Many in the crowds were whispering about Him. Some said, “He is a good man.” But others replied, “No, He deceives the people.”
Parallel translations
- WEB There was much murmuring among the multitudes concerning him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others said, “Not so, but he leads the multitude astray.”
- KJV And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.
- NKJV And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, “He is good”; others said, “No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.”
- NASB And there was a great deal of talk about Him in secret among the crowds: some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He is misleading the people.”
- NLT There was a lot of grumbling about him among the crowds. Some argued, “He’s a good man,” but others said, “He’s nothing but a fraud who deceives the people.”
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 crowds were divided over Jesus, some calling Him a good man and others saying He deceives the people. The murmuring shows the polarizing effect of His person and claims.
Overview
This division anticipates the larger split John records throughout his Gospel: people must decide who Jesus is. The charge that He 'leads the multitude astray' echoes accusations later leveled at Him and recalls warnings against false prophets. Yet the very fact that Jesus forces such a decision points to His unique authority, for no one can remain neutral before the Son of God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 20
- John 7:40–43On hearing these words, some of the people said, “This is truly the Prophet.”
- John 9:16Because of this, some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was division among them.
- Acts 11:24Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
- John 7:47“Have you also been deceived?” replied the Pharisees.
- John 7:32When the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, they and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Him.
- John 7:52“Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”
- Luke 23:47When the centurion saw what had happened, he gave glory to God, saying, “Surely this was a righteous man.”
- Luke 6:45The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
- John 6:14When the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed, they began to say, “Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
- Rom 5:7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
- Luke 7:16A sense of awe swept over all of them, and they glorified God. “A great prophet has appeared among us!” they said. “God has visited His people!”
- 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!
- Luke 23:50Now there was a Council member named Joseph, a good and righteous man,
- Matt 21:46Although they wanted to arrest Him, they were afraid of the crowds, because the people regarded Him as a prophet.
- John 10:19–21Again there was division among the Jews because of Jesus’ message.
- Phil 2:14Do everything without complaining or arguing,
- Matt 27:63“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’
- Luke 18:19“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone.
- Matt 16:13–16When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
- John 7:25–27Then some of the people of Jerusalem began to say, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?
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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 7:12 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
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