John 7:53

And every man went unto his own house.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(53) The section which follows (John 7:53 to John 8:11) is one of the most striking instances of an undoubted addition to the original text of the Gospel narratives. We shall find reason to believe that it belongs to the Apostolic age, and preserves to us the record of an incident in the life of our Lord, but that it has not come to us from the pen of St. John. (Comp. Excursus B: Some Variations in the Text of St. John’s Gospel.) While, therefore, it is printed in the text here, our text being a reprint of the Authorised version, without addition or alteration, the reader will observe that it is an insertion which breaks the order of the discourse, and in working out the line of thought will bear this in mind.

And every man went unto his own house.—This is not to be taken, then, as marking the close of the discussion in the Sanhedrin. It joins the inserted section with something which has preceded, but we have no means of judging what this was.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

7:40-53 The malice of Christ's enemies is always against reason, and sometimes the staying of it cannot be accounted for. Never any man spake with that wisdom, and power, and grace, that convincing clearness, and that sweetness, wherewith Christ spake. Alas, that many, who are for a time restrained, and who speak highly of the word of Jesus, speedily lose their convictions, and go on in their sins! People are foolishly swayed by outward motives in matters of eternal moment, are willing even to be damned for fashion's sake. As the wisdom of God often chooses things which men despise, so the folly of men commonly despises those whom God has chosen. The Lord brings forward his weak and timid disciples, and sometimes uses them to defeat the designs of his enemies.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And every man went unto his own house - There is every mark of confusion and disorder in this breaking up of the Sanhedrin. It is possible that some of the Sadducees might have joined Nicodemus in opposing the Pharisees, and thus increased the disorder. It is a most instructive and melancholy exhibition of the influence of pride, envy, contempt, and anger, when brought to bear on an inquiry, and when they are manifestly opposed to candor, to argument, and to truth. So wild and furious are the passions of men when they oppose the person and claims of the Son of God! It is remarkable, too, how God accomplishes his purposes. They wished to destroy Jesus. God suffered their passions to be excited, a tumult to ensue, the assembly thus to break up in disorder, and Jesus to be safe, for his time had not yet come. "The wrath of man shall praise thee; the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain," Psalm 76:10.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

53. every man went unto his own home—finding their plot could not at that time be carried into effect. Is your rage thus impotent, ye chief priests?

Matthew Poole's Commentary

As little as Nicodemus said for Christ, it put a stop to their further proceedings against Christ at present. Some think that the party of the Sadducees in the council, who valued not the Pharisees’ rites and traditions, took part with Nicodemus; so as by the overruling hand of God Christ at this time escaped their wicked counsels against him. So much is certain; but what parties in the council concurred in it, is uncertain.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And every man went unto his own house. The officers not bringing Jesus with them, and the sanhedrim being posed with Nicodemus, broke up without doing any business, and every member of it went home: this we may suppose was about the time of the evening sacrifice: for

"the great sanhedrim sat from the time of the morning daily sacrifice, to the time of the evening daily sacrifice (b):''

and it is said (c), that

"after the evening daily sacrifice, the sanhedrim went, "to their own houses";''

as they now did, and not to their booths, the feast of tabernacles being now over.

(b) Maimon. Hilchot Sanhedrin, c. 3. sect. 1.((c) Piske Tosephot Sanhedrin, art. 35.

Geneva Study Bible

{19} And every man went unto his own house.

(19) There is no counsel against the Lord.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

John 7:53. Belonging to the spurious section concerning the adulteress. “And every one went”—every one, that is, of those assembled in the temple—to his own house; so that the end of the scene described in John 7:37 f. is related. Chap. John 8:1 is against the view which understands it of the members of the Sanhedrim, who separated without attaining their object (against Grotius, Lampe, etc., even Maier and Lange). Chap. John 8:2 forbids our taking it as referring to the pilgrims at the feast returning to their homes (Paulus).

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

53. That this verse, as well as John 8:1-2, is omitted in most MSS. shews that prudential reasons cannot explain the omission of the paragraph in more than a limited number of cases. Some MSS. omit only John 8:3-11.

every man went unto his own house] To what meeting this refers we cannot tell: of course not to the meeting of the Sanhedrin just recorded by S. John. It is unfortunate that the verse should have been left as the end of this chapter instead of beginning the next.

Bengel's Gnomen

John 7:53. Καὶ ἀπῆλθον ἕκαστος εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ) Ant. Blackwall de Classicis Sacris, p. 497, ed. Woll., is of opinion, that these words ought to form the beginning of the chapter next following. If any change is to be made, you might end the 7th chapter with τῶν Ἐλαιῶν [ch. John 8:1], of Olives, in order that the conclusions of the days in the action, and of the divisions in the text, may coincide. A matter of trifling moment; but yet the ancient division is most conveniently retained, in order that the departure of Jesus to the mount of Olives may he connected closely with His entry into the temple on the following day.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 53. - They went every man to his own house. This clause belongs to the pericope of the woman taken in adultery, and is encumbered with the textual and other difficulties involved in that paragraph. The words apply most imperfectly to the preceding narrative, which terminates with a private conversation between Nicodemus and other members of the Sanhedrin, and, at the same time, rather suggest the scattering of the crowd or the return of the pilgrims to Galilee, both of which form a very improbable consequence of ver. 52.



John 7:53

Vincent's Word Studies

This verse, and the portion of Chapter 8, as far as John 8:12, are generally pronounced by the best critical authorities not to belong to John's Gospel.