Then translates the Greek particle oun (see 2.18), which often is not represented in translation, as in verses 25 and 28 of this chapter.

They is best taken as a reference to some of the people of Jerusalem, as opposed to the Jewish authorities who initiate action against Jesus in verse 32. Because of the possible obscurity of the reference of the pronoun they, it may be best to translate “Then some of the people there tried to seize him.”

John evidently implies a miraculous event by his statement that no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come (see Luke 4.30). No one laid a hand on him is a fairly literal translation of the Greek. Its meaning is clear, and most translations maintain the imagery. Phillips has “no one laid a finger on him.” But no one laid a hand on him may be rendered as “but no one succeeded in grabbing him.”

On the expression his hour had not yet come, see 2.4 (note the similar expression in 7.6). Once again it should be emphasized that according to the Gospel of John, nothing does or can happen to Jesus apart from his own will, which is controlled by the will of his Father. There seems to be no indication in the Old Testament that miracles were expected of the Messiah, but evidently this expectation existed in the popular thinking of New Testament times.

To speak of his hour when referring to an occasion propitious for a particular person may be easy enough. However, to say that his hour had not yet come, when describing a difficulty or danger, may be misleading or confusing. One may say “for this to happen to him was not yet the time” or “the occasion for this to happen to him was not yet” or “this was not the hour when he was destined to be seized.”

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 .