to look at (literally or figuratively) · verb — present active participle, nominative plural masculine
not
μὴmē
G3361
(adverb) not · particle — negative
might see
βλέπωσινblepōsin
G991
to look at (literally or figuratively) · verb — present active subjunctive, 3rd person plural
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
that they which see might
βλέποντεςblepontes
G991
to look at (literally or figuratively) · verb — present active participle, nominative plural masculine
be made
γένωνται.¶genōntai
G1096
to cause to be ("gen"-erate) · verb — second aorist middle deponent subjunctive, 3rd person plural
blind
τυφλοὶtuphloi
G5185
opaque (as if smoky) · adjective — nominative plural masculine
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
John 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins…
John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the l…
Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted,…
1 John 2:11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded…
John 12:40-41 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be conv…
Luke 1:79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on John 9:39–end
Christ, having spoken comfort to the poor man that was persecuted, here speaks conviction to his persecutors, a specimen of the distributions of trouble and rest at the great day, Th2 1:6, Th2 1:7. Probably this was not immediately after his discourse with the man, but he took the next opportunity that offered itself to address the Pharisees. Here is,
I. The account Christ gives of his design in coming into the world (Joh 9:39): "For judgment I am come to order and administer the great affairs of the kingdom of God among men, and am invested with a judicial power in order thereunto, to be executed in conformity to the wise counsels of God, and in pursuance of them." What Christ spoke, he spo…
Jesus said--perhaps at the same time, but after a crowd, including some of the skeptical and scornful rulers, had, on seeing Jesus talking with the healed youth, hastened to the spot.
that they which see not might see, &c.--rising to that sight of which the natural vision communicated to the youth was but the symbol. (See on Joh 9:5, and compare Luk 4:18).
that they which see might be made blind--judicially incapable of apprehending and receiving the truth, to which they have wilfully shut their eyes.
Adam Clarke on John 9:39
For judgment I am come - I am come to manifest and execute the just judgment of God:
1. By giving sight to the blind, and light to the Gentiles who sit in darkness.
2. By removing the true light from those who, pretending to make a proper use of it, only abuse the mercy of God.
In a word, salvation shall be taken away from the Jews, because they reject it; and the kingdom of God shall be given to the Gentiles.
John Gill on John 9:39
And Jesus said, for judgment I am come into this world,.... The Syriac version reads, "for the judgment of this world I am come"; and with which agrees the Ethiopic version, "for the judgment of the world I am come into the world"; and the Arabic and Persic versions still more expressly, "to judge this world", or "the world, am I come"; which seems contrary to what Christ elsewhere says, John 3:17. Nor is the sense of the words that Christ came by the judgment of God, or the order of divine providence, or to administer justice in the government of the world, in a providential way, or to distinguish his own people from others, though all these are true; but either to fulfil the purpose and de…
The Church Fathers
When he had worshiped, Christ said, "For judgment I am come into the world, that they which see not might see, and that they which see might be made blind." So also saith Paul; "What shall we say then? That the Gentiles which followed not after righteousness have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of the faith of Jesus; but Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness." (Rom. ix. 30, 31.) By saying, "For judgment I am come into this world," He both made the man stronger respecting the faith, and aroused those who followed Him; for the Pharisees were following Him. And the, "For judgment," He spake with reference to a greater punishment; showing that they who had given sentence against Him, had received sentence against themselves; that they who had condemned Him as a sinner, were themselves the persons condemned. In this passage He speaketh of two recoveries of sight, and two blindnesses; one sensible, the other spiritual.
To this I have found something similar written in the Gospel according to John: "for judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may be made blind". Therefore, just as he came for judgment, that "those who do not see" of the nations "might see", and those who saw before, of Israel, "might be made blind", so he came "for the fall and rising of many". For at the coming of the Lord the Savior, those who had stood before fell down, and those who had fallen rose up. … We all have in ourselves both sight and blindness. Adam both saw and did not see. … There is an eye of the body, with which we behold these earthly things, an eye according to the sense of the flesh, of which the Scripture says: "walking vainly, puffed up by the sense of the flesh". To this we have another, contrary and better, that savors of divine things; and because it was blind in us, Jesus came to make it see, that those who did not see might see, and those who saw might be made blind.
What Jesus said elsewhere, namely, "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order to save it," is not contrary to this statement. For there it states the purpose of Jesus' coming: that all people may be saved. Here he talks about the outcome of his coming. In fact, even though this is his will, that is, to save all people, the unbelievers nonetheless must be absolutely punished because of their choice not to believe. Here he indicates what seems to be the outcome of these events. As is only reasonable, he says, I came to test individuals in order to ascertain who are blind and who are able to see. Now he who was believed to be blind, twice received eyes to see. He received bodily eyes and, to the perfection of his soul, he received saving doctrine. Those [i.e., the Pharisees] who think they see with bodily eyes, who have been entrusted with the teaching of the precepts of the law, appear to be blind, both because they do not accept the truth and because they do not believe the works that they have seen with their own eyes.
Dictionary and topics
Blindness, Spiritual · Christ appointed to remove — Christ appointed to remove
Self-Righteousness · 2:4; — 2:4;
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John 9:39 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
John 9:34-41
34. They answered, and said to him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. 35. Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him, he said to him, Dost thou believe in the Son of God? 36. He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I should believe in him? 37. And Jesus said to him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he who talketh with thee. 38. And he said, Lord, I believe; and he worshipped him. 39. Then Jesus said, For judgment am I come into this world, that they who see not may see, and that they who see may become blind. 40. Some of the Pharisees, who were with him, heard these things, and said to him, And are we blind…
Jesus pressed the man who had been blind to understand the miracle and the identity of his healer. Immediately, the man expressed faith and gave Jesus reverence due only to God (9:38; cp. 20:28).
9:35 Son of Man: See 1:51; 3:13, 14; 5:27; 6:27, 53, 62; 8:28. The Greek translates a Hebrew and Aramaic phrase meaning “human being.” People were not completely sure what Jesus meant by it (see 12:34). However, it signifies Jesus’ identity both as human and as the Messiah (cp. Dan 7:13-14).