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So there arose a division in the multitude because of him.
John 7:43 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV So there was a division among the people because of him.
  • BSB So there was division in the crowd because of Jesus.
  • NKJV So there was a division among the people because of Him.
  • NASB So a dissension occurred in the crowd because of Him.
  • NLT So the crowd was divided about him.

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

So a division arose among the crowd because of Jesus. He proved to be a point of decision that split the people.

Overview

John notes that Jesus' words and person created a sharp division, a recurring theme in his Gospel (9:16; 10:19). The light of Christ inevitably separates those who believe from those who reject Him. This division reflects the unavoidable response Jesus demands: He cannot be met with indifference.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 7

  • John 9:16Some therefore of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” There was division among them.
  • John 10:19Therefore a division arose again among the Jews because of these words.
  • John 7:12There 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.”
  • Luke 12:51Do you think that I have come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, no, but rather division.
  • Acts 23:7–10When he had said this, an argument arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the crowd was divided.
  • Acts 14:4But the multitude of the city was divided. Part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles.
  • Matt 10:35For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

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 7:43YouTube · 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 7:43 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.