So the crowd was divided about him.
Parallel translations
- WEB So there arose a division in the multitude because of him.
- 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.
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
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 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.