complete verse (John 9:9)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 9:9:

  • Uma: “Some said: ‘It is he!’ But others said: ‘It is not. They just look alike.’ But he himself said: ‘It is I!'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Some said, ‘Yes, it is him.’ Others also said, ‘It is not him. He only looks like him.’ But the person answered, he said, ‘I am the person who was blind.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And someone else said, ‘It is him.’ And others said, ‘It is not him, but it looks like him.’ And the cured blind man answered, ‘I really am the blind person.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘That’s the one all-right,’ some said. But others by-contrast, they said, ‘Definitely not, but that-one is his look-alike.’ Whereupon the man said, ‘I am definitely the one.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “‘That’s him all right!’ said others.’Excl., no!’ said others. ‘His face just looks the same.’ But that man said, ‘It’s I all right!'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Some said, ‘That’s the one.’ Others said, ‘He looks like him but it isn’t that one.’ But the man who had been blind said, ‘Yes, I am he.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Jesus Cures the Man Born Blind

Following is a 1973 painting of the JESUS MAFA project, a response to New Testament readings from the Lectionary by a Christian community in Cameroon, Africa. Each of the readings was selected and adapted to dramatic interpretation by the community members. Photographs of their interpretations were made, and these were then transcribed to paintings:

In this simply beautiful painting of one of Jesus’ healings, we see a caring Jesus bend over a blind man holding his walking stick. From the story in John’s gospel, we know that the religious leaders struggle with accepting Jesus’ activity and Jesus responds saying, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” The Pharisees do not look at the blind man as a person, but as a symbol and Jesus points out their error. We are reminded that we should see the humanity in all people, refusing to use them for our own ends. We must look past our own issues and see the individuals.

From Art in the Christian Tradition , a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. Image retrieved March 23, 2026. Original source: librairie-emmanuel.fr.

Translation commentary on John 9:9

Some said may be rendered “some people said.” He is the one may require more specific identification to make the reference perfectly clear. For example, one may say “he is the one who begged” or “… used to beg.”

In some languages a literal rendering of No, he isn’t would have a positive meaning “he is”; therefore it may be necessary to render this expression as “he is not that beggar.”

He just looks like him is equivalent to a reason for the first statement, and so may be rendered “it is only that he resembles the beggar.” In some languages it may be better to treat the two closely related expressions No, he isn’t and he just looks like him as two separate sentences.

The man himself (so also Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New English Bible) is literally “that one.” This translation correctly brings out the force of the Greek and avoids ambiguity.

I am the man is literally “I am,” the same expression by which Jesus sometimes identifies himself with God the Father. Here it is obviously no more than a simple statement of identity. I am the man may be expressed in some languages as “I am the man who used to beg.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 9:9

9:9a

Some claimed that he was: The word Some refers to some of the people mentioned in 9:8a. They were people who were familiar with the blind beggar. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

Some of them said (God’s Word)

he was: In this sentence the people were saying that this man was the same as the blind beggar. Use the expression that is natural in your language to identify someone in this way. For example:

He’s the one. (God’s Word)
-or-
It is him all right.

General Comment on 9:9a

In some languages it may be natural to translate this short comment as an indirect quotation. For example:

Some said he was (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Some thought it was the same man.
-or-
Some agreed that he was.

9:9b

but others said: The word others refers to some other people who had known the blind man, not the ones who spoke in 9:9a.

No: The word No indicates that they did not think that this was the man who used to beg. Use an expression that is natural for disagreeing with or rejecting a suggestion.

he just looks like him: These people thought that this man and the blind man looked very much alike. They were not the same individual but they just looked like one another. For example:

he only looks like him (New International Version)
-or-
but he’s very like him (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
rather they just look alike

General Comment on 9:8b

In some languages it may be natural to translate some or all of this direct quotation as an indirect quotation. For example:

But the others denied it. “He is only like him,” they said.
-or-
But others disagreed. They thought that he just looked like the blind man.
-or-
while other said he only looked like him (Contemporary English Version)

9:9c

But the man kept saying: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the man kept saying emphasizes the phrase the man. This emphasis contrasts the man with the other people who were discussing him. For example:

But he himself insisted (New International Version)
-or-
The man himself said (New Century Version)

I am the one: In this clause, the man was identifying himself as the blind beggar. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

I am that man. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
That was me.

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