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Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and insane. Why would you listen to Him?”
John 10:20 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane! Why do you listen to him?”
  • KJV And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
  • NKJV And many of them said, “He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?”
  • NASB Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?”
  • NLT Some said, “He’s demon possessed and out of his mind. Why listen to a man like that?”

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Many accuse Jesus of being demon-possessed and insane, urging others not to listen. They dismiss His claims as madness.

Overview

Unable to refute His works, His opponents attack His sanity and attribute His words to a demon. This charge recurs in the Gospels against Jesus. It shows the hardness of those who reject the shepherd's voice.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 13

  • John 7:20“You have a demon,” the crowd replied. “Who is trying to kill You?”
  • Mark 3:21When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”
  • John 8:52“Now we know that You have a demon!” declared the Jews. “Abraham died, and so did the prophets, yet You say that anyone who keeps Your word will never taste death.
  • John 8:47–48Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
  • John 7:46–52“Never has anyone spoken like this man!” the officers answered.
  • Acts 26:24At this stage of Paul’s defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You are insane, Paul! Your great learning is driving you to madness!”
  • Acts 25:19–20They only had some contentions with him regarding their own religion and a certain Jesus who had died, but whom Paul affirmed to be alive.
  • John 9:28–29Then they heaped insults on him and said, “You are His disciple; we are disciples of Moses.
  • Acts 18:14–15But just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio told the Jews, “If this matter involved a wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to hear your complaint.
  • Isa 53:8By oppression and judgment He was taken away, and who can recount His descendants? For He was cut off from the land of the living; He was stricken for the transgression of My people.
  • Matt 9:34But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that He drives out demons.”
  • Matt 10:25It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
  • Acts 26:30–32Then the king and the governor rose, along with Bernice and those seated with them.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — John videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on John 10:20YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JohnMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.

How John 10:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.