John 10:20

20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”

John 10:20 in Other Translations

KJV
20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
ESV
20 Many of them said, "He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?"
NLT
20 Some said, “He’s demon possessed and out of his mind. Why listen to a man like that?”
MSG
20 A lot of them were saying, "He's crazy, a maniac - out of his head completely. Why bother listening to him?"
CSB
20 Many of them were saying, "He has a demon and He's crazy! Why do you listen to Him?"

John 10:20 Meaning and Commentary

John 10:20

And many of them said, he hath a devil, and is mad
It was a notion of the Jews, that madness or distraction was from the devil, and therefore these two are here joined together, having a devil, and being mad: there is a spirit which they call Tazazith, and which, they say F26, is an evil spirit that takes away the understanding of men; and under the influence of such a "demon", the Jews thought Christ to be: and therefore say,

why hear ye him?
he is a lunatic, he is distracted, he is a madman; how can you bear to hear such ranting blasphemous stuff, which no man in his, senses would ever utter? nor is anything he says to be regarded, since he is not in his right mind; but is under the power and influence of some evil spirit, which instills these wild and frantic notions into him, and puts him upon venting them; but surely no sober man will ever heed to them.


FOOTNOTES:

F26 R. David Kimchi, Sepher Shorash rad. (Nzt) .

John 10:20 In-Context

18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided.
20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”
21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter,

Cross References 2

  • 1. S Mark 3:22; John 7:20
  • 2. 2 Kings 9:11; Jeremiah 29:26; Mark 3:21
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