John 7:52

52 They answered and said to him, "You are not also from Galilee, [are you]? Investigate and see that a prophet does not arise from Galilee!" [[

John 7:52 Meaning and Commentary

John 7:52

They answered and said unto him
Being displeased with him, and as reproaching him, though they could not deny, or refute what he said:

art thou also of Galilee?
a follower of Jesus of Galilee, whom, by way of contempt, they called the Galilean, and his followers Galilaeans, as Julian the apostate after them did; for otherwise they knew that Nicodemus was not of the country of Galilee;

search and look;
into the histories of former times, and especially the Scriptures:

for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet;
but this is false, for Jonah the prophet was of Gathhepher, which was in the tribe of Zebulun, which tribe was in Galilee; see ( 2 Kings 14:25 ) ( Joshua 19:10 Joshua 19:13 Joshua 19:16 ) . And the Jews ^F26 themselves say, that Jonah, the son of Amittai, was, (Nwlwbzm) , of "Zebulun", and that his father was of Zebulun, and his mother was of Asher ^F1; both which tribes were in Galilee: and if no prophet had, as yet, arose from thence, it did not follow that no one should arise: besides, there is a prophecy in which it was foretold, that a prophet, and even the Messiah, the great light, should arise in Galilee; see ( Isaiah 9:1 Isaiah 9:2 ) ; and they themselves say, that the Messiah should be revealed in Galilee; (See Gill on John 7:41).

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FOOTNOTES:

F26 T. Hieros. Succa, fol. 55. 1,
F1 Bereshit Rabba, sect. 98. fol. 85. 4.

John 7:52 In-Context

50 Nicodemus, the one who came to him previously--who was one of them--said to them,

51 "Our law does not condemn a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, [does it]?"

52 They answered and said to him, "You are not also from Galilee, [are you]? Investigate and see that a prophet does not arise from Galilee!" [[

53 And each one went to his [own] house.

Footnotes

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