9:41a
“If you were blind,” Jesus replied, “you would not be guilty of sin: This sentence refers to an unreal situation. It states what was not the actual situation. It seems to imply that the Pharisees were not blind. However, Jesus was really saying that they did not admit that they were blind. That contrasts with “you claim you can see ” in 9:41b. If they would admit that they were blind, then God would forgive them. Consider how it is natural in your language to refer to such unreal situations. You may want to see how you translated the unreal situation in 9:33.
If you were blind: The word If in this context introduces an unfulfilled condition. The condition that was not fulfilled is that they were not blind in the sense of those who did not see in 9:39b. They did not realize that they needed Jesus’ help in order to see spiritual truth. So because they thought that they could see, Jesus could not heal their spiritual blindness. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit:
If ⌊you admitted that⌋ you are ⌊really⌋ blind
-or-
If you ⌊confessed⌋ your ⌊spiritual/real⌋ blindness
you: The pronoun you is plural and refers to the Pharisees and other religious leaders opposed to Jesus.
would not be guilty of sin: The phrase be guilty of sin here refers to God considering someone guilty, that is, responsible for their sin. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:
would not be guilty (Good News Translation)
-or-
you wouldn’t be sinners (God’s Word)
9:41b
But since you claim you can see, your guilt remains: The religious leaders claimed that they already had spiritual sight, meaning that they understood and knew God and his will. Because they believed that they could already see, they would not accept healing for their blindness. Their pride made it impossible. They refused to ask for spiritual healing, for help and forgiveness, and so they remained guilty of their sin. Here are other ways to translate this sentence:
But now you say, ‘We see,’ so you continue to be sinners. (God’s Word)
-or-
but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains (English Standard Version)
But since: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But since here introduces the real situation. It also contrasts the unreal situation (and its consequence) in 9:41a with the real situation (and its consequence) in 9:41b. The word since introduces what is true. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:
However, because you say that you can see, you are still guilty.
-or-
But the truth is that you say, ‘We see,’ so you are still guilty.
you claim: The word you is masculine plural and refers to the Jewish leaders who were speaking to Jesus.
your guilt remains: This clause indicates that the Jewish leaders continued to be guilty of their sin. They had not asked for or received forgiveness.
Here are other ways to translate this clause:
this means that you are still guilty (Good News Translation)
-or-
you continue to be sinners (God’s Word)
-or-
⌊God⌋ does/can not forgive your sins
General Comment on 9:41b
In some languages it may be natural to reverse the order of the clauses in this sentence. For example:
But you remain guilty because you claim you can see. (New Living Translation (2004))
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