He therefore answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see.”
Parallel translations
- KJV He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
- BSB He answered, “Whether He is a sinner I do not know. There is one thing I do know: I was blind, but now I see!”
- NKJV He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”
- NASB He then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
- NLT “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”
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 man refuses to judge whether Jesus is a sinner but testifies, "Though I was blind, now I see." He holds firmly to what he personally knows.
Overview
Declining to debate Jesus' moral status, the man anchors his testimony in undeniable experience: he was blind and now sees. His simple, honest witness cuts through the leaders' pressure. This verse beautifully illustrates the power of personal testimony to Christ's transforming work, a reality no argument could overturn.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- 1 Jn 5:10He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who doesn’t believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.
- John 9:30The man answered them, “How amazing! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.
- John 5:11He answered them, “He who made me well, the same said to me, ‘Take up your mat, and walk.’”
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 9:25 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.