Then the chief priests and Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs.
Parallel translations
- WEB The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, “What are we doing? For this man does many signs.
- KJV Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
- NKJV Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs.
- NASB Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council meeting, and they were saying, “What are we doing in regard to the fact that this Man is performing many signs?
- NLT Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs.
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 chief priests and Pharisees convene a council, alarmed at Jesus' many signs. They cannot deny his works, only oppose them.
Overview
The leaders gather to address the threat Jesus poses, acknowledging that he performs many signs. Tellingly, they do not dispute the miracles but fear their consequences. Their council begins the formal movement toward condemning Jesus, fulfilling the pattern of rejection John traces throughout his Gospel.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Matt 26:3At that time the chief priests and elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,
- Acts 4:16–17“What shall we do with these men?” they asked. “It is clear to everyone living in Jerusalem that a remarkable miracle has occurred through them, and we cannot deny it.
- Matt 5:22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.
- John 2:11Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
- John 12:19Then the Pharisees said to one another, “You can see that this is doing you no good. Look how the whole world has gone after Him!”
- John 11:57But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where He was must report it, so that they could arrest Him.
- Acts 4:5–6The next day the rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem,
- Matt 27:1–2When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death.
- Acts 5:21At daybreak the apostles entered the temple courts as they had been told and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles.
- Ps 2:2–4The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One:
- Luke 22:2and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death; for they feared the people.
- Acts 4:27–28In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed.
- Mark 14:1Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were two days away, and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a covert way to arrest Jesus and kill Him.
- Acts 5:24When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this account, they were perplexed as to what was happening.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 11:47 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.