John 2:24

2:23-25 Our Lord knew all men, their nature, dispositions, affections, designs, so as we do not know any man, not even ourselves. He knows his crafty enemies, and all their secret projects; his false friends, and their true characters. He knows who are truly his, knows their uprightness, and knows their weaknesses. We know what is done by men; Christ knows what is in them, he tries the heart. Beware of a dead faith, or a formal profession: carnal, empty professors are not to be trusted, and however men impose on others or themselves, they cannot impose on the heart-searching God.

But Jesus (αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Ἱησοῦς) The αὐτὸς, which does not appear in translation, has the force of on His part, marking the contrast with those just mentioned. Did not commit (οὐκ ἐπίστευτεν) Rev., trust. There is a kind of word-play between this and ἐπίστευσαν, believed, in the preceding verse. Wyc. reproduces it: "Jesus himself believed not himself to them." He did not trust His person to them. Tynd., put not himself in their hands. "He had no faith in their faith" (Godet). Because He knew (διὰ τὸ αὐτὸν γινώσκειν) Literally, on account of the fact of His knowing. John describes the Lord's knowledge by two words which it is important to distinguish. Γινώσκειν, as here, implies acquired knowledge; knowledge which is the result of discernment and which may be enlarged. This knowledge may be drawn from external facts (John 5:6; John 6:15) or from spiritual sympathy (John 10:14, John 10:27; John 17:25). Εἰδέναι (John 1:26) implies absolute knowledge: the knowledge of intuition and of satisfied conviction. Hence it is used of Christ's knowledge of divine things (John 3:11; John 5:32; John 7:29), Of the facts of His own being (John 6:6; John 8:14; John 13:1), and of external facts (John 6:61, John 6:64; John 13:11). In John 21:17 the two words appear together. Peter says to Jesus, appealing to His absolute knowledge, "Thou knowest (οἶδας) all things:" appealing to his discernment, "Thou knowest or perceivest (γινώσκεις) that I love Thee."

Christ did not take all these seeming believers into his bosom, nor call them after him, nor maintain any familiar fellowship and communion with them; but made haste again into Galilee, till his time was come, knowing that in so public a place of danger they were not to be trusted; for being God blessed for ever, he had knowledge of the hearts of all men.

John 2:24 . Αὐτός ) Himself .— οὐκ ἐπίστευεν ἑαυτόν , He did not commit Himself ) He did not descend to too great familiarity with them (Septuag., Job 29:24 , εἰ ἐγέλων πρὸς αὐτοὺς , οὐκ ἐπίστευον , “If I laughed on them, they believed it not):” He did not reveal to them the things which it was not yet the full time for revealing. [ In fact, He left the city, when the passover feast was either not yet, or scarcely, finished, for this reason, because those men were already meditating with themselves the plots, which broke out more openly , ch. John 5:16 ; John 5:18 , “The Jews sought to slay Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath day:” and also “said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God;” John 7:1 , “He would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill Him:” for it was not then as yet the time for His submitting Himself to encounter their hatred. Without doubt it was, as having a secret surmise of these things, that Nicodemus had the interview with Him by night.— Harm. , p. 163.]—The antithesis to οὐκ ἐπίστευεν ἑαυτόν is ἐπίστευσαν , many believed , John 2:23 .— αὐτόν ) Himself , of Himself, knew all men.— γινώσκειν , knew ) Often John so uses the word γινώσκειν , to know , of Jesus having cognizance of all things, without information given Him by man: ch.

(24) But beneath this shallow surface there is the unbroken ledge of rock. They are easily moved just because they are not deeply moved. The eye which looked at, looked into, others (comp. John 1:47 et seq. ) , saw to the very depth of their hearts too, and knew all. It saw in that depth that the true inner man did not believe, did not commit itself to Him; it found not the spiritual receptivity, and there could not therefore be the spiritual revelation. He, on His part, did not commit Himself unto them. (Comp. John 8:31 , Note.) Our version gives the correct sense, but it should be noted that “believed” in John 2:23 , and “commit” here, represent the same Greek word.

Did not commit himself - The word translated "commit" here is the same which in John 2:23 is translated "believed." It means to put "trust" or "confidence in." Jesus did not put "trust" or "reliance" in them. He did not leave himself in their hands. He acted cautiously and prudently. The proper time for him to die had not come, and he secured his own safety. The reason why he did not commit himself to them is "that he knew all men." He knew the "inconstancy" and "fickleness" of the multitude. He knew how easily they might be turned against him by the Jewish leaders, and how unsafe he would be if they should be moved to sedition and tumult.

John 2:24-25 . Αὐτὸς δὲ , κ . τ . λ .] But He on His part , though they on their part, on account of His miracles, believed on Him. οὐκ ἐπίστ . ἑαυτόν ] an intentional antithesis to the preceding ἐπίστ . εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ . Observe the emphatic ἑαυτόν : it must not be taken as meaning “He kept back His doctrine from them” (Chrysostom, Kuinoel, and many), or “ His work ” (Ebrard); but He did not trust Himself, i.e. His own person , to them; He refrained from any closer personal intercourse with them. Without any such reserve on His part, rather with confident self-surrender, had He given Himself to His intimate Galilean friends. Towards the Jews in Jerusalem, on whom, from His knowledge of the human heart, He could not bestow this self-devotion, because there were wanting in them the inward moral conditions necessary thereto, His bearing was more strange and distant. Observe the imperfects ἐπίστευεν and ἐγίνωσκε . διὰ τὸ αὐτὸν γινώσκ . πάντ .] because He Himself (as in the following αὐτός ) knew all men , universal. Respecting none did His personal knowledge fail Him with regard to the state of his moral feeling. καὶ ὅτι , κ . τ . λ .] negative expression of the same thought in the popular form of a still further reason. ἵνα ] not instead of the infinitive construction ( Matthew 3:14 al. ), but the object of the need is conceived of in the form of a purpose which the person needing guidance entertains. Comp.

John 16:30 ; 1 John 2:27 . περὶ τοῦ ἀνθρ .] does not apply to Jesus Himself (“concerning Him as man,” Ewald), but concerning any man with whom He had at any time to do. See Bernhardy, p. 315; Winer, p. 109 [E. T. p. 143]. αὐτός ] of Himself, i.e . αὐτοδίδακτος , Nonnus. See Herm. ad Viger . p. 733; Krüger, Anab . ii. 3. 7; comp. Clementine Homil . iii. 13 : ἀπείρῳ ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμῷ . τί ἦν ἐν τῷ ἀνθρ .] the inward, though not outwardly indicated capacity, character, disposition, and so on; τὸ κρυπτὸν τοῦ νοῦς , Origen. Comp. Nonnus: ὅσα φρενὸς ἔνδοθεν ἀνὴρ εἶχεν ἀκηρύκτῳ κεκαλυμμένα φάρεϊ σιγῆς . To this supernatural and immediate discernment , as possessed by Jesus, special prominence is often given by John. Comp. John 1:49-50 , John 4:19 ; John 4:29 , John 6:61 ; John 6:64 , John 11:4 ; John 11:15 , John 13:11 , John 16:19 , John 21:17 . It is the life expression of His divine essence ( Psalm 7:10 ; Psalm 139:2 ; Acts 15:8 ), like the working of miracles.