penalties of scourging and excommunication.—See study note on Mt 10:17.
Give glory to God: An idiomatic expression used to put a person under obligation to tell the truth. The intended meaning of the idiom could be conveyed by saying: “Give glory to God by speaking the truth” or “Speak the truth before God.”—Compare Jos 7:19.
did obeisance to him: Or “bowed down to him; prostrated himself to him; paid him homage.” When the Greek verb pro·sky·neʹo is used to refer to the rendering of worship to a god or a deity, it is translated “to worship.” (Mt 4:10; Lu 4:8) In this context, however, the healed man, who was born blind, recognized Jesus as God’s representative and did obeisance to him. He viewed him, not as God or a deity, but as the foretold “Son of man,” the Messiah with divine authority. (Joh 9:35) When he bowed down to Jesus, he apparently did so in a way similar to that of people mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures. They bowed down when meeting prophets, kings, or other representatives of God. (1Sa 25:23, 24; 2Sa 14:4-7; 1Ki 1:16; 2Ki 4:36, 37) On many occasions, the obeisance done to Jesus expressed a gratitude for divine revelation or recognition of divine favor like that expressed in earlier times.—Mt 14:32, 33; 28:5-10, 16-18; Lu 24:50-52; see also study notes on Mt 2:2; 8:2; 14:33; 15:25.