Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
Parallel translations
- WEB The Jews therefore came around him and said to him, “How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
- BSB So the Jews gathered around Him and demanded, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
- NKJV Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
- NASB The Jews then surrounded Him and began saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
- NLT The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
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
The Jews press Jesus to tell them plainly whether He is the Christ. They demand a clear declaration of His identity.
Overview
Their request sounds sincere but reflects unbelief, for Jesus' words and works had already borne abundant witness. The phrase 'hold us in suspense' suggests impatience rather than genuine seeking. Their demand sets up Jesus' pointed reply about His sheep.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Luke 22:67–70Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe:
- John 1:19And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
- 1 Kgs 18:21And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
- John 8:25Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.
- John 8:53Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?
- Matt 11:3And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
- John 9:22These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
- 2 Cor 3:12Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
- John 16:25These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.
- Luke 3:15And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;
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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 10:24 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.