Bible Strands
John 10:21
But others replied, “These are not the words of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — In Jerusalem during the Feast of Dedication, a group responding to critics who labeled Jesus demon-possessed questions whether a demon could perform the miracle of restoring sight.
The words — ῥήματα (rhēmata) means declarations or spoken words, and οὐκ (ouk) functions as the negation not. The text uses these terms to frame a direct rebuttal that Jesus’ teachings contradict the nature of a demon-possessed man.
The thread — The capacity to give sight connects to God’s creative and restorative power in Exodus 4:11, Psalms 94:9, and Isaiah 35:5. These passages establish that opening blind eyes and forming human senses belong to God alone.
Why it lands — The text presents a logical test: if Jesus performs a work only God can do, his source must be divine. A reader must evaluate whether his actions originate from God or from an evil spirit.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?
Cross-references
- Exodus 4:11 And the LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, the sighted or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD?
- Isaiah 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
- Psalms 94:9 He who affixed the ear, can He not hear? He who formed the eye, can He not see?
- Matthew 11:5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
- Exodus 8:19 “This is the finger of God,” the magicians said to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
- Psalms 146:8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind, the LORD lifts those who are weighed down, the LORD loves the righteous.
- Proverbs 20:12 Ears that hear and eyes that see—the LORD has made them both.
- Matthew 4:24 News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and He healed them.
- John 9:6 When Jesus had said this, He spit on the ground, made some mud, and applied it to the man’s eyes.
- John 9:32 Never before has anyone heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.