John 5:13

And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(13) For Jesus had conveyed himself away.—The second clause of this verse, as is shown by the marginal rendering, was not intended by our translators to convey the impression that a crowd had assembled round the scene of the miracle, and that to avoid this Jesus passed away from the place. In that case the man must have known who He was. Still the English does probably convey this meaning to most readers, and it would be better to give a freer rendering—For Jesus disappeared among the multitude which was in the place. The presence of the multitude is not given as the reason for His going away, but as explaining the fact that He passed on with them after having spoken to the man, and was thus unknown to him.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

5:10-16 Those eased of the punishment of sin, are in danger of returning to sin, when the terror and restraint are over, unless Divine grace dries up the fountain. The misery believers are made whole from, warns us to sin no more, having felt the smart of sin. This is the voice of every providence, Go, and sin no more. Christ saw it necessary to give this caution; for it is common for people, when sick, to promise much; when newly recovered, to perform only something; but after awhile to forget all. Christ spoke of the wrath to come, which is beyond compare worse than the many hours, nay, weeks and years of pain, some wicked men have to suffer in consequence of their unlawful indulgences. And if such afflictions are severe, how dreadful will be the everlasting punishment of the wicked!

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Wist not - Knew not.

Had conveyed himself away - Was lost in the crowd. He had silently mingled with the multitude, or had passed on with the crowd unobserved, and the man had been so rejoiced at his cure that he had not even asked for the name of his benefactor.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

13. he that was healed wist not, &c.—That some one, with unparalleled generosity, tenderness and power, had done it, the man knew well enough: but as he had never heard of Him before, so he disappeared too quickly for any inquiries.

conveyed himself away—slipped out of the crowd that had gathered, to avoid both hasty popularity and precipitate hatred (Mt 12:14-19).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Christ came as a stranger to the pool, and only wrought this miracle, so as the impotent man that was healed had no time to inquire who he was: and there being there a crowd of people, Christ had through the people conveyed himself away; so as the man could not find him, to show them the man who had so said unto him.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he that was healed, wist not who he was,.... He had never seen, and perhaps had never heard of Christ before, and so knew him not; and besides, Christ gave him no opportunity of conversing with him, or so much as to ask him who he was:

for Jesus had conveyed himself away; had slipped away, as soon as ever he had wrought the miracle:

a multitude being in that place; or "from the multitude that were in that place"; not that he hid himself among them, and there remained undiscovered; but he passed through them, and went his way to the temple, where he found the man he had healed, as in the following verse.

Geneva Study Bible

And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

John 5:13. But the man could give them no information. He did not know the name of his healer. ὁ γὰρ Ἰησοῦς ἐξένευσεν, “for Jesus had withdrawn” or “turned aside”. ἐκνεύω, from νεύω, to bend the head, rather than ἐκνέω, to swim out. Cf. Jdg 4:18 (where, however, Dr. Swete reads ἔκκλινον), John 18:26. See also Thayer and Wetstein. The reason why Jesus took Himself away, and the explanation of His doing so without observation, are both given in ὄχλου ὄντος ἐν τῷ τόπῳ. He did not wish observation and it was easy to escape in the crowd.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

13. had conveyed himself away] Better, withdrew. Originally the word signified ‘to stoop out of the way of,’ ‘to bend down as if to avoid a blow.’ Here only in N.T. The word might also mean, ‘swam out of,’ which would be a graphic expression for making one’s way through a crowd.

a multitude being in that place] This is ambiguous. It may explain either why Jesus withdrew, viz. to avoid the crowd, or how he withdrew, viz. by disappearing among the crowd. Both make good sense.

Bengel's Gnomen

John 5:13. Οὐκ ᾔδει) knew not, being intent on carrying his bed, and perplexed by the interruption on the part of the Jews.—ἐξένευσεν, withdrew) The Septuag. use this verb to express סור and פנה. Jesus shunned noise. Matthew 12:10, etc., “He charged them that they should not make Him known;—He shall not strive, nor cry, neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets.”—ὄχλου, a multitude) Many were witnesses of the healing.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 13. - Now he that was healed - in this place ὁ ἰαθεὶς takes the place of τεθεραπευμένος of ver. 10. The fundamental idea in the verb θεραπεύω to render kindly and useful, even noble, service to another - to do the work and act the part of a θεράπων. The ministry rendered may be that of a δοῦλος or ὑπηρέτης, a θάλπων or ἰατρὸς. The "service" successfully rendered by a physician is more often expressed by ἰάομαι, which has no other meaning than restoration to health, and its use here may imply this positive fact (see the use of both words in Matthew 8:7, 8) - knew not who it was (was at that time and for a while ignorant of the person of his Healer): for Jesus withdrew - after the healing. Ἐκνεύω is "to nod or bend the head and avoid a blow," but comes to mean "withdraw" or "retire." Some have supposed that, like ἐκνέω,, to "escape by swimming from a danger," ἐξένευσε means here "stealthily escaped" - a sense that it has in Eur., 'Hipp.,' 470, and elsewhere; but (as Grimm says) Jesus did not withdraw to avoid a danger which had not yet proclaimed itself, but to evade the acclamation of the multitude (see also Lange) - a crowd being in the place where the miracle had been wrought. John 5:13

Vincent's Word Studies

He that was healed (ἰαθεὶς)

Compare John 5:10, and note the different word for healing. See references there.

Who it was (τίς ἐστιν)

The present tense, who it is.

Had conveyed Himself away (ἐξένευσεν)

The verb means, literally, to turn the head aside, in order to avoid something. Hence, generally, to retire or withdraw. Only here in the New Testament.