Although some of the people believed after seeing the miracle (verse 45), others reported to the Pharisees what Jesus had done. This is significant in the Gospel of John, because now the plot against Jesus begins to take form. Here the hostile Jewish party is identified as the Pharisees; in verse 54 the hostile Jews are simply called in Greek “the Jews” (Good News Translation in Judea). In 9.13,18 the terms “the Pharisees” and “the Jews” (Good News Translation the Jewish authorities) are used interchangeably of the enemies of Jesus.

A literal translation of some of them returned to the Pharisees may suggest that the Pharisees had sent certain individuals to Bethany to investigate the situation. But that they did so is not implied in the Greek text. One can therefore translate “but some of them went away and went to the Pharisees” or “… returned home and went to see the Pharisees.”

Since not all the Pharisees are included in this reference, it may be necessary in some languages to use a form which means “some Pharisees.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .