The fact that the Jewish authorities (Greek “the Jews”) are contrasted with the crowd of the following verse indicates that, by his use of “the Jews,” John means more than simply the Jewish people in general. This contrast is brought out even more clearly in verse 13.

Were looking for him at the festival can be understood to mean “were expecting him to come to the festival.” However, it is better understood in the sense of “went around looking for him.”

Where is he? is literally “Where is that one?” “That one” is possibly used in a derogatory sense, and so New American Bible translates “Where is that troublemaker?” Phillips has “Where is that man?” But it is not necessary that “that one” be taken in a derogatory sense, and most translations employ an expression similar to that of Good News Translation.

In many languages it is necessary to indicate clearly to whom such a question was asked. One may translate, therefore, “that asked the people there” or “they asked those attending the festival.”

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 .