Never before has anyone heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.
Parallel translations
- WEB Since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind.
- KJV Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.
- NKJV Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.
- NASB Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.
- NLT Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind.
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 notes that opening the eyes of someone born blind has never been heard of since the world began. The miracle is utterly unprecedented.
Overview
He emphasizes the unique and unparalleled nature of his healing, unmatched in all history. Such a sign points unmistakably to divine power at work. The verse builds his case that only one sent from God could perform it, magnifying the significance of Jesus' miracle.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Isa 64:4From ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.
- Job 20:4Do you not know that from antiquity, since man was placed on the earth,
- Luke 1:70as He spoke through His holy prophets, those of ages past,
- Rev 16:18And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and a great earthquake the likes of which had not occurred since men were upon the earth—so mighty was the great quake.
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 9:32 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.