John 7:44

44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but they couldn't.

John 7:44 Meaning and Commentary

John 7:44

And some of them would have taken him
Some of the latter sort, who did not believe he was the Messiah; who were the most averse to him, and hot and furious against him; these were for seizing him at once in a violent manner, and for carrying him before the sanhedrim, as an impostor and blasphemer to be examined and tried, and judged by them, to whom it belonged to judge and determine concerning such persons:

but no man laid hands on him;
though they had a good will to it, no man had power to do it; they were held back and restrained by the providence of God; and were diverted from it upon one consideration or another; either fearing the people, or being awed by the majesty of Christ's countenance, or words; the true reason of which was, that which is before given, that his hour was not yet come.

John 7:44 In-Context

42 Doesn't Scripture say that the Messiah will come from the descendants of David and from the village of Bethlehem, where David lived?"
43 So the people were divided because of Jesus.
44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but they couldn't.
45 When the temple guards returned, the chief priests and Pharisees asked them, "Why didn't you bring Jesus?"
46 The temple guards answered, "No human has ever spoken like this man."
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