9:33
If this man were not from God, He could do no such thing: The man who had been blind gave reasons why what the Pharisees said about Jesus could not be true. For if it had been true and Jesus were not from God, Jesus could not have healed him. But Jesus had healed him, so Jesus must be from God. Therefore what the Pharisees said must be false. Consider how reasons for the man’s belief can be said most clearly and naturally in your language. For example:
if this man were not from God, he wouldn’t have been able to do anything (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
If this man did not come from God, he couldn’t do such a thing. (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
If this man were not from God: The word If imagines a situation that was not true: that Jesus did not come from God. If this imagined situation had been true, then Jesus would not have been able to do miracles. In some languages it may be natural to translate this in a positive way. For example:
Unless this man came from God (Good News Translation)
this man: This phrase refers to Jesus. The Greek text more literally says “this one.” In this context, however, the speaker is not showing a lack of respect.
He could do no such thing: This clause indicates that Jesus would not have been able to do any miracles. He would not have been able to heal a blind person. For example:
he couldn’t do anything like that (God’s Word)
-or-
he couldn’t have done it (New Living Translation (2004))
General Comment on 9:33
In some languages it may be natural to reverse the order of the clauses in this verse. For example:
Jesus couldn’t do anything unless he came from God. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Jesus could not have done such a miracle if God had not sent him.
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