Jean 10:20

20 Et plusieurs d'entre eux disaient: Il a un démon, et il est hors de sens; pourquoi l'écoutez-vous?

Jean 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) .

Jean 10:20 In-Context

18 Personne ne me l'ôte, mais je la donne de moi-même; j'ai le pouvoir de la quitter, et le pouvoir de la reprendre; j'ai reçu cet ordre de mon Père.
19 Alors il y eut de nouveau une division entre les Juifs, à cause de ce discours.
20 Et plusieurs d'entre eux disaient: Il a un démon, et il est hors de sens; pourquoi l'écoutez-vous?
21 D'autres disaient: Ces paroles ne sont pas d'un démoniaque. Un démon peut-il ouvrir les yeux des aveugles?
22 Or, on célébrait à Jérusalem la fête de la Dédicace, et c'était l'hiver.
The Ostervald translation is in the public domain.