KJV: Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.
YLT: Many, therefore out of the multitude, having heard the word, said, 'This is truly the Prophet;'
Darby: Some out of the crowd therefore, having heard this word, said, This is truly the prophet.
ASV: Some of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, said, This is of a truth the prophet.
Ἐκ | [Some] of |
Parse: Preposition Root: ἐκ Sense: out of, from, by, away from. |
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ὄχλου | crowd |
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular Root: ὄχλος Sense: a crowd. |
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ἀκούσαντες | having heard |
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural Root: ἀκουστός Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf. |
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λόγων | words |
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Plural Root: λόγος Sense: of speech. |
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τούτων | these |
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Genitive Masculine Plural Root: οὗτος Sense: this. |
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ἔλεγον | were saying |
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural Root: λέγω Sense: to speak, say. |
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(ὅτι) | - |
Parse: Conjunction Root: ὅτι Sense: that, because, since. |
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Οὗτός | This |
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: οὗτος Sense: this. |
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ἀληθῶς | truly |
Parse: Adverb Root: ἀληθῶς Sense: truly, of a truth, in reality, most certainly. |
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προφήτης | Prophet |
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: προφήτης Sense: in Greek writings, an interpreter of oracles or of other hidden things. |
Greek Commentary for John 7:40
Τινες Tines (some) to be supplied, a common Greek idiom. Of a truth “Truly.” See John 1:47. The prophet The one promised to Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15) and long expected. See note on John 1:21. Proof of the deep impression made by Jesus. [source]
The best texts omit. Read as Rev., some. [source]
The best texts substitute τῶ λόγων τούτων , these words. So Rev. [source]
See on John 1:21. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for John 7:40
Here the paratactic και kai is like the transitional ουν oun (then). What then? Argumentative ουν oun like Paul‘s τι ουν ti oun in Romans 6:15. Quid ergo? Art thou Elijah? The next inevitable question since Elijah had been understood to be the forerunner of the Messiah from Malachi 4:5. In Mark 9:11. Jesus will identify John with the Elijah of Malachi‘s prophecy. Why then does John here flatly deny it? Because the expectation was that Elijah would return in person. This John denies. Jesus only asserts that John was Elijah in spirit. Elijah in person they had just seen on the Mount of Transfiguration. He saith Vivid dramatic present. I am not Short and blunt denial. Art thou the prophet? “The prophet art thou?” This question followed naturally the previous denials. Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15) had spoken of a prophet like unto himself. Christians interpreted this prophet to be the Messiah (Acts 3:22; Acts 7:37), but the Jews thought him another forerunner of the Messiah (John 7:40). It is not clear in John 6:15 whether the people identified the expected prophet with the Messiah, though apparently so. Even the Baptist later became puzzled in prison whether Jesus himself was the true Messiah or just one of the forerunners (Luke 7:19). People wondered about Jesus himself whether he was the Messiah or just one of the looked for prophets (Mark 8:28; Matthew 16:14). And he answered First aorist passive (deponent passive, sense of voice gone) indicative of αποκρινομαι apokrinomai to give a decision from myself, to reply. No Shortest possible denial. [source]
Ellipsis of time (some) before εκ ek as in John 7:40. Jesus seemed to contradict himself, for the disciples took both verbs in the same sense and were still puzzled over the going to the Father of John 14:3. But they talk to one another, not to Jesus. [source]
“Signs” oldest MSS. have. This sign added to those already wrought (John 6:2). Cf. John 2:23; John 3:2. They said Inchoative imperfect, began to say. Of a truth Common adverb (from αλητης alēthēs) in John (John 7:40). The prophet that cometh There was a popular expectation about the prophet of Deuteronomy 18:15 as being the Messiah (John 1:21; John 11:27). The phrase is peculiar to John, but the idea is in Acts (Acts 3:22; Acts 7:37). The people are on the tiptoe of expectation and believe that Jesus is the political Messiah of Pharisaic hope. [source]
Imperfect (inchoative) middle of μαχομαι machomai to fight in armed combat (Acts 7:26), then to wage a war of words as here and 2 Timothy 2:24. They were already murmuring (John 6:41), now they began bitter strife with one another over the last words of Jesus (John 6:43-51), some probably seeing a spiritual meaning in them. There was division of opinion about Jesus in Jerusalem also later (John 7:12, John 7:40; John 9:16; John 10:19). How can? The very idiom used by Nicodemus in John 3:4, John 3:9. Here scornful disbelief. This man Contemptuous use pictured in John 6:42. His flesh to eat As if we were cannibals! Some MSS. do not have αυτου autou but the meaning is clear. The mystical appropriation of Christ by the believer (Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 3:17) they could not comprehend, though some apparently were against this literal interpretation of “flesh” (σαρχ sarx). [source]
Outside of Jerusalem (the Galilean crowd as in John 7:11.) and so unfamiliar with the effort to kill Jesus recorded in John 5:18. It is important in this chapter to distinguish clearly the several groups like the Jewish leaders (John 7:13, John 7:15, John 7:25, John 7:26, John 7:30, John 7:32, etc.), the multitude from Galilee and elsewhere (John 7:10-13, John 7:20, John 7:31, John 7:40, John 7:49), the common people of Jerusalem (John 7:25), the Roman soldiers (John 7:45.). Thou hast a devil “Demon,” of course, as always in the Gospels. These pilgrims make the same charge against Jesus made long ago by the Pharisees in Jerusalem in explanation of the difference between John and Jesus (Matthew 11:18; Luke 7:33). It is an easy way to make a fling like that. “He is a monomaniac labouring under a hallucination that people wish to kill him” (Dods). [source]