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.
20:19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the disciples had gathered together 10 and locked the doors 11 of the place 12 because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. 13 Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
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 “but choose by lot” (probably by using marked pebbles or broken pieces of pottery). A modern equivalent, “throw dice,” was chosen here because of its association with gambling.
7 tn Grk “to see whose it will be.”
8 tn The words “This took place” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
9 tn Grk “cast lots.” See the note on “throw dice” earlier in the verse.
sn A quotation from Ps 22:18.
10 tn Although the words “had gathered together” are omitted in some of the earliest and best
11 tn Grk “the doors were shut”; “locked” conveys a more appropriate idea for the modern English reader.
sn The fact that the disciples locked the doors is a perfectly understandable reaction to the events of the past few days. But what is the significance of the inclusion of this statement by the author? It is often taken to mean that Jesus, when he entered the room, passed through the closed doors. This may well be the case, but it may be assuming too much about our knowledge of the mode in which the resurrected body of Jesus exists. The text does not explicitly state how Jesus got through the closed doors. It is possible to assume that the doors opened of their own accord before him, or that he simply appeared in the middle of the room without passing through the doors at all. The point the author makes here is simply that the closed doors were no obstacle at all to the resurrected Jesus.
12 tn Grk “where they were.”
13 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders.
14 tn Grk “went out.”
15 tn Grk “the brothers,” but here the term refers to more than just the immediate disciples of Jesus (as it does in 20:17). Here, as R. E. Brown notes (John [AB], 2:1110), it refers to Christians of the Johannine community (which would include both men and women).
16 tn Grk “to stay” or “to remain”; but since longevity is the issue in the context, “to live” conveys the idea more clearly.
17 tn The word “back” is supplied to clarify the meaning.