Section 9:35–41
The blind man could see but the Pharisees could not see who Jesus was
This section tells how the blind man whom Jesus healed believed in him. Jesus said that he came so those who do not see could see, and those who see would become blind. Jesus then told some Pharisees who heard him that because they said that they could see, their sin was not forgiven.
Here are some other examples for a heading for this section:
The man whom Jesus healed saw who Jesus was
-or-
Jesus makes the blind to see and those who see to be blind
-or-
Spiritual blindness
9:35a
When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out: Someone told Jesus that the Jewish authorities (leaders) threw out the man that he had healed (see 9:34c). In some languages it may be natural to make some of this explicit. For example:
Jesus heard that the Jews had thrown the man out of the synagogue (God’s Word)
-or-
Jesus learned that the Jewish leaders forced the man to leave.
If it is not natural to repeat this information from the previous sentence, 9:34c, it may be possible to leave it implied. For example:
When Jesus heard what had happened (Good News Translation)
9:35b
He found the man: It is implied that Jesus first looked for the man or inquired about him. You may want to make that more explicit. For example:
he went and found the man (Contemporary English Version)
Do you believe in the Son of Man?: This is a real question. Jesus asked the man if he believed in the Son of Man, the Messiah. Jesus was referring to himself, but the man did not know this yet. Therefore, you should not indicate or imply that Jesus was referring to himself here.
believe in: This phrase includes the idea of believing the facts about who Jesus was and what he did. But it also includes the idea of trusting Jesus instead of trusting oneself. Both ideas are very closely related. If someone believes the facts about Jesus, it should result in trusting him. See how you translated this idea in 1:12b and 8:30. Here are other ways to translate this idea here:
have faith in (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
trust in
the Son of Man: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Son of Man is more literally “the son of the human/person.” This was the title used in Daniel 7:13. It implies two things about this person:
(a) He was a true human being and represented all people
(b) He came from God and had authority from God.
Try to use an expression that implies both meanings. Here are some expressions that translators have used:
the man whom God sent
-or-
the true man from God/heaven
See how you translated this in 3:13, 14.
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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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