John 9:29
New International Version
We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”

New Living Translation
We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”

English Standard Version
We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.”

Berean Standard Bible
We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this man is from.”

Berean Literal Bible
We know that God has spoken to Moses, but we do not know from where this man is."

King James Bible
We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.

New King James Version
We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.”

New American Standard Bible
We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.”

NASB 1995
“We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.”

NASB 1977
“We know that God has spoken to Moses; but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.”

Legacy Standard Bible
We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.”

Amplified Bible
We know [for certain] that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this Man, we do not know where He is from.”

Christian Standard Bible
We know that God has spoken to Moses. But this man—we don’t know where he’s from.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
We know that God has spoken to Moses. But this man—we don’t know where He’s from!"”

American Standard Version
We know that God hath spoken unto Moses: but as for this man, we know not whence he is.

Contemporary English Version
We are sure God spoke to Moses, but we don't even know where Jesus comes from."

English Revised Version
We know that God hath spoken unto Moses: but as for this man, we know not whence he is.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
We know that God spoke to Moses, but we don't know where this man came from."

Good News Translation
We know that God spoke to Moses; as for that fellow, however, we do not even know where he comes from!"

International Standard Version
We know that God has spoken to Moses, but we do not know where this fellow comes from."

Majority Standard Bible
We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this man is from.”

NET Bible
We know that God has spoken to Moses! We do not know where this man comes from!"

New Heart English Bible
We know that God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we do not know where he comes from."

Webster's Bible Translation
We know that God spoke to Moses: as for this man, we know not whence he is.

Weymouth New Testament
We know that God spoke to Moses; but as for this fellow we do not know where he comes from."

World English Bible
We know that God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
we have known that God has spoken to Moses, but this One—we have not known where He is from.”

Berean Literal Bible
We know that God has spoken to Moses, but we do not know from where this man is."

Young's Literal Translation
we have known that God hath spoken to Moses, but this one -- we have not known whence he is.'

Smith's Literal Translation
We know that God has spoken to Moses; but this, we know not whence he is.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
We know that God spoke to Moses: but as to this man, we know not from whence he is.

Catholic Public Domain Version
We know that God spoke to Moses. But this man, we do not know where he is from.”

New American Bible
We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from.”

New Revised Standard Version
We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And we know that God spoke with Moses; but as for this man, we do not know whence he is.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“And we know that God spoke with Moses, but we do not know from where this man is.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
We know that God spoke to Moses; but as for this man, we know not whence he is.

Godbey New Testament
we know that God spoke to Moses: but we do not know this One, whence He is.

Haweis New Testament
We know that God spake to Moses: but we know nothing of this man, whence he is.

Mace New Testament
we know that God commission'd Moses: as for this fellow, we don't know who sent him.

Weymouth New Testament
We know that God spoke to Moses; but as for this fellow we do not know where he comes from."

Worrell New Testament
We know that God hath spoken to Moses; but, as to this Man, we know not whence He is."

Worsley New Testament
but as for this man, we know not whence He is.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Pharisees Investigate the Healing
28Then they heaped insults on him and said, “You are His disciple; we are disciples of Moses. 29We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this man is from.” 30“That is remarkable indeed!” the man said. “You do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes.…

Cross References
Exodus 3:6
Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Exodus 33:11
Thus the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young assistant Joshua son of Nun would not leave the tent.

Deuteronomy 34:10
Since that time, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face—

Numbers 12:6-8
He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will reveal Myself to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream. / But this is not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. / I speak with him face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?”

Acts 7:37-38
This is the same Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’ / He was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. And he received living words to pass on to us.

Hebrews 3:5
Now Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be spoken later.

John 5:45-47
Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, in whom you have put your hope. / If you had believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me. / But since you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”

John 1:17
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John 7:19
Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps it. Why are you trying to kill Me?”

John 8:53
Are You greater than our father Abraham? He died, as did the prophets. Who do You claim to be?”

John 1:45
Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the One the prophets foretold—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Matthew 17:3
Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus.

Luke 24:27
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.

Acts 3:22
For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He tells you.

Acts 6:11
Then they prompted some men to say, “We heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.”


Treasury of Scripture

We know that God spoke to Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from where he is.

know.

John 1:17
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Numbers 12:2-7
And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it

Numbers 16:28
And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind.

as for.

John 9:16,24
Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them…

1 Kings 22:27
And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.

2 Kings 9:11
Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication.

we know not.

John 7:27,41,42
Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is…

John 8:14
Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.

Psalm 22:6
But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

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Fellow Moses Whence Word
John 9
1. The man born blind is restored to sight.
8. He is brought to the Pharisees.
13. They are offended at it;
35. but he is received of Jesus, and confesses him.
39. Who they are whom Jesus enlightens.














We know that God spoke to Moses
This phrase reflects the Jewish leaders' confidence in the divine authority of the Mosaic Law. The Greek word for "know" (οἴδαμεν, oidamen) implies a certainty or established knowledge, indicating their firm belief in the historical and spiritual significance of Moses as a prophet. Historically, Moses is a central figure in Judaism, having received the Law on Mount Sinai, which forms the foundation of Jewish religious practice. This acknowledgment of Moses' authority is crucial, as it sets the stage for the contrast they draw between Moses and Jesus.

but we do not know where this man is from
The phrase "this man" is a dismissive reference to Jesus, highlighting the Pharisees' skepticism and rejection of His divine origin. The Greek word for "know" here (οὐκ οἴδαμεν, ouk oidamen) is the same as before but in the negative, emphasizing their refusal to recognize Jesus' authority or divine mission. This reflects a broader theme in the Gospel of John, where Jesus' identity and origin are frequently questioned by the religious leaders. The phrase "where this man is from" underscores their spiritual blindness, as they fail to see Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophecies and the one sent by God, despite the signs and wonders He performed.

(29) We know that God spake unto Moses.--Better, We know that God hath spoken unto Moses. "He was commissioned," they would say, "by God, and received a revelation from God which remains to us." They would press here, as before, the authority of the great Lawgiver, which to every Israelite was final. They will not, therefore, accept this Man as a prophet. Their words have tacit reference also to the fact that His works were in their eyes a transgression of the Mosaic law. There is an opposition between them. Both cannot be right, and they will themselves continue to be disciples of Moses. He, it is implied, by confessing Jesus to be a prophet, was practically denying the authority of Moses.

As for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.--In our English version the words in italics are added, but they do not express more than the single Greek word, which is used with contempt. Before they had said, "Howbeit we know this Man whence He is; but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence He is" (John 7:27; see Notes on this and the next verse). They here oppose the divine authority of the mission of Moses, which was acknowledged by all, to the absence, as they would say, of any such authority for the work of Jesus. Their words are meant to convey more than they express, coming as they do in sharp contrast with "God spake unto Moses." They would say again, "This Man is not of God" (John 9:16), "we know that this Man is a sinner" (John 9:24). For the expression, "whence He is," i.e., "what authority He has," comp. John 19:9, and Matthew 21:25. . . .

Verse 29. - They pursue the antithesis between Jesus and Moses, and thus make an involuntary admission of his abnormal and astounding claims. We know - it is the fundamental fact of our religions history, and of the Divine revelation entrusted to us. We know, by supreme conviction, as something almost equivalent to a fundamental law of thought, that God hath spoken to Moses. (Observe the perfect λελάληκεν, "hath spoken" in such fashion that his words abide fur ever and are still sounding in their ears.) Moses was made a little lower than the angels. God spake to him on Sinai, and from the mercy-scat, and face to face as a man speaketh with his friend (Exodus 33:11; Deuteronomy 34:10; Numbers 12:8). The most august ideas and associations clustered round his venerable name. Jesus was supposed to have challenged the supreme authority of Moses, and no sort of comparison could be drawn, in their opinion, between the two. But as for this Man, we know not whence he is. It is remarkable that, in John 7:27, they had been equally explicit in declaring, "We know whence he is." Then they thought to discredit iris Messianic claim by drawing a distinction between the well-known parentage and home of Jesus, and the coming of Messiah from some undiscoverable source, some hidden place, where God retained him before his revelation to Israel (see notes, John 7:27, 28). While, however, Christ (John 8:14) allowed the validity of their superficial knowledge on that occasion, he declared that he alone knew whence he came and whither he was going (see notes, John 8:14). It is, perhaps, in reference to this last expression that they echo his own words. The supernatural source of his being and teaching seemed to their minds, throughout that discourse and controversy, to vacillate between the Divine and the demonic. The contrast between Moses and Jesus in this bitter speech runs along the same low level. "We know not whence" he derives his prophetic character, or his right to legislate for the people of God.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
We
ἡμεῖς (hēmeis)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

know
οἴδαμεν (oidamen)
Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1492: To know, remember, appreciate.

that
ὅτι (hoti)
Conjunction
Strong's 3754: Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because.

God
Θεός (Theos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

spoke
λελάληκεν (lelalēken)
Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2980: A prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; to talk, i.e. Utter words.

to Moses,
Μωϋσεῖ (Mōusei)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3475: Or Moses, or Mouses of Hebrew origin; Moseus, Moses, or Mouses, the Hebrew lawgiver.

but
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

we do not know
οἴδαμεν (oidamen)
Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1492: To know, remember, appreciate.

where
πόθεν (pothen)
Adverb
Strong's 4159: From the base of posis with enclitic adverb of origin; from which or what place, state, source or cause.

this [man]
τοῦτον (touton)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

is {from}.”
ἐστίν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.


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