The Meaning of John 9:31 Explained

John 9:31

KJV: Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.

YLT: and we have known that God doth not hear sinners, but, if any one may be a worshipper of God, and may do His will, him He doth hear;

Darby: But we know that God does not hear sinners; but if any one be God-fearing and do his will, him he hears.

ASV: We know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and do his will, him he heareth.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Now  we know  that  God  heareth  not  sinners:  but  if  any man  be  a worshipper of God,  and  doeth  his  will,  him  he heareth. 

What does John 9:31 Mean?

Study Notes

sinner
Sin.
sinned
Sin, Summary: The literal meanings of the Heb. and (Greek - ἀλεκτοροφωνία sin," "sinner," etc)., disclose the true nature of sin in its manifold manifestations. Sin is transgression, an overstepping of the law, the divine boundary between good and evil Psalms 51:1 ; Luke 15:29 , iniquity, an act inherently wrong, whether expressly forbidden or not; error, a departure from right; Psalms 51:9 ; Romans 3:23 , missing the mark, a failure to meet the divine standard; trespass, the intrusion of self-will into the sphere of divine authority Ephesians 2:1 , lawlessness, or spiritual anarchy 1 Timothy 1:9 , unbelief, or an insult to the divine veracity John 16:9 .
Sin originated with Satan Isaiah 14:12-14 , entered the world through Adam Romans 5:12 , was, and is, universal, Christ alone excepted; Romans 3:23 ; 1 Peter 2:22 , incurs the penalties of spiritual and physical death; Genesis 2:17 ; Genesis 3:19 ; Ezekiel 18:4 ; Ezekiel 18:20 ; Romans 6:23 and has no remedy but in the sacrificial death of Christ; Hebrews 9:26 ; Acts 4:12 availed of by faith Acts 13:38 ; Acts 13:39 . Sin may be summarized as threefold: An act, the violation of, or want of obedience to the revealed will of God; a state, absence of righteousness; a nature, enmity toward God.

Context Summary

John 9:26-34 - Willful Blindness
"What a contrast between the opening and the closing of this chapter! The blind sees! The beggar is enriched! The outcast on the Temple steps is a worshiper in the temple of the spirit! And how vast a contrast to the deterioration at work in the hearts of these professedly religious men! From the mouth of a babe in the divine life God can elicit strength to quell the enemy and the avenger. "O God, our God, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!"
The man's judges cast in his teeth the life-long deprivation from which he had suffered, as a conclusive evidence of his sins. This was the common Jewish interpretation of such a calamity, John 9:2. Our Lord, however, taught that suffering is permitted to befall for wise and good reasons, which are compatible with the character of God, and it provides a platform on which the grace and power of God may manifest themselves, each new phase of evil leading to a fresh manifestation of the power and love of God. How often He seems to say, when we are perplexed with the world's sin and sorrow, "These things are not unto death, but to manifest the works of God!" Look not at the pain, but at its results! See what humility and patience God gives; wait to see the harvest of these sowings! [source]

Chapter Summary: John 9

1  The man born blind is restored to sight
8  He is brought to the Pharisees
13  They are offended at it;
35  but he is received of Jesus, and confesses him
39  Who they are whom Jesus enlightens

Greek Commentary for John 9:31

God does not hear sinners [ο τεος αμαρτωλων ουκ ακουει]
Note genitive case with ακουει — akouei This was the argument of the Pharisees in John 9:16. It is frequent in the O.T. (Job 27:9; Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 1:15; Isaiah 59:2, etc.). The conclusion is inevitable from this premise. Jesus is not αμαρτωλος — hamartōlos If any man be a worshipper of God Condition of third class with εαν — ean and present active subjunctive ηι — ēi Τεοσεβης — Theosebēs Same condition with present active subjunctive of ποιεω — poieō “keep on doing his will.” [source]
We know []
Here the pronoun is not expressed, and the we is not emphatic, like the pronouns in John 9:24, John 9:29, but expresses the common information of all concerning a familiar fact. [source]
A worshipper of God [θεοσεβὴς]
Only here in the New Testament. The kindred word, θεοσέβεια , godliness, occurs only at 1 Timothy 2:10. Compounded with Θεός , God, and σέβομαι , to worship, the same verb which appears in εὐσεβής , devout (Acts 10:2, Acts 10:7; Acts 22:12), and εὐσέβεια , godliness (Acts 3:12; 1 Timothy 2:2, etc.). See on 2 Peter 1:3. These two latter words, while they may mean reverence toward God, may also mean the due fulfillment of human relations; while θεοσεβὴς , worshipper of God, is limited to piety towards God. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for John 9:31

John 3:2 The same [ουτος]
“This one.” By night Genitive of time. That he came at all is remarkable, not because there was any danger as was true at a later period, but because of his own prominence. He wished to avoid comment by other members of the Sanhedrin and others. Jesus had already provoked the opposition of the ecclesiastics by his assumption of Messianic authority over the temple. There is no ground for assigning this incident to a later period, for it suits perfectly here. Jesus was already in the public eye (John 2:23) and the interest of Nicodemus was real and yet he wished to be cautious. Rabbi See note on John 1:38. Technically Jesus was not an acknowledged Rabbi of the schools, but Nicodemus does recognize him as such and calls him “My Master” just as Andrew and John did (John 1:38). It was a long step for Nicodemus as a Pharisee to take, for the Pharisees had closely scrutinized the credentials of the Baptist in John 1:19-24 (Milligan and Moulton‘s Comm.). We know Second perfect indicative first person plural. He seems to speak for others of his class as the blind man does in John 9:31. Westcott thinks that Nicodemus has been influenced partly by the report of the commission sent to the Baptist (John 1:19-27). Thou art a teacher come from God “Thou hast come from God as a teacher.” Second perfect active indicative of ερχομαι — erchomai and predicative nominative διδασκαλος — didaskalos This is the explanation of Nicodemus for coming to Jesus, obscure Galilean peasant as he seemed, evidence that satisfied one of the leaders in Pharisaism. Can do “Can go on doing” (present active infinitive of ποιεω — poieō and so linear). These signs that thou doest Those mentioned in John 2:23 that convinced so many in the crowd and that now appeal to the scholar. Note συ — su (thou) as quite out of the ordinary. The scorn of Jesus by the rulers held many back to the end (John 12:42), but Nicodemus dares to feel his way. Except God be with him Condition of the third class, presented as a probability, not as a definite fact. He wanted to know more of the teaching accredited thus by God. Jesus went about doing good because God was with him, Peter says (Acts 10:38). [source]
1 Timothy 2:10 Godliness [θεοσεβείαν]
N.T.oSeveral times in lxx. The adjective θεοσεβής worshippingGod, John 9:31. It is = εὐσέβεια . See 1 Timothy 2:2. Const. by good works with professing godliness: omit the parenthesis which - godliness; take which ( ὅ ) as = with that which ( ἐν τούτῳ ὅ ) and construe it with adorn. The whole will then read: “That women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefastness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array, but (adorn themselves) with that which becometh women professing godliness through good works.” [source]
1 Timothy 2:10 Becometh [πρεπει]
Old word for seemly. Paul wishes women to wear “becoming” clothes, but τεοσεβειαν — theosebeian (godliness, from τεοσεβης — theosebēs John 9:31, τεοσ σεβομαι — theossebomai worship) is part of the “style” desired. Only here in N.T. Good dress and good works combined. [source]
1 John 5:14 He heareth us [ἀκούει ἡμῶν]
Compare John 9:31; John 11:41, John 11:42. Hear is used in this sense by John only. [source]

What do the individual words in John 9:31 mean?

We know that - God sinners not does hear but if anyone God-fearing is and the will of Him does him He hears
οἴδαμεν ὅτι Θεὸς» ἁμαρτωλῶν οὐκ ἀκούει ἀλλ’ ἐάν τις θεοσεβὴς καὶ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ποιῇ τούτου ἀκούει

οἴδαμεν  We  know 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Active, 1st Person Plural
Root: οἶδα  
Sense: to see.
ὅτι  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεὸς»  God 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
ἁμαρτωλῶν  sinners 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: ἁμαρτωλός  
Sense: devoted to sin, a sinner.
ἀκούει  does  hear 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀκουστός 
Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf.
τις  anyone 
Parse: Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: τὶς  
Sense: a certain, a certain one.
θεοσεβὴς  God-fearing 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: θεοσεβής  
Sense: worshipping God, pious.
αὐτοῦ  of  Him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ποιῇ  does 
Parse: Verb, Present Subjunctive Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ποιέω  
Sense: to make.
ἀκούει  He  hears 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀκουστός 
Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf.