John 7:41

41 Others were saying, "This man is the Christ!" But others were saying, "No, for the Christ does not come from Galilee, [does he]?

John 7:41 Meaning and Commentary

John 7:41

Others said, this is the Christ
The true Messiah, which they concluded, not only from the miracles, ( John 7:31 ) , but from his speaking of rivers of living water flowing from him that believes in him; for the same prophecy that speaks of miracles to be performed in the times of the Messiah, speaks also of waters breaking out in the wilderness, and streams in the desert, of the parched ground becoming a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water, ( Isaiah 35:5-7 ) .

But some said, shall Christ come out of Galilee?
as they supposed Jesus did; and because he was educated at Nazareth, and Capernaum was his city, and he chiefly conversed, preached, and wrought his miracles in these parts, they concluded that he was born there; and therefore object this to his being the true Messiah. For if they did not mean this, according to their own accounts, the Messiah was to be in Galilee, and to be first revealed there; for they affirm F9 this in so many words, that (lylgd aerab axyvm aklm ylgty) , "the King Messiah shall be revealed in the land of Galilee"; accordingly Jesus, the true Messiah, as he was brought up in Galilee, though not born there, so he first preached there, and there wrought his first miracle; here he chiefly was, unless at the public feasts; and here he manifested himself to his disciples after his resurrection.


FOOTNOTES:

F9 Zohar in Gen. fol. 74. 3. & in Exod. fol. 3. 3. & 4. 1.

John 7:41 In-Context

39 Now he said this concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. For the Spirit was not yet [given], because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)
40 Then, [when they] heard these words, [some] from the crowd began to say, "This man is truly the Prophet!"
41 Others were saying, "This man is the Christ!" But others were saying, "No, for the Christ does not come from Galilee, [does he]?
42 Has not the scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?"
43 So there was a division in the crowd because of him.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. *The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase "[does he]"
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