At this, his neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging began to ask, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?”
Parallel translations
- WEB The neighbors therefore, and those who saw that he was blind before, said, “Isn’t this he who sat and begged?”
- KJV The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?
- NKJV Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?”
- NASB So the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, “Is this not the one who used to sit and beg?”
- NLT His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?”
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
Neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar are amazed and question whether he is the same man. The dramatic change provokes confusion.
Overview
The man's transformation is so complete that those who knew him debate his identity. Their astonishment testifies to the reality and magnitude of the miracle. This public response sets in motion the investigation that follows, in which the healed man will boldly testify to Jesus.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 1 Sam 2:8He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s, and upon them He has set the world.
- Acts 3:2–11And a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those entering the temple courts.
- Luke 16:20–22And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores
- 1 Sam 21:11But the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Did they not sing about him in their dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”
- Mark 10:46Next, they came to Jericho. And as Jesus and His disciples were leaving Jericho with a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting beside the road.
- Luke 18:35As Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting beside the road, begging.
- Ruth 1:19So Naomi and Ruth traveled until they came to Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole city was stirred because of them, and the women of the city exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”
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 9:8 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.