John 7:40

7:40-53 The malice of Christ's enemies is always against reason, and sometimes the staying of it cannot be accounted for. Never any man spake with that wisdom, and power, and grace, that convincing clearness, and that sweetness, wherewith Christ spake. Alas, that many, who are for a time restrained, and who speak highly of the word of Jesus, speedily lose their convictions, and go on in their sins! People are foolishly swayed by outward motives in matters of eternal moment, are willing even to be damned for fashion's sake. As the wisdom of God often chooses things which men despise, so the folly of men commonly despises those whom God has chosen. The Lord brings forward his weak and timid disciples, and sometimes uses them to defeat the designs of his enemies.

John 7:40-44 . Many of the people therefore — Even the officers sent to apprehend Christ, (see John 7:46 ,) as welt as many others of our Lord’s hearers; when they heard this saying — Namely, the gracious invitation above mentioned, which indeed was a more free declaration and promise than he commonly made, were so affected thereby, that they exclaimed, Of a truth this is the Prophet — Namely, the prophet like unto Moses, mentioned Deuteronomy 18:15 . For, as the article is prefixed, it is most natural to render the expression, the prophet. And yet, as in the next verse this prophet is distinguished from the Christ; perhaps they only intended to signify that they thought one of the ancient prophets was revived. For many of the Jews supposed, that not only Elias, but also another of the prophets, would appear again among them, before the coming of the Messiah: to which opinion the question put to John, ( John 1:21 ,) Art thou that prophet, may be considered as referring. See the note there. Others said, This is the Christ — The Messiah himself. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? — This they spoke because they were led away with a common mistake, that Jesus was born in Nazareth. Hath not the Scripture said, &c. — Is not your acknowledging a Galilean for the Messiah contrary to the Scriptures, which have determined his nativity to Bethlehem, the town of his ancestor David? But how could they forget that Jesus was born there?

Had not Herod the Great given them terrible reason to remember it, by the general massacre made of all the infants in that town and neighbourhood. So there was a division among the people because of him — They were divided in their sentiments, and a warm dissension took place among them on his account. And some would have taken him — The contention was carried to such a height, that his enemies, considering him as the cause of it, and knowing on what errand the officers were come, threatened to apprehend him, and would have done it, had they not been restrained by the providence of God.

{16} Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. (16) There is contention even in the Church itself about the main point of religion: neither has Christ any more cruel enemies than those that occupy the seat of truth: yet they cannot do what they would.

The Prophet mentioned Deu 18:15 . Some think that the Jews expected an eminent prophet, besides Elias, to come before the Messiah; and John 1:21 would incline us to think so. But others say, it cannot be proved from their writers, that they had any expectations of any but Elias and the Messiah. But the words may be read as well, this is a prophet, as this is the prophet; and I think that is the true sense of them. A prophet had now for more than four hundred years been a great rarity amongst them, they having had none but John the Baptist who had such a repute.

40–52 . Opposite Results of the Discourse 40 . Many of the people , &c.] According to the best authorities; Of the multitude, therefore, some, when they heard these words, were saying , or, began to say . Of a truth this is the Prophet ] The Prophet of Deuteronomy 18:15 , whom some identified with the Messiah, others supposed would be the fore-runner of the Messiah. Here he is plainly distinguished from the Messiah. See on John 1:21 and John 6:14 .

(40) Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying . . . —The reading of the best MSS. is, “Some of the people therefore, when they heard these sayings.” Of a truth this is the prophet—i.e., the Prophet foretold by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15. (Comp. Notes on John 1:21; John 6:14.)

John 7:40-43 . Ἐκ τοῦ ὄχλου οὖν ἀκούσαντες τῶν λόγων τούτων (see the critical notes), κ . τ . λ . Now, at the close of all Christ’s discourses delivered at the feast ( John 7:14-39 ), these verses set before us the various impressions which they produced upon the people with reference to their estimate of Christ’s person. “From among the people, many, after they had heard these words, now said,” etc. With ἐκ τοῦ ὄχλου we must supply τινές , as in John 16:17 ; Buttmann, N. T. Gr . p. 138 [E. T. p. 159]; Xen. Mem . iv. 5. 22; and Bornem. in loc . By ὁ προφήτης , as in John 1:21 , is meant the prophet promised Deuteronomy 18:15 , not as being himself the Messiah, but a prophet preceding Him, a more minute description of whom is not given. μὴ γὰρ ἐκ τ . Γαλ ., κ . τ . λ .] “ and yet surely the, Messiah does not come out of Galilee ?” Γάρ refers to the assertion of the ἄλλοι , and assigns the reason for the contradiction of it which οἱ δὲ ἔλεγον indicates. See Hartung, Partikell . I. 475; Baeumlein, Partik . p. 73. Christ’s birth at Bethlehem was unknown to the multitude. John, however, records all the various opinions in a purely objective manner; and we must not suppose, from the absence of any correction on his part, that the birth at Bethlehem was unknown to the evangelist himself (De Wette, Weisse, Keim; comp. Scholten). Baur (p. 169) employs this passage and John 7:52 in order to deny to the author any historical interest in the composition of his work.