His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
Parallel translations
- KJV And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
- BSB and His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
- NKJV And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
- NASB And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?”
- NLT “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”
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 disciples ask whether the man's blindness was caused by his sin or his parents' sin. They assume suffering must be punishment for specific sin.
Overview
Reflecting a common assumption, the disciples seek to assign blame for the man's condition. Their question reveals a simplistic link between particular sin and particular suffering. Jesus' answer will correct this view, redirecting attention from cause to God's redemptive purpose, a theme that comforts believers facing affliction.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Luke 13:2Jesus answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered such things?
- John 9:34They answered him, “You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” They threw him out.
- Exod 20:5you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me,
- Acts 28:4When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped from the sea, yet Justice has not allowed to live.”
- Matt 16:14They said, “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
- Matt 23:7the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’ by men.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 9:2 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.