John 9:16

9:16 Then some of the Pharisees began to say, ¹  “This man is not from God, because he does not observe ²  the Sabbath.” ³  But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform ⁴  such miraculous signs?” Thus there was a division ⁵  among them.

John 9:30-33

9:30 The man replied, ⁶  “This is a remarkable thing, ⁷  that you don’t know where he comes from, and yet he caused me to see! ⁸  9:31 We know that God doesn’t listen to ⁹  sinners, but if anyone is devout ¹⁰  and does his will, God ¹¹  listens to ¹²  him. ¹³  9:32 Never before ¹⁴  has anyone heard of someone causing a man born blind to see. ¹⁵  9:33 If this man ¹⁶  were not from God, he could do nothing.”

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¹ tn As a response to the answers of the man who used to be blind, the use of the imperfect tense in the reply of the Pharisees is best translated as an ingressive imperfect (“began to say” or “started saying”).

² tn Grk “he does not keep.”

³ sn The Jewish religious leaders considered the work involved in making the mud to be a violation of the Sabbath.

⁴ tn Grk “do.”

⁵ tn Or “So there was discord.”

⁶ tn Grk “The man answered and said to them.” This has been simplified in the translation to “The man replied.”

⁷ tn Grk “For in this is a remarkable thing.”

⁸ tn Grk “and he opened my eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).

⁹ tn Grk “God does not hear.”

¹⁰ tn Or “godly.”

¹¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹² tn Or “hears.”

¹³ tn Grk “this one.”

¹⁴ tn Or “Never from the beginning of time,” Grk “From eternity.”

¹⁵ tn Grk “someone opening the eyes of a man born blind” (“opening the eyes” is an idiom referring to restoration of sight).

¹⁶ tn Grk “this one.”